Ep. 14 Found in AI: Future-Proofing Your SEO in an AI-First World

Writing for Humans vs. LLMs: What Actually Needs to Change? – Found in AI: AI Search Visibility, SEO, & GEO

Send us Fan Mail📬 You like this podcast? You’ll love the newsletter.Join the weekly The Visibility Report: subscribeIn this episode of Found in AI, Cassie Clark talks with content marketer Ben Hale about what actually changes when you start creating content for AI search — and what doesn't.Cassie and Ben talk about how audience behavior should determine which AI engines you prioritize, why distribution is becoming an increasingly important part of content strategy, and how content needs to change when it moves from your website to platforms like Reddit.They also dig into the difference between AI mentions and citations, whether getting cited is actually enough to call your strategy successful, and how marketers can test new AI search tactics without chasing every new optimization trick that comes along.In this episode:Why you shouldn't treat AI search engines as a monolithHow to decide which AI engines actually matter to your audienceWhy third-party distribution belongs in your AI search strategyWhy copying brand content directly onto Reddit doesn't workHow to create product and comparison content that's actually usefulHow content structure can affect AI citationsWhy getting cited is only a leading indicator of successThe difference between AI mentions and citationsWhat still matters about writing for humansHow to design AI search experiments with clear timelines and success criteriaWhy marketers need to be willing to abandon tactics the data says aren't working–Cassie Clark is an AI search visibility consultant and a fractional content strategist for startups and enterprise brands. If that sounds like the kind of help you're looking for, email me at cassie@cassieclarkmarketing.com. Or request your AI Search Visibility Audit: https://cassieclarkmarketing.com/ai-search-visibility-audit/Join Cassie Clark for a free live training, How to Build an AI Search Visibility Strategy, on November 5, 2026, at 1 PM ET.Learn how to identify relevant AI search opportunities, diagnose visibility gaps, establish a measurement baseline, and prioritize your next steps. Includes live Q&A.Register for free: https://cassieclarkmarketing.com/ai-search-training/ Wondering what AI search means for your business?Cassie Clark Marketing helps startups and enterprise brands understand how AI systems discover and recommend them, identify what affects their visibility, and develop executable strategies.Services include team training, AI visibility diagnosis, strategic consulting, and fractional marketing leadership.www.cassieclarkmarketing.com

1. Writing for Humans vs. LLMs: What Actually Needs to Change? 28:25
2. Google Updates Content Guidance as AI Agents Reshape Search 17:43
3. Are AI Visibility Tools Measuring the Wrong Things? 17:12
4. Google AI Mode Monitoring + Why AI Citations Don’t Equal Recommendations 12:59
5. Who’s Responsible for What AI Says About Your Brand? 20:39

In today’s episode of Found in AI, I’m bringing back one of my favorite SEO brains — Kristina Frunze of WebView SEO — because the ground under search is shifting faster than most marketers can keep up.

SEO isn’t dead. But it is mutating. And if you’re still planning your content the way you did even 12 months ago… you’re already behind.

This episode digs into what SEO actually looks like now that AI engines are rewriting how people find information — and how brands stay visible when traditional rankings stop telling the full story.

We break down:

• Why “write for humans, structure for machines” might be the most important SEO rule heading into 2026
• How Google is redefining spam (and why it’s not as simple as “AI content bad”)
• When structured data, schema, and citations move from “nice to have” to “non-negotiable”
• Whether Reddit is still worth the energy — or if it’s turning into a content casino
• How to measure visibility in a zero-click world
• And what replaces rankings as the metric that actually matters in AI search

If you’re trying to future-proof your SEO strategy — without chasing every shiny update — this episode gives you a grounded, no-nonsense roadmap for staying visible while SEO and AI blur into the same discipline.

Whether we like it or not, search has entered the “new rules” era. And the marketers who adapt fastest are the ones who are going to win.

Transcript: Future-Proofing Your SEO Strategy for an AI-First World

Found in AI Podcast

Cassie Clark (Host):
Hey friends, welcome back to Found in AI. I’m your host, Cassie Clark — fractional content strategist and CMO of Scheme.

Today, I’m joined again by Kristina Frunze of WebView SEO. We’re digging into what SEO actually looks like now that AI engines are reshaping how people discover information.

We’re talking about writing for humans while structuring for machines, what Google is actually rewarding right now, why Reddit is… a little chaotic, and how to measure visibility when clicks start disappearing. If you want a no-nonsense look at staying visible in an AI-first search world, this episode is for you.

Let’s jump in.

Guest Introduction

Cassie:
For anyone new here, Kristina — want to reintroduce yourself?

Kristina Frunze:
Sure. I’m Kristina Frunze, and I run WebView SEO, an SEO agency that’s also deeply exploring AI search, especially for SaaS companies.

Most of my clients are in construction tech, which wasn’t intentional at first. But over time, about 80% of my client base ended up there. Eventually, I realized I already had the case studies, industry language, ICP understanding, and relationships — so leaning into that niche just made sense.

Cassie:
I love when a niche finds you before you find it. Last time you were on, we talked about whether SEO is dead — and obviously, it’s not. But it is being redefined.

So let’s talk future-proofing. What does SEO look like when AI engines are rewriting how people discover information?

Writing for Humans, Structuring for Machines

Kristina:
One of my favorite lines from a recent Google webinar was, “Write for humans, structure for machines.” It really stuck with me because it’s true — it’s the closest thing we have to a new rule for SEO.

In a recent interview, Google’s VP of Product, Liz Reid, said that uniquely human-oriented content is what will drive visibility — both in AI search and classic SEO — because AI can’t replicate lived experience or perspective.

Google is also expanding its definition of spam. If you’re producing content that doesn’t add anything new — just repeating what already exists — it can get flagged. And once Google sees you as spammy, it’s very hard to recover.

To stay visible long-term, you need a point of view. You need human input. You need to write with your ICP in mind. Structure and formatting help machines parse content — but they don’t replace substance.

Cassie:
I’m really glad you said that. Someone in RevGenius asked this morning about AI SEO tools, and while I gave a tool recommendation, I also said, “You’re still writing for a person — you’re just structuring your page differently.”

If a section is titled “What is a mind map?” you don’t bury the definition. You put it at the top. Then you write for the human reader. Same writing — new structure.

Kristina:
Exactly. You can still tell when something was written by AI versus a human. We’re looping back to basic journalism principles: write for people first.

Machines consume structure — not meaning.

Creating an SEO Program From Scratch (in an AI-Search World)

Cassie:
If someone were building an SEO program from scratch today with AI search in mind, what roles or skills would you prioritize that teams might not be thinking about yet?

Kristina:
Content creation is still number one. That hasn’t changed.

But research is a close second — deep ICP research and audience research. Understanding where people spend time, what questions they ask, where they go for answers, and how they phrase those questions.

For example, I worked with a construction tech client offering time-tracking software. On the surface, their setup looked standard — a landing page per feature.

But when I looked at Reddit, I saw recurring privacy concerns around biometric tracking. Contractors talking about why they didn’t want to be scanned. That insight led us to create content we never would have uncovered if we hadn’t listened to the audience directly.

Cassie:
That tracks. Lindsey from Conductor shared something similar — instead of organizing content by pillars, organize it by audience groups and their questions. Audience first, topics second.

Kristina:
Exactly. Research often uncovers assumptions that are completely wrong.

Balancing Classic SEO With AI Visibility

Cassie:
Let’s talk about balance. Should marketers still focus on backlinks, metadata, and technical health? Or should they shift toward structured data, citations, and brand mentions?

What’s the ratio?

Kristina:
You nailed it earlier — about 80/20, maybe 85/15.

AI search optimization is an add-on to your SEO foundation, not a replacement. ChatGPT and Perplexity can surface brands even if Google rankings aren’t strong, but Google’s AI Overviews still tend to cite pages with solid SEO fundamentals.

The foundation still matters.

Cassie:
Do you think that ratio will hold?

Kristina:
Probably not. AI changes constantly. OpenAI just launched Atlas, which adds another layer of complexity.

This isn’t slowing down.

Should Brands Still Care About Reddit?

Cassie:
We have to talk about Reddit — because it’s been chaotic. One month it’s essential, the next month traffic dips, then it rebounds. How should brands think about Reddit right now?

Kristina:
It depends on your audience. If they live on Reddit, maybe it’s worth exploring.

But Reddit marketing takes serious effort. Redditors can spot promotion instantly. Most brands post from brand accounts, get downvoted, and it backfires. Agencies that do Reddit well charge a lot because it requires sustained involvement.

For most teams, I don’t think it’s worth making Reddit a core pillar.

Cassie:
Same. It’s great for research, but building a long-term presence feels risky.

Kristina:
Exactly. I had a high-karma Reddit account banned overnight with no explanation. Years of equity — gone.

I wouldn’t stake a long-term strategy on a platform that unpredictable.

Cassie:
Same thing happened to me trying to create an AEO subreddit — instant ban.

So we’re aligned: valuable for insight, not something to build your entire strategy around.

The SEO Tactic That Will Kill Long-Term Visibility

Cassie:
What’s one outdated SEO tactic that will hurt visibility in an AI-first world?

Kristina:
Creating content at scale just to cover keywords.

Going wider instead of deeper.

You need to own your category and stay close to core pain points. Traffic without conversion is meaningless. I’d rather see traffic drop and conversions rise.

Cassie:
Quality over quantity — every time.

Measuring Visibility in a Zero-Click World

Cassie:
With more zero-click journeys, how do teams measure success when traffic isn’t the metric anymore?

Kristina:
You have to look at content-assisted conversions, assisted leads, and path exploration in GA4.

For zero-click visibility specifically, if someone sees your brand in an AI answer, they might not click — but they’ll Google you later, type in your URL, or return as direct traffic.

So I track increases in branded search and direct traffic. Those are strong indicators that AI visibility is working.

Cassie:
Exactly. Discovery happens in AI, validation happens in Google. Attribution is blurry.

What Replaces Rankings?

Cassie:
Final question. Looking ahead to 2026 — what replaces rankings as the core metric?

Kristina:
Share of voice.

Both classic SEO share of voice and AI visibility share of voice. You exist relative to competitors. Tracking that relative visibility will matter more than any single ranking.

Closing

Cassie:
That’s a wrap. Huge thanks to Kristina for coming back and sharing all of this.

Your homework for the week:
Take one existing blog post and give it a light AI makeover. Move the key answer to the top, add structure like FAQs or author schema, clean up formatting, and make sure your human POV is unmistakable.

I’m Cassie Clark, fractional content strategist and CMO of Scheme. If you want your brand showing up where people discover information now, you know where to find me — on LinkedIn or at cassieclarkmarketing.com.

Remember: machines read structure, humans remember your point of view.

See you next time.

If we haven’t met yet….

Hi, I’m Cassie, a fractional content strategist for early-stage startups who focuses on AI search optimization.

I build content programs that connect strategy with execution: clear positioning,  systems, and content that actually drives revenue. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start growing, here’s how we can work together.

Want more insights like this? Subscribe to The Visibility Report, where I break down how AI engines interpret authority — and how you can show up in the results.