What AI Search Actually Cares About (GEO & AI SEO 2026)

AI search isn’t broken.
It just doesn’t work the way most people think it does.

In this episode, we sit down with Chris Long — AI search researcher, co-founder of Nectiv, and one of the leading analysts studying how LLMs actually read, search, and cite the web — to unpack why traditional SEO playbooks are quietly failing in the age of AI.

This isn’t about better keywords.
It’s not about ranking higher.
And it’s definitely not about writing longer content.

If your team is:
• Ranking well in Google but not getting mentioned by AI
• Watching traffic decline while visibility feels unpredictable
• Confused by contradictory SEO advice around AI search
• Still treating AI like “Google with a chatbot interface”

This conversation will finally make AI search make sense.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why AI engines don’t read pages top-to-bottom like Google
• How AI uses context windows and “chunking” to extract answers
• Why most of your web page may be invisible to AI
• How one search can fan out into dozens of unseen queries
• Why keyword lists collapse in AI-driven search
• What AI engines actually look for when choosing sources
• Why tables, bullets, and structure outperform “great writing”
• How citations influence ChatGPT and AI Overviews
• Why traffic is becoming a vanity metric in a zero-click world
• What KPIs actually matter as we move toward 2026
• How to rethink SEO strategy for a world where AI is the reader

Key Concepts Covered in This Video

AI search Behavior
Context windows and content chunking
Fan-out queries and query expansion
AI vs Google search mechanics
Zero-click search and declining CTR
Brand mentions vs traffic
AI citations and third-party influence
Content structure for LLMs
Search visibility in 2026
The future of SEO and GEO

CHAPTERS
00:00 #1 on Google. Invisible to AI
01:33 How AI Reads Pages
02:16 Chunking + Context Windows
03:37 Content AI Rewards
05:28 Fan-Out Queries Explained
07:05 The New Content Strategy
10:00 Citations = Visibility
14:35 Zero-Click + 2026 KPIs


CONNECT WITH CHRIS LONG
💼 LinkedIn:   / chris-long-marketing  
🌐 https://nectivdigital.com/

CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn:   / vendasta  
X: https://x.com/vendasta
Instagram:   / vendasta  

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