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Nov 11, 2025 · 51m · mixergy

#2285 AEO: How to make ChatGPT promote you

Ethan Smith · 34m spoken Andrew Warner · 11m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

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In this interview, SEO expert Ethan Smith outlines the fundamentals of Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), explaining how businesses can optimize technical documentation, offsite citations, and video content to become top-cited recommendations across generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Andrew holds 23.8% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Andrew as informed peer 3.9 Guest teaching 5.6 Guest disagreement 1.5 Andrew pushing back 2.8
05100:0015:0030:0045:000:41–6:22 · Andrew as informed peer 4/10 Measuring Timing and the Webflow AEO Case Study Andrew starts by asking for concrete examples of AEO results, clarifying the mechanics of offsite citations. Ethan systematically explains how Webflow drove 8% of signups from LLMs through organic Reddit and YouTube strategies.6:24–9:07 · Andrew as informed peer 3/10 Video Content and Multi-Channel Citation Flywheels Andrew questions how video views factor into LLM citations. Ethan explains the counterintuitive dynamic where unentertaining B2B niches benefit most from video citations.9:09–13:28 · Andrew as informed peer 5/10 Long-Tail Prompts and Help Center Optimization Andrew actively synthesizes how LLMs synthesize multi-source pages and questions whether single pages are necessary. Ethan details how conversational long-tail queries rely heavily on Help Center content.13:29–16:48 · Andrew as informed peer 4/10 AEO Playbook for Early-Stage Startups Andrew raises a realistic case study of an early-stage startup founder trying to rank for 360 review tools. Ethan provides a precise tactical playbook focused on offsite UGC and video.16:49–22:51 · Andrew as informed peer 5/10 Debunking Industry Myths: SEO Death and llms.txt Andrew challenges Ethan with the common concern that SEO is dead and asks about llms.txt blocking. Ethan decisively refutes both myths, pointing to search market share data and explaining the origin of the llms.txt misconception.22:52–26:05 · Andrew as informed peer 3/10 The Scientific Method and Experimentation in AEO Andrew presses on whether rapid AI iteration renders 6-week experiments obsolete. Ethan counters that fundamental search model architectures only update every few months and explains controlled experimentation.26:06–31:13 · Andrew as informed peer 4/10 Targeting Queries, Affiliates, and Chatbot Data Andrew explores how affiliate marketing and niche chatbots factor into discovery. Ethan breaks down why paying for affiliate mentions functions well in LLMs and warns about the sampling bias of purchasing third-party chatbot prompt logs.31:13–34:52 · Andrew as informed peer 3/10 The Evolution of AEO Tools and Content Scoring Andrew asks for standout tool recommendations. Ethan gives a blunt assessment that virtually all current tracking tools are undifferentiated commodities before previewing upcoming content scoring tools.34:53–39:18 · Andrew as informed peer 4/10 Agency Business Opportunities in Answer Engine Optimization Andrew proposes a specialized niche agency business model. Ethan agrees on the business opportunity while explaining the strategic necessity of bundling execution services across video, Reddit, and PR.39:20–42:51 · Andrew as informed peer 5/10 Graphite's Growth Strategy and High-Effort Thought Leadership Andrew probes why Ethan has gained significant media traction despite claiming not to do sales. Ethan explains his high-effort approach to non-delegable research and thought leadership.42:52–45:00 · Andrew as informed peer 3/10 A Five-Step Practical AEO Implementation Roadmap Andrew requests a tangible takeaway artifact for listeners. Ethan outlines a practical five-step roadmap prioritizing high-impact actions over low-leverage SEO tasks.45:01–48:10 · Andrew as informed peer 4/10 Career Milestones: MasterClass Growth and Past Experiments Andrew directly pushes Ethan to abandon false modesty and state his concrete career numbers. Ethan details taking MasterClass from zero to 10M+ monthly organic visits before sharing his quarantine woodworking hobby.0:41–6:22 · Guest teaching 6/10 Measuring Timing and the Webflow AEO Case Study Andrew starts by asking for concrete examples of AEO results, clarifying the mechanics of offsite citations. Ethan systematically explains how Webflow drove 8% of signups from LLMs through organic Reddit and YouTube strategies.6:24–9:07 · Guest teaching 6/10 Video Content and Multi-Channel Citation Flywheels Andrew questions how video views factor into LLM citations. Ethan explains the counterintuitive dynamic where unentertaining B2B niches benefit most from video citations.9:09–13:28 · Guest teaching 6/10 Long-Tail Prompts and Help Center Optimization Andrew actively synthesizes how LLMs synthesize multi-source pages and questions whether single pages are necessary. Ethan details how conversational long-tail queries rely heavily on Help Center content.13:29–16:48 · Guest teaching 5/10 AEO Playbook for Early-Stage Startups Andrew raises a realistic case study of an early-stage startup founder trying to rank for 360 review tools. Ethan provides a precise tactical playbook focused on offsite UGC and video.16:49–22:51 · Guest teaching 7/10 Debunking Industry Myths: SEO Death and llms.txt Andrew challenges Ethan with the common concern that SEO is dead and asks about llms.txt blocking. Ethan decisively refutes both myths, pointing to search market share data and explaining the origin of the llms.txt misconception.22:52–26:05 · Guest teaching 6/10 The Scientific Method and Experimentation in AEO Andrew presses on whether rapid AI iteration renders 6-week experiments obsolete. Ethan counters that fundamental search model architectures only update every few months and explains controlled experimentation.26:06–31:13 · Guest teaching 6/10 Targeting Queries, Affiliates, and Chatbot Data Andrew explores how affiliate marketing and niche chatbots factor into discovery. Ethan breaks down why paying for affiliate mentions functions well in LLMs and warns about the sampling bias of purchasing third-party chatbot prompt logs.31:13–34:52 · Guest teaching 6/10 The Evolution of AEO Tools and Content Scoring Andrew asks for standout tool recommendations. Ethan gives a blunt assessment that virtually all current tracking tools are undifferentiated commodities before previewing upcoming content scoring tools.34:53–39:18 · Guest teaching 4/10 Agency Business Opportunities in Answer Engine Optimization Andrew proposes a specialized niche agency business model. Ethan agrees on the business opportunity while explaining the strategic necessity of bundling execution services across video, Reddit, and PR.39:20–42:51 · Guest teaching 4/10 Graphite's Growth Strategy and High-Effort Thought Leadership Andrew probes why Ethan has gained significant media traction despite claiming not to do sales. Ethan explains his high-effort approach to non-delegable research and thought leadership.42:52–45:00 · Guest teaching 6/10 A Five-Step Practical AEO Implementation Roadmap Andrew requests a tangible takeaway artifact for listeners. Ethan outlines a practical five-step roadmap prioritizing high-impact actions over low-leverage SEO tasks.45:01–48:10 · Guest teaching 5/10 Career Milestones: MasterClass Growth and Past Experiments Andrew directly pushes Ethan to abandon false modesty and state his concrete career numbers. Ethan details taking MasterClass from zero to 10M+ monthly organic visits before sharing his quarantine woodworking hobby.0:41–6:22 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Measuring Timing and the Webflow AEO Case Study Andrew starts by asking for concrete examples of AEO results, clarifying the mechanics of offsite citations. Ethan systematically explains how Webflow drove 8% of signups from LLMs through organic Reddit and YouTube strategies.6:24–9:07 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Video Content and Multi-Channel Citation Flywheels Andrew questions how video views factor into LLM citations. Ethan explains the counterintuitive dynamic where unentertaining B2B niches benefit most from video citations.9:09–13:28 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Long-Tail Prompts and Help Center Optimization Andrew actively synthesizes how LLMs synthesize multi-source pages and questions whether single pages are necessary. Ethan details how conversational long-tail queries rely heavily on Help Center content.13:29–16:48 · Guest disagreement 2/10 AEO Playbook for Early-Stage Startups Andrew raises a realistic case study of an early-stage startup founder trying to rank for 360 review tools. Ethan provides a precise tactical playbook focused on offsite UGC and video.16:49–22:51 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Debunking Industry Myths: SEO Death and llms.txt Andrew challenges Ethan with the common concern that SEO is dead and asks about llms.txt blocking. Ethan decisively refutes both myths, pointing to search market share data and explaining the origin of the llms.txt misconception.22:52–26:05 · Guest disagreement 2/10 The Scientific Method and Experimentation in AEO Andrew presses on whether rapid AI iteration renders 6-week experiments obsolete. Ethan counters that fundamental search model architectures only update every few months and explains controlled experimentation.26:06–31:13 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Targeting Queries, Affiliates, and Chatbot Data Andrew explores how affiliate marketing and niche chatbots factor into discovery. Ethan breaks down why paying for affiliate mentions functions well in LLMs and warns about the sampling bias of purchasing third-party chatbot prompt logs.31:13–34:52 · Guest disagreement 2/10 The Evolution of AEO Tools and Content Scoring Andrew asks for standout tool recommendations. Ethan gives a blunt assessment that virtually all current tracking tools are undifferentiated commodities before previewing upcoming content scoring tools.34:53–39:18 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Agency Business Opportunities in Answer Engine Optimization Andrew proposes a specialized niche agency business model. Ethan agrees on the business opportunity while explaining the strategic necessity of bundling execution services across video, Reddit, and PR.39:20–42:51 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Graphite's Growth Strategy and High-Effort Thought Leadership Andrew probes why Ethan has gained significant media traction despite claiming not to do sales. Ethan explains his high-effort approach to non-delegable research and thought leadership.42:52–45:00 · Guest disagreement 1/10 A Five-Step Practical AEO Implementation Roadmap Andrew requests a tangible takeaway artifact for listeners. Ethan outlines a practical five-step roadmap prioritizing high-impact actions over low-leverage SEO tasks.45:01–48:10 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Career Milestones: MasterClass Growth and Past Experiments Andrew directly pushes Ethan to abandon false modesty and state his concrete career numbers. Ethan details taking MasterClass from zero to 10M+ monthly organic visits before sharing his quarantine woodworking hobby.0:41–6:22 · Andrew pushing back 2/10 Measuring Timing and the Webflow AEO Case Study Andrew starts by asking for concrete examples of AEO results, clarifying the mechanics of offsite citations. Ethan systematically explains how Webflow drove 8% of signups from LLMs through organic Reddit and YouTube strategies.6:24–9:07 · Andrew pushing back 2/10 Video Content and Multi-Channel Citation Flywheels Andrew questions how video views factor into LLM citations. Ethan explains the counterintuitive dynamic where unentertaining B2B niches benefit most from video citations.9:09–13:28 · Andrew pushing back 3/10 Long-Tail Prompts and Help Center Optimization Andrew actively synthesizes how LLMs synthesize multi-source pages and questions whether single pages are necessary. Ethan details how conversational long-tail queries rely heavily on Help Center content.13:29–16:48 · Andrew pushing back 2/10 AEO Playbook for Early-Stage Startups Andrew raises a realistic case study of an early-stage startup founder trying to rank for 360 review tools. Ethan provides a precise tactical playbook focused on offsite UGC and video.16:49–22:51 · Andrew pushing back 4/10 Debunking Industry Myths: SEO Death and llms.txt Andrew challenges Ethan with the common concern that SEO is dead and asks about llms.txt blocking. Ethan decisively refutes both myths, pointing to search market share data and explaining the origin of the llms.txt misconception.22:52–26:05 · Andrew pushing back 3/10 The Scientific Method and Experimentation in AEO Andrew presses on whether rapid AI iteration renders 6-week experiments obsolete. Ethan counters that fundamental search model architectures only update every few months and explains controlled experimentation.26:06–31:13 · Andrew pushing back 3/10 Targeting Queries, Affiliates, and Chatbot Data Andrew explores how affiliate marketing and niche chatbots factor into discovery. Ethan breaks down why paying for affiliate mentions functions well in LLMs and warns about the sampling bias of purchasing third-party chatbot prompt logs.31:13–34:52 · Andrew pushing back 2/10 The Evolution of AEO Tools and Content Scoring Andrew asks for standout tool recommendations. Ethan gives a blunt assessment that virtually all current tracking tools are undifferentiated commodities before previewing upcoming content scoring tools.34:53–39:18 · Andrew pushing back 3/10 Agency Business Opportunities in Answer Engine Optimization Andrew proposes a specialized niche agency business model. Ethan agrees on the business opportunity while explaining the strategic necessity of bundling execution services across video, Reddit, and PR.39:20–42:51 · Andrew pushing back 4/10 Graphite's Growth Strategy and High-Effort Thought Leadership Andrew probes why Ethan has gained significant media traction despite claiming not to do sales. Ethan explains his high-effort approach to non-delegable research and thought leadership.42:52–45:00 · Andrew pushing back 1/10 A Five-Step Practical AEO Implementation Roadmap Andrew requests a tangible takeaway artifact for listeners. Ethan outlines a practical five-step roadmap prioritizing high-impact actions over low-leverage SEO tasks.45:01–48:10 · Andrew pushing back 4/10 Career Milestones: MasterClass Growth and Past Experiments Andrew directly pushes Ethan to abandon false modesty and state his concrete career numbers. Ethan details taking MasterClass from zero to 10M+ monthly organic visits before sharing his quarantine woodworking hobby.

speaking balance: gold is Andrew, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Andrew 40.7% · guest 59.3%0:00 · Andrew 40.7% · guest 59.3%3:00 · Andrew 9.9% · guest 90.1%3:00 · Andrew 9.9% · guest 90.1%6:00 · Andrew 16.3% · guest 83.7%6:00 · Andrew 16.3% · guest 83.7%9:00 · Andrew 16.7% · guest 83.3%9:00 · Andrew 16.7% · guest 83.3%12:00 · Andrew 29.9% · guest 70.1%12:00 · Andrew 29.9% · guest 70.1%15:00 · Andrew 34.2% · guest 65.8%15:00 · Andrew 34.2% · guest 65.8%18:00 · Andrew 20.6% · guest 79.4%18:00 · Andrew 20.6% · guest 79.4%21:00 · Andrew 20.4% · guest 79.6%21:00 · Andrew 20.4% · guest 79.6%24:00 · Andrew 21.7% · guest 78.3%24:00 · Andrew 21.7% · guest 78.3%27:00 · Andrew 9.4% · guest 90.6%27:00 · Andrew 9.4% · guest 90.6%30:00 · Andrew 23.6% · guest 76.4%30:00 · Andrew 23.6% · guest 76.4%33:00 · Andrew 29.9% · guest 70.1%33:00 · Andrew 29.9% · guest 70.1%36:00 · Andrew 29% · guest 71%36:00 · Andrew 29% · guest 71%39:00 · Andrew 20.1% · guest 79.9%39:00 · Andrew 20.1% · guest 79.9%42:00 · Andrew 8.7% · guest 91.3%42:00 · Andrew 8.7% · guest 91.3%45:00 · Andrew 25.4% · guest 74.6%45:00 · Andrew 25.4% · guest 74.6%48:00 · Andrew 34.1% · guest 65.9%48:00 · Andrew 34.1% · guest 65.9%51:00 · Andrew 86.1% · guest 13.9%51:00 · Andrew 86.1% · guest 13.9%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 25:05 Dismissing assumption about rapid model volatility

Ethan flatly rejects Andrew's suggestion that LLM models shift so fast that six-week controlled tests become invalid.

 Hardest push from Andrew ▶ 46:40 Pressing Ethan on MasterClass numbers

Andrew inspects Ethan's LinkedIn in real time and refuses to accept a vague bio, demanding specific before-and-after traffic numbers.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 19:56 Dissecting the llms.txt protocol misconception

Ethan thoroughly explains how a casual blog proposal was mistaken for an official LLM protocol through an echo chamber of repetition.

 Andrew holds their own ▶ 11:00 Andrew synthesizes cross-page LLM retrieval

Andrew demonstrates a deep understanding of information retrieval by explaining how LLMs aggregate disparate feature, pricing, and integration pages into a cohesive response.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicAndrew as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementAndrew pushing backWhy
Measuring Timing and the Webflow AEO Case Study 4612 Andrew starts by asking for concrete examples of AEO results, clarifying the mechanics of offsite citations. Ethan systematically explains how Webflow drove 8% of signups from LLMs through organic Reddit and YouTube strategies.
Video Content and Multi-Channel Citation Flywheels 3612 Andrew questions how video views factor into LLM citations. Ethan explains the counterintuitive dynamic where unentertaining B2B niches benefit most from video citations.
Long-Tail Prompts and Help Center Optimization 5613 Andrew actively synthesizes how LLMs synthesize multi-source pages and questions whether single pages are necessary. Ethan details how conversational long-tail queries rely heavily on Help Center content.
AEO Playbook for Early-Stage Startups 4522 Andrew raises a realistic case study of an early-stage startup founder trying to rank for 360 review tools. Ethan provides a precise tactical playbook focused on offsite UGC and video.
Debunking Industry Myths: SEO Death and llms.txt 5734 Andrew challenges Ethan with the common concern that SEO is dead and asks about llms.txt blocking. Ethan decisively refutes both myths, pointing to search market share data and explaining the origin of the llms.txt misconception.
The Scientific Method and Experimentation in AEO 3623 Andrew presses on whether rapid AI iteration renders 6-week experiments obsolete. Ethan counters that fundamental search model architectures only update every few months and explains controlled experimentation.
Targeting Queries, Affiliates, and Chatbot Data 4613 Andrew explores how affiliate marketing and niche chatbots factor into discovery. Ethan breaks down why paying for affiliate mentions functions well in LLMs and warns about the sampling bias of purchasing third-party chatbot prompt logs.
The Evolution of AEO Tools and Content Scoring 3622 Andrew asks for standout tool recommendations. Ethan gives a blunt assessment that virtually all current tracking tools are undifferentiated commodities before previewing upcoming content scoring tools.
Agency Business Opportunities in Answer Engine Optimization 4423 Andrew proposes a specialized niche agency business model. Ethan agrees on the business opportunity while explaining the strategic necessity of bundling execution services across video, Reddit, and PR.
Graphite's Growth Strategy and High-Effort Thought Leadership 5414 Andrew probes why Ethan has gained significant media traction despite claiming not to do sales. Ethan explains his high-effort approach to non-delegable research and thought leadership.
A Five-Step Practical AEO Implementation Roadmap 3611 Andrew requests a tangible takeaway artifact for listeners. Ethan outlines a practical five-step roadmap prioritizing high-impact actions over low-leverage SEO tasks.
Career Milestones: MasterClass Growth and Past Experiments 4514 Andrew directly pushes Ethan to abandon false modesty and state his concrete career numbers. Ethan details taking MasterClass from zero to 10M+ monthly organic visits before sharing his quarantine woodworking hobby.

Statements from this episode (22)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ethan Smith: 8% of Webflow's signups come from LLMs
“Eight percent of their signups come from LMs.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 1:41
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Smith: Most Webflow LLM signups came from existing SEO work
“So I would say most of the signups from LMS were from SEO work that we had already done or we're doing.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 2:49
Insight
Smith: Winning AI search requires offsite citations, not just on-domain pages
“And if in chat you say, what's the best website builder and Webflow's URL is the number one citation and nobody else mentions Webflow, then they won't win. And so for these popular questions, the way to win is not just a page on your site. It's pages off of yo…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 3:21
Assertion Supported
Ethan Smith: LLMs frequently cite YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn, but rarely X
“It generally, so LMs, the classes of domain types of domains that are cited frequently, video and UGC are huge. Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, I am not seeing X that much. And then video and YouTube shows up a lot.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 6:25
Insight
Ethan Smith: Video marketing works best for unentertaining, high-LTV B2B products
“And the less entertaining your product is, the better, the more interesting video is. And the reason why I say that is because video is made to be entertaining and entertaining categories like food, travel, beauty are the most crowded and the least entertainin…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 6:43
Insight
Ethan Smith: Winning AEO requires optimizing YouTube and Reddit, not pure AEO
“So actually to do answer engine optimization really well, I think it's not doing pure answer engine optimization. It's doing all of these other channels, but doing YouTube and Reddit with the intention of helping you on answer engine optimization.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 7:49
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Ethan Smith: LLM video citations require only hundreds of views, not millions
“What I will say is that for many questions, the number of views is not millions or hundreds of thousands, it's hundreds or a few thousands. So it's still pretty, it's still something that you could win without being an influencer.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 8:54
Assertion Supported
Smith: Chat prompts average 25 words versus 3 to 6 for search
“The average, I think the stat roughly was average of 25 words per prompt and average of three to six for search, something along those lines. So chat is significantly more specific.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 9:32
Insight
Smith: Help center optimization is critical for AEO, unlike SEO
“Help center is actually a great place to do that because help center is you talking about how your product works and what it does when it does not do. And so help center optimization is not something you would focus on for SEO, but you would for answer engine …”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 10:30
Insight
Smith: AEO does not require verbatim exact-match pages for every query
“Yes, you do not need to create millions of pages for every single question. You need to generally answer the question... It's grouping and theming them. And the AI is indeed smart enough to just find the answer. So you don't need it explicitly verbatim exact m…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 11:01
Insight
Smith: Startups can win AI search visibility quickly via multi-channel offsite content
“If I'm making viral YouTube videos and you know, a TikTok video and an Instagram story and a Reddit thread, I can be the best product tomorrow. So the time to impact is fast and I can grow on these other channels without really having a substantial brand.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 14:24
Insight
Smith: Startups should ignore SEO until Series A or B
“I think it's hard for early stage companies, which is why I mentioned when a startup asked me what they should do in SEO, I say, don't work on it and wait until you're larger. Wait until you're, you know, series A or later, maybe series B and later, because it…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 17:29
Assertion Supported
Smith: Search volume is 5x to 10x larger than LLMs
“I think it's five X, at least five X LMs, maybe 10 X, depending on the category. So it's way bigger than AEO.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 17:56
Assertion Supported
Smith: Over 90% of ChatGPT users still use Google
“Similar web I have data showing that the overlap Basically everyone who uses ChatGPT uses Google. Nearly all of them. I think it's like 90, 90% plus or something. So people are not using it instead of search.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 18:42
Assertion Supported
Smith: The llms.txt protocol does not work
“So the intention of LMS.txt is to get more traffic and to send information about, it's not to block, it's to send more information to the LMS so that you get more traffic, but it doesn't work.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 22:20
Insight
Ethan Smith: AEO testing requires control groups because LLM growth inflates baseline metrics
“The reason why the control matters is because LM's are growing a lot, and charts are just going to naturally go up because they're growing a lot. So if you don't have a control, you don't know whether or not you caused an effect.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 24:32
Assertion Supported
Smith: TechRadar Is Among Most Cited LLM Domains Despite Affiliate Disclosures
“TechRadar is a good example. TechRadar shows up A huge amount. It's one of the most cited domains in LMs. And you'll see a snippet at the top saying we're an affiliate site and it does really well. There's no evidence that a paid for mention does worse than a …”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 26:31
Prediction Open · timeframe Nov 2030
Smith: ChatGPT Will Eventually Offer Prompt Search Volume Data Through Ads
“I don't anticipate they'll do that soon. I think that they'll eventually do that as they build out ads, but they don't give you that information.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 27:31
Prediction Held up
Smith: ClearScope will launch the first AI content optimization tool
“I believe by the time this podcast gets published, ClearScope will show the first optimization tool.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 32:01
Opinion
Smith: AEO software tools are defenseless commodities
“Who's unique and special? And the answer is no one. If, because it's impossible to be unique and special, And the reason it's impossible to be unique and special is because these are not hard to build. These are commodity. These are easy to build relatively co…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 34:19
Assertion Supported
Smith: Half of newly published internet content is AI-generated
“We just posted an original piece of original research showing that half of the content published on the internet is generated by AI.”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 42:14
Disclosure
Ethan Smith helped popularize '10 Best' title tags and app download interstitials
“I would say I also played a significant role in the 10 best, the 10 best X for Y title tags Like, 15 years ago. And I also played a substantial role in the download interstitials that said, sorry, you can't use the mobile website, you have to download the app.…”
Ethan Smith Nov 11, 2025 ▶ 46:18
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