Get Found in the New AI Economy
In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, host Carl J. Cox talks with Dave Burnett, CEO of AOK Marketing, about why this shift is happening, what leaders must understand, and how companies can stay visible in a world where traditional search is no longer the only path to customers.
Words by
Carl J. Cox
How AI Is Rewriting Search: Insights from Marketing Leader Dave Burnett
The world of digital marketing is changing faster than most business owners realize. For years, companies relied on one simple truth: if you want customers to find you, you invest in SEO and Google Ads. But today, a new force is reshaping everything AI-powered search. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are becoming the first place many people go for answers.
A Life Marked by Big Lessons
Before diving into marketing and AI, Dave shares two powerful personal stories that shaped how he sees business.
The first is a partnership that cost him millions. As a young entrepreneur, Dave launched an innovative digital rewards company in the late 1990s. But because he entered the partnership without proper legal agreements, he walked away with very little, even though the company later sold for more than $100 million. That early mistake taught him a lesson that every leader should remember: clarity, contracts, and legal protection matter.
His second major lesson came from a traumatic brain injury in 2018. A home renovation accident left him unable to work for more than a few minutes at a time, unable to remember conversations, and unable to function normally for over a year. During the entire first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was still recovering and barely aware of what was happening in the world.
These two events changed how Dave viewed leadership, teamwork, and resilience. His business survived because his team stepped up. His life moved forward because he refused to quit. And both experiences shaped how he now guides clients through major industry changes—especially the one happening right now in the digital world.
The Seismic Shift in Search
According to Dave, the rise of AI tools isn’t just a trend. It’s a “10-on-the-Richter-scale event” that is changing the foundations of how people find information.
For the last 20 years, Google has been the dominant gateway to the internet. If you needed answers, you Googled it. If you wanted customers, you optimized for Google.
But that era is ending.
Users are turning to AI tools that not only gather information, but explain it, compare it, and give direct recommendations. For many searches, it’s already faster and more helpful than Google. And this shift is happening across all age groups and industries—even among people who aren’t tech-savvy.
This means businesses can no longer rely on being found only through traditional SEO. AI engines decide what to show based on their own training data, not just website rankings.
The question leaders must ask is simple: Does AI know who you are?
How AI “Finds” Your Business
To understand how to stay ahead, Dave explains how large language models think.
AI learns from the information it was trained on. Much of that training comes from major public sources like Wikipedia, high-authority news sites, public code repositories, and large knowledge databases. If you aren’t in those sources or if your business has very little content online AI tools may know almost nothing about you.
This is why some companies show up easily inside ChatGPT answers while others don’t appear at all.
Visibility now depends on:
Entity authority – whether your business is recognized as a known, credible entity online
Content consistency – whether you have meaningful information about your work on your website
Third-party mentions – whether respected publications or platforms reference you
Technical accessibility – whether your website is crawlable by AI models
Reputation signals – whether your information is connected across multiple trusted sources
In this new environment, even small gaps can make a huge difference.
Why PR Is Becoming Powerful Again
One of the most surprising trends Dave sees is the return of public relations as a major strategic driver.
High-authority publications like the Washington Post, The Guardian, or major industry journals are used as training data for AI models. When your company or your name appears in those outlets, it increases the likelihood that large language models will recognize you as a legitimate source.
This means good PR doesn’t just bring visibility—it strengthens your digital identity inside AI systems.
For companies that have fallen behind on SEO or don’t have much content, this creates a unique opportunity to leapfrog competitors.
Why Content Matters More Than Ever
Gary Vaynerchuk recently said that content is now the foundation of digital visibility—and Dave strongly agrees.
Your website, podcasts, interviews, videos, and articles all build your “entity” across the internet. The more complete and consistent your story is, the easier it is for AI systems to understand what you do and who you help.
For leaders who are just starting, Dave recommends:
Build a strong website
Your website is the only digital space you fully control. It must clearly explain your services, your expertise, and your company identity.Be present on high-authority platforms
LinkedIn, industry podcasts, and respected outlets help establish authority.Create content that speaks to your expertise
Even one strong article per month is enough to start shaping your digital footprint.Make sure your website can be crawled
Technical mistakes—like blocking crawlers—can make your entire company invisible.Use PR strategically
Getting featured in high-authority publications has outsized impact in the AI era.
From Google Ads to AI Discoverability
Carl notes something surprising: Measure Success Podcast grew not through traditional SEO or Google Ads, but through consistent content and high-value conversations. As AI tools shift how ranking happens, podcasts like this one are becoming even more valuable because they create unique, high-quality information that AI can index.
For many businesses, this means the playing field is leveling. You don’t need the biggest budget—you need the strongest digital presence.
The Business Blueprint for the AI Search Era
Dave outlines a clear path for leaders who want to stay ahead:
1. Strengthen your digital foundation
A clear website with strong service pages and helpful information.
2. Build your entity across multiple platforms
Consistent presence creates digital authority.
3. Use PR to accelerate discoverability
The more credible sources reference you, the better.
4. Create content regularly
Articles, podcasts, videos, blogs—all matter.
5. Monitor what AI knows about you
Dave’s new tool, LimTel, helps companies understand and improve their AI visibility.
Final Insights
At the close of the episode, Carl and Dave return to what matters most: resilience, relationships, and intentional strategy. Dave shares how he measures success—through contribution, consistency, and how well he shows up in the relationships that matter most.
The business world is changing quickly. AI is reshaping how customers discover solutions. But leaders who understand these shifts—and prepare early—can create major opportunities in the years ahead.
If you want to be found, trusted, and recommended by the tools people now use every day, this is the moment to act.
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If you want help aligning your strategy for the AI-driven future of marketing, reach out to 40 Strategy. We’ll help you build clarity, content, and visibility so your business stays competitive in the new era of search.
