AI isn’t crawling the web the way Google once did—it’s scanning for signals of clarity, credibility, and consistency. That means showing up in more places, in smarter ways. The following 8 signal types are what we optimize to make sure you’re found first.

 1. Digital Footprint
Your total online presence—what exists, where it lives, and how consistently it shows up across platforms.

• Business listings on Google, Bing, Yelp, and more

• Social media profiles and public pages

• Website content, blogs, and service pages

• Directory listings and citations

• Public-facing links that verify your business identity

Why it matters:
AI can’t recommend what it can’t confirm. A strong, consistent digital footprint proves your business is real, active, and everywhere it should be.

2. Domain Expertise
How clearly and deeply your content demonstrates knowledge, authority, and experience in your field.

• Educational content like FAQs, blogs, and how-tos

• Case studies, outcomes, and service-specific results

• About pages that explain your background and values

• Author bios with credentials and expertise

• Testimonials and downloadable guides that build trust

Why it matters:
AI rewards depth over fluff. Demonstrating clear, verifiable expertise helps AI recognize you as a trusted authority—not just another voice online.

3. AI Discoverability
How easily your content can be found, read, and interpreted by AI tools and search engines.

• Headings, summaries, and bullet points for clarity

• Clear titles and subheadings with contextual keywords

• Natural language questions and structured answers

• Semantically rich content with related terms and synonyms

• Consistent naming across profiles, pages, and platforms

Why it matters:
Great content means nothing if AI can’t find or understand it. Structuring your content for AI is the difference between being skipped or surfaced in results.

4. Local Relevance
The strength of your business’s connection to a geographic area across your web presence.

• Google Business Profile fully completed and updated

• City and state references in key website copy

• Listings in local directories and backlinks from community sites

• “Near me” keyword optimization

• Embedded maps and structured location data

Why it matters:
AI needs geographic context to show your business in local searches. If your location signals are weak or missing, you’re invisible to nearby customers.

5. Technical Signals
The behind-the-scenes structure that ensures your site can be crawled, indexed, and trusted by AI.

• Fast load speeds and mobile-friendly design

• HTTPS secure site certification

• Schema markup to organize content for AI

• XML sitemaps for clear page navigation

• Clean URL structure and optimized Core Web Vitals

Why it matters:
Even the best content fails without technical trust. Clean code, fast speed, and structured data tell AI your site is functional, trustworthy, and easy to crawl.

6. Social Signals
Public engagement data from social platforms that reinforce your credibility and relevance.

• Active social profiles with regular posting

• Captions with alt-text and hashtags for visibility

• High-quality video content with transcripts

• Likes, comments, and shares that indicate interest

• Activity in industry-relevant social groups

Why it matters:
AI models watch what people share and engage with. A visible, active social presence amplifies your credibility across platforms and search results.

7. AI-Specific Signals
Signals tailored specifically for AI tools and language models to find, understand, and use your content.

• Public content on platforms like Quora, Reddit, and Medium

• Custom GPTs or branded agents

• Visibility inside tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini

• Q&A formatted for snippets and direct answers

• Aligned messaging across AI-accessible platforms

Why it matters:
Most businesses aren’t optimizing for AI yet—so you have an edge. These signals teach AI tools to reference, quote, and recommend you.

8. Behavioral Performance Signals
Interaction data that tells AI how users engage with your content and whether it delivers value.

• Time spent on key pages

• Bounce rates and click-through behavior

• Dwell time on articles, blogs, or videos

• Conversion actions like form fills or calls

• Repeat visits and user feedback

Why it matters:
AI pays attention to how people interact with your content. Strong engagement tells the algorithm you’re valuable, relevant, and worth recommending again.