Discover the groundbreaking truth behind the search trust crisis: why only 11% of consumers trust their first search result, and how 73% have turned to AI tools to find reliable answers in a fragmented digital landscape where traditional search rules no longer apply.
This episode reveals the revolutionary Control, Influence, and Visibility framework—Jason Barnard’s strategic response to the chaos of modern consumer behavior. Anchored by insights from The Kalicube Process™ and validated by Yext and Search Engine Land’s research, this episode moves you beyond outdated SEO tactics into the essential world of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) where machine-first strategies deliver human-centered results.
What You’ll Learn from Only 11% Trust Google First Results: The GEO Solution
- [00:45] The trust apocalypse: Why 89% of consumers immediately seek second opinions after their first search.
- [01:23] The AI surge revealed: How 73% increased AI tool usage and what it means for brand discovery.
- [01:59] The six new searcher personas: From Traditionalists to Social Proof Seekers, and how they’re reshaping customer journeys.
- [02:43] The machine-first mandate: Why you must create a “crystal clear résumé” for algorithms to understand.
- [03:23] The Control, Influence, Visibility framework defined: The three brand-facing goals that transform business outcomes.
- [04:49] The UCD methodology: How Understandability, Credibility, and Deliverability directly map to your business success.
- [06:13] Know, Like, Trust evolved: Why timeless marketing principles need machine-first implementation.
The New Search Paradigm Mandate: What You Must Do Now
- Stop treating search as a single-platform game—adapt to the fragmented, multi-source reality.
- Build Understandability so algorithms control your narrative correctly.
- Establish machine-level Credibility to influence AI recommendations.
- Ensure perfect Deliverability for true visibility across all touchpoints.
- Transform your approach from ranking-focused to algorithm-education focused, because winning with humans now requires winning with the machines that guide them.
Expert Authority and Data Foundation:
Jason Barnard pioneered the Control, Influence, and Visibility framework as the brand-facing results of his Understandability, Credibility, and Deliverability (UCD) methodology. This framework maps the direct outcomes of successfully educating AI Assistive Engines, where establishing machine-level Understandability leads to ultimate Control over brand narrative, building Credibility translates into algorithmic Influence, and ensuring Deliverability results in true Visibility at critical customer journey moments.
Ready to Master the New Search Reality?
Visit kalicube.com/guides for free downloadable guides to optimize your corporate or personal brand in the AI era and succeed in the fragmented search landscape.
Sponsored by Three Steps Digital Brand Management – Your Kalicube® certified agency for comprehensive AI-first brand optimization.
Sources: Control, Influence, and Visibility framework, The Kalicube Process™ UCD methodology, Yext and Search Engine Land consumer research, Jason Barnard’s GEO framework.
#ControlInfluenceVisibility #KalicubeProcess #SearchTrustCrisis #GEO #GenerativeEngineOptimization #AISearch #MachineFirst #SEO2Point0 #UCD #AlgorithmicEducation
Transcript from Only 11% Trust Google First Results: The GEO Solution
[00:00:00] Robin: I’m Robin, and you are listening to Generative Engine Optimization in the AI Era: Decoding SEO 2.0. Welcome to the show, proudly sponsored by Three Steps Digital Brand Management, a Kalicube® certified agency. Now, let’s dive right in and decode. Okay, so over the next few minutes, we’re gonna figure out why the old rules of search just feel broken.
[00:00:20] Then I’ll introduce you to a brand new framework for winning in the age of AI. And finally, we’ll see how this whole futuristic strategy actually connects back to a marketing truth you already know and love.
[00:00:31] Hey, there. Before we get started, if you’re new here, please subscribe to be kept up to date. For more insights like this, you can also download our free guides to optimize your corporate or personal brand in the AI era at kalicube.com/guides.
[00:00:45] All right, let’s just rip the bandaid off and ask the big question. Why does it feel like everything we knew about reaching customers has just been tossed out the window? Well, it’s because it kind of has. In a world full of AI assistance and social feeds that never end, that simple straight line from a search query to a purchase, yeah, that’s pretty much ancient history. And if you want proof, just look at this number. It is absolutely wild. A survey from Yext recently found that only 11%, just 11 of US consumers actually trust the first search tool they use. Let that sink in. That means almost nine out of 10 people are immediately looking for a second, third, or even fourth opinion. Trust has hit rock bottom.
[00:01:23] So where are all those people going for that second opinion? Well, and you can probably guess. They’re turning to AI. That same survey showed that a whopping 73% of us have started using AI-powered search tools way more in just the past year. This isn’t just some passing fact. It’s a huge change in how we find information.
[00:01:42] Now, sure. Traditional search engines are still a popular place to start, but they are definitely not the only game in town anymore, not by a long shot. AI tools and review sites are catching up and they’re catching up fast. The customer journey isn’t a straight road anymore. It’s more like a chaotic, sprawling city with a million different paths.
[00:01:59] And all this complexity, it’s creating totally new types of searchers. Yext actually identified six of them. You’ve got your Traditionalist who sticks with what they know, but then you have the Explorer who’s all about AI and the Social-Proof Seeker who needs to see it on TikTok first. You can’t use a one size fits all strategy because you’re not talking to a single customer anymore.
[00:02:19] So, how on earth do you win in this chaos? You know what? This quote from Mark Kabana at Yext just hits the nail on the head. It’s not enough to just be seen anymore. You have to be chosen, chosen by the algorithms that are now guiding our customers. And to do that, you have to speak their language. It’s like you’re creating a perfect crystal clear resume for your brand that a machine can understand in a nanosecond.
[00:02:43] Sticking to old SEO tricks right now is like trying to navigate rush hour traffic in a new city without a GPS, it’s just not gonna work. We need a new map, a new proactive strategy that makes sense of all this chaos and helps us talk directly to these new AI gatekeepers.
[00:03:00] And that’s where The Kalicube Process™ comes into the picture. It’s a system developed by the brilliant Jason Barnard at his company, Kalicube®. It was designed from the ground up for one specific purpose, to teach AI engines exactly who you are, what you do, and why you matter. Now The Kalicube Process™ is all about achieving three super clear, super powerful goals for your brand.
[00:03:23] They are Control, Influence, and Visibility. So let’s break down what each of these really means in our new AI-powered world. So first up is Control. This is your bedrock, your foundation. It’s all about making sure you are the one and only source of truth for your brand. It means you define your story so clearly that when an AI looks you up, it finds exactly the facts you want it to find. You’re basically handing it the official script.
[00:03:49] Okay. So once you’ve locked down that factual control, you get to move on to the really fun part, Influence. This is all about shaping how you’re perceived. It’s the huge difference between an algorithm just knowing who you are and that algorithm actively recommending you. It’s about making sure the digital world says great things about you.
[00:04:09] Finally, all of that leads to Visibility. But listen, this isn’t the old school visibility of just ranking number one on Google anymore. True visibility today means you’re present everywhere, across the entire digital landscape. It means showing up as the best answer whenever and wherever your customer asks a question.
[00:04:26] Control, Influence, and Visibility. I mean, they sound amazing, right? They’re total game changers. But the big question is how do we actually make them happen? How do we turn these great ideas into a real strategy we can actually use? Well, the answer starts with a major shift in how we think about all this. It’s simple, but it’s powerful. To win with your human customers, you have to first win with the machines that guide them.
[00:04:49] It’s a machine-first approach to building a brand people love. This is where we get into the nuts and bolts. To get those big brand facing goals, Jason Barnard’s method focuses on three machine facing pillars, Understandability, Credibility, and Deliverability. These are the actual things you do to make those goals a reality.
[00:05:10] Here it is. This is the moment where it all just clicks into place. It’s the big aha moment. Look at how perfectly this all lines up. When you focus on making your brand story incredibly clear from machines, that’s Understandability, you get Control over your narrative. When you gather tons of proof from trusted sources, that’s Credibility, you earn the power to Influence. And when you make sure your message is perfectly packaged and available everywhere, that’s Deliverability, you achieve that true Visibility. For me, Robin, this is what’s so brilliant. It draws a direct measurable line from a specific action to a desired business outcome.
[00:05:46] No more guessing. This connection, this direct link between machine focused actions and brand focused results, that is the new playbook. This is Generative Engine Optimization in the AI Era: Decoding SEO 2.0. It’s a whole new way of thinking. We call GEO. What’s really, really cool about this whole cutting edge framework is that it’s actually built on a timeless marketing idea we all know and love, know, like, and trust. Just think about it. Visibility is how customers get to know you. Influence is how they come to like you, and having total control of your factual story is what builds that deep trust. It’s the same fundamental goal, just updated with a new machine first playbook.
[00:06:32] So I’m gonna leave you with a really important question to think about. In this new world where algorithms are basically the gatekeepers to your audience, is your brand speaking their language? Are you really set up to communicate clearly with the machines that are now guiding your customers? If there’s just one thing you take away today, let it be this.
[00:06:51] To achieve Control, Influence and Visibility with customers, you absolutely must first establish Understandability, Credibility, and Deliverability with algorithms. I’m Robin and I dived, decoded, and deciphered SEO 2.0. Thanks to our sponsor, Three Steps Digital Brand Management. And if you’re ready to start putting these ideas into practice for your own brand, head on over to kalicube.com/guides.
[00:07:18] That’s kalicube.com/guides to download your free guides. And of course, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss what’s next. And thank you for listening. See you next time for another new necessary nugget of knowledge.