Day 12: The visible evidence AI systems can find that shows you are genuinely qualified to be recommended

How has the Journey been so far for you?

I hope it helps you see the lessons inside the GEO Academy by AISQ Growth in a new light and that it provided a very useful companion for the things our instructors presented inside Module 1. Cristina (our Branding Officer) and Irina (our Head of Marketing) have both helped me put together and connect the details that make up the Journey. GEO Academy was an even bigger brainstom and research done with even more people from AISQ Growth.

As I’ve said before, Module 1 is the most important, because it is the foundation and the best explanation for this tidal shift in online marketing.

There is a reason Module 2 isn’t released yet. I want to make sure we get to cover all the basics first. Otherwise the temptation is too great to dive into tactics. Tactics without strategy and a clear overview end up meaning nothing, though.

So trust me: there is a clear path and it doesn’t need to be rushed.

We’re already in Day 12 of the Journey to Generative Engine Optimization.

Today, I will share one more element that needs to be connected: Proof of expertise.

What you learn today can end up making a MUCH bigger difference in online marketing for 2027 than anything else until now.

Our instructors from GEO Academy told students in Lesson 3 to include expertise signals naturally in every piece of content: credentials, years of experience, client types, specific results, and named methodologies. It also says expertise signals are how AI systems distinguish genuine authority from surface-level content.

I have a client for whom Paul and I have focused the content efforts solely on proving they have proper expertise in their field of work.

That’s it.

That’s the main plan for them. Of course, we do entities and social media publishing, but all of it is geared towards entities that prove “real experience doing the real work that is being talked about”.

Because we do other works for them (advertising and branding), they would have gone over buget with the general works we usually include in AISQ Growth’s Package 2. To say it clearly: that’s why they are the only clients for which we produce really short content / that’s not a thing, usually.

The short content we make for them instantly proves their expertise. We use clear images and clear text that contains many relevant entities for the work being performed by the client’s brand. The images contain very industry-specific tools being used, that quickly proves being part of the industry.

That gets them to rank in top 4 on Google and Bing for many pages. That gets them to gain tons of recommendations inside ChatGPT and Perplexity. All organic. (two separate classes of results ; I am not saying the top 4 presence influences them being considered fit and chosen by AIs to be presented inside the answers they give back to users)

Most companies stop at proving they have experience in the field.

“Choose me, because I have 4 years in this field.” ; “Oh, no. You’d better choose me” says another “because I have even more years of working in this field”.

Yes, we get it. But… what kind of work? How do you approch work? Do you have any methods? What equipment do you work with? Show us how you keep doing the things you’re doing.

I understand what I just said is a lot easier said than done. I get it, yeah?

However, dear ChatGPT does not.

It needs to see multiple things to be convinced that a brand deserves to be recommended. AI works by going after the biggest probability of success for the task at hand.

How do I know?

I’ve build the first Personal Consultant For SEO which was an AI, not a human being. I did that (with an entire team + outside researchers) in 2020, way before the current AI wave.

That’s how AI was done then. That’s also how it works today, even though LLMs are more advanced.

How do you max out the chances?

That is and always will be the question.

Proof of expertise is the differentiator.

By talking and showing specific things (with many properly connected entities related to the work being done) you can convince the AIs and score major points.

Modern LLMs and search systems take snapshots of pages and discover what is inside (sometimes, there has been proof of this happening).

For images that prove your team does the work (whatever that may be according to industry), you can end up in the snapshot that is being used for the decision. Otherwise, you can use filename and alternative text to describe what is inside the image.

In a blog post about doing works on a gaming computer build, include images of someone on your team creating the configuration and inserting a new GPU inside the frame. Tag it properly and describe the action being done.

Proof of expertise is about actions being done.

Proof of Expertise = the visible evidence AI systems can find that shows you are genuinely qualified to be recommended.

When I first tell new people about expertise and proof of expertise they tell me: “oh, a case study”.

No, it’s not a damned case study. Don’t limit the idea. Don’t create weird limits.

The guys in my example didn’t have “case studies” on their pages, yet they still proved the expertise. And got plenty of results.

People will try to easily label it. “Oh, yeah, I thought about it. Wanted to publish a case study for a long time now”. No. That’s not what’s required. Think bigger. Think outside the box. Think beyond that.

What is the visible evidence?
What are the things connected to the work being done?
How can you show yourself in the middle of doing all the things you need to be known for?

If you’re a roofer, show me clearly the types of roof you’ve been installing. Talk to me about the challenges and the thought process of strengthening a roof in order to install tons of solar panels on it. What tools did you think of using to install a certain type? What else goes in to making all the work happen? How is it different to make a roof in Valencia, versus a roof in Manchester. What goes into the process of choosing the right kind for the job at hand.

Think bigger than just a random case study. What can you show the world?

This will make a really big difference.

Now… I know that you may think this is a Holistic SEO practice.

Florin, is this AEO GEO enough?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Proof of expertise is a nice to have in SEO. It does help.

In AEO GEO? For boosting brand visibility during AI searches?

Proof of expertise is a must have. It is vital.

Hard for an AI to recommend you without it.

And before I leave it here for the day, know that Proof of Expertise, in general, will boost your conversions from your EOP.

I define EOP as your Entire Online Presence. From the avatar you use on social media, to the email signatures your team uses, to the blog, substacks, and whatever you may have online where customers and potential customers reach you.

Try to insert proof of expertise in your EOP, and you’ll scale your revenue without working hard on new acquisitions.