What Marketers Need to Know About AI Search Optimization (ft. Aja Frost, HubSpot)

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When Google’s algorithm changes caused HubSpot’s traffic to plummet 80%, most companies would have panicked.

Aja Frost saw an opportunity.

As Senior Director of Global Growth at HubSpot, Aja led the transformation that helped HubSpot not only recover—but become the most-cited CRM in generative AI results.

In this episode of FUTUREPROOF., Jeremy Goldman sits down with Aja to talk about how the rules of discovery, demand, and digital visibility are being rewritten in real time—and why Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) may be the next big discipline marketers can’t afford to ignore.

They discuss:
🔍 What happens when users trust ChatGPT more than Google
🧠 How HubSpot rebuilt its content strategy around AI answers
💬 The formula for getting cited by AI models—and what most brands get wrong
📈 Why visibility beats clicks in an LLM-driven world
🌐 The new off-site frontier: Reddit, YouTube, and the “dark funnel” of discovery
⚙️ How to measure success when your customer journey starts with a chatbot

If you work in marketing, SEO, or content—and you’ve felt the ground shifting under your feet—this episode will help you understand how to thrive in the AI search era.