438: How Product Brands Get Found by AI in 2026: AEO & GEO Explained

Buyers aren’t just Googling anymore. They’re asking ChatGPT. They’re reading AI overviews. They’re looking for recommendations in conversational search and that changes everything for consumer brands.

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, I’m joined by Leah Nurik. Co-founder and CEO of Brandi AI, the leading AI visibility and generative engine optimization platform.

We break down what AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) actually mean, how they differ from traditional SEO, and what product brands need to be doing right now to stay visible.

This episode is a masterclass in how AI search works, where it pulls information from, and how you can optimize your brand before your competitors do.

In this episode:

• What AEO and GEO actually are (and how they differ from SEO)
• Why buyers now ask AI before they ask Google
• How AI decides which brands to recommend
• The difference between ranking in search vs being summarized in AI
• Why earned media and authority matter more than ever
• The myths brands believe about AI visibility
• Whether you really need a blog and what makes a blog “good”
• Why AI-generated content can hurt you long term
• How to audit how your brand currently shows up in AI
• The role of sentiment and narrative control in AI results
• Why schema markup is an overlooked superpower
• How startups can outrank bigger brands in AI search
• Where AEO and GEO are heading in the next 12–24 months

Connect with Leah:

Website: https://mybrandi.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahgabriel

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Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

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