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Key Takeaway
Let’s be honest, SEO in 2026 isn’t what it used to be.
Google’s front page is no longer the battleground. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity are the new gatekeepers of visibility.
They don’t list results; they summarise answers.
They don’t show ten blue links; they cite one authority.
So the real question becomes: will your brand be that authority?
According to TechCrunch, AI referrals to the top 1,000 websites globally hit 1.13 billion in June 2025, up 357% year-over-year.
That’s explosive growth, and it’s only the beginning.
If you’re still optimizing for keywords instead of citations, you’re already invisible to the next generation of search.
AEO, i.e., Ask Engine Optimization, is SEO reimagined for the era of AI search.
Instead of optimizing for clicks, you optimize for answers.
AI assistants don’t crawl the web like traditional search engines.
They synthesise content, pull from multiple sources, and choose which expert or brand to cite as credible.
To be that source, you need four things:
In other words, AEO is how AI recognises you as the answer
Want a full breakdown of how AEO, GEO, and AI-driven search are changing visibility?
In this video of Build With Dean, Dean reveals how AI search is rewriting the rules, what SEO still does in 2025, and how to futureproof your brand to get cited in AI answers.
He dives deep into Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity, and explains why 69% of searches now end without a click.
LinkedIn isn’t just a social network anymore; it's the world’s largest professional knowledge graph.
Every profile, post, and comment acts as structured data for AI engines to interpret.
Your headline, job titles, and company pages are entities in the same semantic web that powers Google, Bing, and OpenAI’s retrieval systems.
According to the 2025 Sprout Social Index™, 43% of consumers have a LinkedIn profile.
This is why most people use LinkedIn to market their business, especially B2B businesses. Check out our blog on “Why LinkedIn is the Ultimate B2B Marketing Platform”
That means almost half of your potential market already lives inside a searchable, AI-indexed ecosystem designed around expertise.
In 2026, visibility on LinkedIn means visibility in AI answers.
Here’s the simple truth: AEO and LinkedIn aren’t separate strategies; they're symbiotic.
What you publish on LinkedIn trains the algorithms that decide who gets cited by AI.
Think of your LinkedIn profile like a data file.
When AI crawlers look for “LinkedIn marketing experts” or “AEO specialists,” they interpret structured data (name, title, company, content type) to identify entities.
If you’re consistent across your site, socials, and LinkedIn, you become a high-confidence entity, and that’s what earns citations.
Every post you write is a potential training sample for AI.
When you post “How to optimise your LinkedIn for AI search,” and 300 people engage, that content becomes a micro-answer.
AI engines pick up phrasing, structure, and popularity to assess authority.
Short, clear, actionable posts = AEO gold.
AEO isn’t just about words, it’s about validation.
The more people engage with your insights, the stronger your “authority signal” becomes in AI training models.
And with Search Engine Land reporting that 90% of AI search referrals come from desktop, LinkedIn’s business-first ecosystem gives your content the perfect credibility context.
And as engagement grows, so does the type of content AI learns to trust.
In 2025, video content isn’t just an engagement tool; it’s a data source.
Short-form expert videos, podcasts, and thought-leadership clips are increasingly being referenced by AI assistants as proof of authority.
This shift shows that AI now values video clarity and authentic delivery just as much as written precision, meaning founders who communicate through video are literally training the algorithms that decide which brands get cited next.
Recent data from Tenacious AI Global Marketing highlights this surge in video visibility across AI citations:
You can’t fake authority; you have to build it in layers.
Here’s the step-by-step model founders and teams can use to get ready and win AI citations.
Before you chase algorithms, master the basics:
This phase gives AI enough recurring signals to recognise you as an active authority.
Now it’s time to educate before you sell.
The goal? Become the first name that comes to mind and the first entity AI cites.
This is where you turn your authority into citations.
This phase builds your cross-surface visibility loop, from LinkedIn to Google to AI.
Thought Leader Collaborations - When AI sees two credible entities discussing a topic together, it reinforces both as authoritative.
Micro-FAQ Threads - Create a carousel or comment threads that answer specific questions in 50–100 words. Perfect AEO content.
AI-Optimised Video Reels - 60-second expert answers (with captions and keyword-rich titles) rank across multiple AI surfaces.
Intent-Based Hashtags - Forget #growth or #hustle. Use tags that match real queries: #AskEngineOptimization, #AIVisibility, #LinkedInAuthority.
Cross-Surface Consistency - Repurpose one message across all your platforms. The more consistent your entity, the stronger your citation footprint.
At Tenacious Sales (operating globally as Tenacious AI Marketing Global), everything comes back to one principle: G.L.O.W.
Phase | Focus | Outcome |
G - Generate Light | Build consistent brand presence. | Visibility that attracts AI attention. |
L - Lead with Value | Share insights that educate. | Trust and engagement from your audience. |
O - Optimise Wins | Test, analyse, refine. | Maximum reach and authority recognition. |
W - Win Citations | Earn mentions and AI recognition. | Become the source AI cites. |
This is more than a framework; it's a visibility engine that merges AEO, GEO, and LinkedIn marketing into one system.
Here’s the truth: most agencies talk about “visibility.”
Tenacious Sales (operating globally as Tenacious AI Marketing Global) can help you build authority that AI can’t ignore.
We combine:
Our G.L.O.W., method is designed for founders, leaders, and brands who don’t just want reach, they want to be recognised, cited, and in demand.
If you’re ready to become AI’s go-to answer, it’s time to partner with Tenacious (operating globally as Tenacious AI Marketing Global).
The rules have changed.
Ranking used to mean visibility; now, being cited means authority.
Our AEO services give you the strategy.
LinkedIn gives you the platform.
Tenacious Sales (operating globally as Tenacious AI Marketing Global) gives you the framework to dominate both.
What is Ask Engine Optimization (AEO)?
AEO means optimising your brand and content so AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Bing Copilot recognise and cite you as a credible source.
How does LinkedIn help AEO?
LinkedIn profiles and posts act as structured data for AI, improving entity recognition, authority signals, and visibility.
Can my LinkedIn posts really influence AI citations?
Yes. Consistent, high-engagement posts form part of the public data AI models use to determine expertise and authority.
What’s the best way to start?
Optimise your LinkedIn, publish clear expert answers, and connect your posts to AEO-ready website content.
How can Tenacious AI Marketing Global help?
Tenacious combines AEO, GEO, and LinkedIn authority systems, transforming founders into AI-recognised authorities within 90 days.
