Page Updated: December 7, 2025 Original Publication: February 25, 2023
Will Scott has been optimizing websites since before Google existed. He coined “Barnacle SEO” in 2008—now an industry-standard SEO strategy taught in courses worldwide. Today, as the instructor of the SMX Masterclass on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), he helps businesses figure out how to show up when ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity answer questions about their industry.
What makes Will Scott different? He coined “Barnacle SEO” back in 2008 (it’s now an industry standard), teaches at SMX conferences, and he’s actually lived through every major search algorithm change of the past 30 years. While others are just learning AI SEO, he’s teaching it.
Conference Speaker: SMX, Pubcon, LocalU | Awards: Inc. 500/5000 (9x), Biz New Orleans 500
Book AI SEO Strategy Call | See Will’s Speaking
What Is AI SEO?
AI SEO is the practice of optimizing content for both traditional search engines and AI-powered answer systems like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.
Here’s the thing: traditional search isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But AI is changing how search engines process, understand, and surface content. The fundamentals still apply—they just need to be adapted.
The shift looks like this:
- Then: Optimize for keyword matching and search rankings
- Now: Optimize for entity understanding and AI citations
- Then: Focus on Google search results
- Now: Focus on search results and AI-generated answers
- Then: What Google thinks about you
- Now: What AI believes about you
AI-powered search engines use natural language processing to understand search intent differently than traditional keyword matching. SEO specialists and SEO professionals need to adapt their SEO strategy accordingly.
Who Is Will Scott?
Will Scott has been building websites since 1994—before Google existed. He’s navigated every major algorithm update over three decades, from the early days of meta tags through Panda, Penguin, and now AI Overviews.
He founded Search Influence in 2006 with his wife Angie. The agency has appeared on the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest-growing companies nine times.
Industry Contributions:
- Coined “Barnacle SEO” (2008) – The SEO strategy of attaching your brand to high-authority platforms. It’s now an industry-standard approach taught in SEO courses worldwide.
- SMX Masterclass Instructor – Will teaches Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) at Search Marketing Expo
- Helped thousands of businesses navigate Google search algorithm updates over three decades
Current Focus:
- CEO & Co-Founder, Search Influence (digital marketing consultant since 2006)
- Instructor, SMX Masterclass on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
- Active researcher and speaker on AI search visibility
- Builder of AI SEO tools and automation workflows
Speaking & Teaching:
- SMX Advanced (Boston)
- Pubcon
- Stanford CME InnovateEd
- UPCEA conferences
- Industry webinars and podcasts
What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the methodology for getting your expertise featured when AI search engines answer questions in your industry. It combines traditional SEO fundamentals with AI-specific content optimization techniques.
GEO differs from traditional SEO in key ways:
| Traditional SEO | GEO |
|---|---|
| Keyword research & density | Entity relationships |
| Backlink quantity | Source authority & AI partnerships |
| SERP rankings | AI citations & mentions |
| Click-through rates | Brand accuracy in AI responses |
The core principle: AI search engines don’t just match keywords—they use natural language processing to build understanding. Your content needs to help AI models accurately comprehend what your brand does, who it serves, and why it matters.
What Is the AI Sandwich Method?
Will Scott’s approach combines AI tools with human SEO expertise. He calls it the AI Sandwich Method:
Layer 1 – AI-Powered Discovery:
- AI tools handle keyword research, competitive analysis, and gap identification
- Technical SEO audits surface issues at scale
- Machine learning identifies content optimization opportunities
Layer 2 – Human Strategy & Expertise:
- SEO specialists provide strategic direction and brand alignment
- Expert judgment on priorities and positioning
- Quality control and editorial oversight
Layer 3 – AI-Assisted Implementation:
- AI tools assist with content optimization and drafting
- Automation handles repetitive SEO tasks
- Human review ensures accuracy and brand voice
The result: the speed of AI with the judgment of experienced SEO professionals.
How Search Influence Implements AI SEO
Discovery & SEO Strategy
Entity audits, competitive analysis, and AI visibility assessments to understand how AI search engines currently perceive your brand. This includes reviewing Google Search Console data and analyzing search intent patterns.
Content Creation & Optimization
AI-assisted content workflows with human editorial oversight. The goal: create optimized content that AI can easily understand and cite accurately. This means content optimization for both search engines and AI answer systems.
Technical SEO
Crawlability optimization, schema markup, structured data, and site architecture improvements. Technical SEO audits are critical—AI search engines are way less patient than traditional crawlers. If they can’t see your content, you can’t optimize webpages for AI discovery.
Authority Building & E-E-A-T
Strategic presence on high-authority platforms (the Barnacle SEO approach), structured data implementation, and entity optimization for AI understanding. E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust) signals matter more than ever for AI SEO—AI models weight source credibility heavily.
Performance Measurement
AI citation tracking, brand accuracy monitoring, and competitive visibility analysis using AI SEO tools. All tracking data is imperfect—the question isn’t “is this accurate?” but “how wrong is it?” Pick your SEO tools, track consistently, and look for trends up and to the right to improve search visibility.
Enterprise AI SEO Technology Stack
Here are the AI SEO tools that actually move the needle for SEO professionals:
Content Intelligence Platforms:
- ChatGPT (properly prompted for content creation, not vanilla output)
- Claude for complex keyword analysis and research
- Perplexity for competitive intelligence and search traffic insights
SEO Optimization Suite:
- Surfer SEO (Search Influence has been using these SEO tools for years)
- Screaming Frog for technical SEO audits and website performance analysis
- Keyword research tools for data-driven content strategy
Automation & Analysis:
- Custom Python scripts for various SEO tasks at enterprise scale
- Google Search Console integration for search visibility tracking
- Various APIs for data integration and natural language processing
The key insight: AI tools enhance SEO expertise, they don’t replace the strategic thinking that SEO specialists bring to complex SEO efforts.
Proven Results from Enterprise Clients
How did a Fortune 500 tech company achieve 150% organic growth with AI SEO?
Answer: Search Influence restructured 10,000+ product pages for AI extraction and implemented comprehensive entity optimization.
The client’s content was getting buried despite having excellent products. The team rebuilt their information architecture, cleaned up schema markup, and optimized around key industry entities. Result: 150% jump in organic traffic, $2.3M in tracked revenue, and they started showing up in most AI Overview results for their core products.
How did Search Influence help a healthcare network dominate local AI results?
Answer: AI-assisted content creation with medical expert oversight across 50+ locations, plus comprehensive local SEO optimization.
Local competitors were dominating “near me” searches for this national healthcare network. Search Influence used AI to create location-specific content but had their medical team review everything for accuracy and compliance. The outcome: 45% boost in appointment bookings plus dominant presence in local AI results.
How did a B2B software company triple demo requests through AI SEO?
Answer: Search Influence rebuilt their content strategy around entity relationships and comprehensive topic coverage.
Their technical content wasn’t establishing thought leadership despite having great expertise. The team created topic clusters connected with strategic internal linking and optimized for entity recognition. The result: demo requests tripled and they grabbed #1 rankings for main competitive keywords in organic search results.
About Search Influence
Angie and Will co-founded Search Influence in 2006. Since then:
- Inc. 500/5000 recognition for 9 consecutive years
- Inc. Magazine Hire Power Award winner
- Grown from 3 people to a nationally recognized team
- Helped hundreds of companies dominate their markets through search
Search Influence is based in New Orleans, but works with clients nationwide. The focus: measurable results, not vanity metrics.
Learn more about our track record: searchinfluence.com
Will Scott is the CEO of Search Influence and creator of the “Barnacle SEO” strategy. He has been working in search marketing since 1994, teaches the SMX Masterclass on Generative Engine Optimization, and speaks regularly at industry conferences including SMX Advanced and Pubcon.
