How This SEO Founder Builds Brands After AI Search

In this episode of E-coffee with Experts, Pat Ahern, SEO Strategist at Intergrowth, explains how founders and marketers can adapt their strategy for a world where visibility depends on more than Google rankings. We break down how SEO, Meta Ads, attribution tracking, and “Search Everywhere Optimization” work together to create predictable customer acquisition. You’ll learn why most agencies struggle to scale without positioning clarity, how ecommerce brands should sequence Meta Ads and SEO investments, and what actually helps brands get cited inside LLM tools like ChatGPT. Pat also shares a practical framework for building analytics confidence using GA4, Shopify, and attribution platforms like Triple Whale, plus why every company should consider publishing an llm.txt positioning document today. If you’re a founder, marketer, or agency leader trying to grow traffic, improve ROAS, or future-proof your organic visibility strategy, this episode gives you a roadmap for 2026 and beyond. 🔗 Get Your Exclusive AIO Growth Plan - We’ll kick off with a Live AIO Audit to see how shoppers find you, followed by Competitor Research to steal their spotlight: https://lunacal.ai/team/dws/dws-meetings In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 - 01:05: Building a brand after AI search changes 01:05 - 03:10: Why knowing your audience matters first 03:10 - 05:40: Why agencies must choose a niche 05:40 - 08:20: SEO vs Meta Ads for early growth 08:20 - 10:55: When SEO is the wrong investment 10:55 - 13:20: How Meta Ads support long-term SEO 13:20 - 16:05: Fix tracking before scaling ads 16:05 - 18:40: Finding your real ROAS numbers 18:40 - 21:05: How to improve ad performance fast 21:05 - 23:30: Campaign budget optimization explained simply 23:30 - 26:10: Testing ad creatives the smart way 26:10 - 28:20: SEO in the AI search era 28:20 - 31:00: What Search Everywhere Optimization means 31:00 - 33:25: Why brand mentions matter more now 33:25 - 36:15: Using an llm.txt positioning strategy 36:15