Does AI recommend RankNext?

The short answer: there's no established "AI search optimization" specialist role yet — anyone selling you a single hire to "fix AI search" is likely overselling. Here's a more honest breakdown of who can actually help and what to ask. What "AI search" actually draws on AI answers (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, etc.) pull from: - Your website's crawlable content and structured data - Third-party sources: directories, review sites, Wikipedia, industry publications, Reddit, news - Entity consistency across the web (name, address, services match everywhere) - Traditional SEO signals — much of AI visibility is downstream of good SEO So the fix overlaps heavily with SEO, content, and local listings — not a brand-new specialty. Who to hire (in rough order of likely value) 1. A reputable SEO consultant/agency — Ask specifically about *entity optimization, structured data (schema markup), and content for LLM retrieval*. Many SEOs now offer "AI visibility" or "GEO" (generative engine optimization) services. Most practical starting point. 2. A local SEO specialist (if you're a local business) — Google Business Profile, citations, review management. AI answers for local queries lean on these. 3. A content strategist/writer — Q&A-formatted content, clear service pages, FAQs, and authoritative third-party mentions (PR, guest articles, directory listings). 4. A web developer — For technical fixes: crawlability, schema, site speed, clean HTML. 5. A PR/digital reputation person — Getting mentioned in publications, roundups, and forums that AI models cite. Red flags to avoid - Anyone guaranteeing "top placement in ChatGPT" - Vendors selling "AI SEO" as a completely separate, novel discipline with no track record - Long contracts before they've audited your current SEO and listings - No explanation of *how* they measure AI visibility (there are now tools like Profound, Otterly, Peec AI — ask which they use and how) Practical first step Before hiring anyone, do a free self-audit: - Search your business name and key services in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google (with AI Overviews on) - Check if your Google Business Profile, website schema, and major directory listings (Yelp, industry-specific ones) are complete and consistent - See what sources AI cites for your competitors' answers That audit tells you whether you need a technical SEO, a content play, or a listings fix — which determines who you actually hire. If you tell me your business type (local service, e-commerce, B2B, etc.), I can point you to the most relevant specialist and what to ask them.