Now, more than ever, if you want to rank,
you must be authentic.
~ Jennifer Gardella, PhD

How do you get AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini) to recognize you as an expert?

And, why should you care? Because your ideal clients are using the AI tools to search for your business.
And ALL of my clients are ranking in ChatGPT.

I know how to get you ranked in AI search.

Your ideal clients are now using ChatGPT and other AI tools to do the heavy lifting of search. They are specific, explaining their issue and requesting professional assistance. Here is how your ideal clients are NOW searching for you using AI tools:

• Please find 5 divorce attorneys in Wichita who can assist with a child custody matter. My ex-husband is not complying with the court order.

• I need an accountant in Miami who can help me maximize tax deductions a small business. I own a bakery.

• I need a digital marketing specialist to help our healthcare non-profit. The board is upset we do not have a great presence.

As you will notice, these requests are much more specific than traditional search. Gone are the days when ideal clients just search for "Divorce attorney in Chicago." Your ideal clients can provide significant detail to the AI, often speaking into it, and the AI tool gets to know them over time.

Experts now estimate that traditional
Search Engine Volume (asking Google) will drop by 25% in 2026.

I recently took a prospect call with an IDEAL client who shared she found me via ChatGPT. Each team member used an AI tool to search for a social media expert in their vertical. Chat not only delivered my name but also explained why: a strong website presence, established expertise as a podcast guest, and strong social indicators pointing to a single area of expertise.

You need a strong, ever-growing website presence and expertise, established through owned content, backlinks, and social signals (examples include).

Yes, this is EXACTLY what I have been preaching for years...authenticity.

How do you rank in ChatGPT?
Let’s get you and your business ranking in AI search.

STEP 1: Understand how AI searches for and summarizes information.

In some ways, it is similar to traditional SEO. The keywords and phrases that your ideal clients use when searching for your services need to be baked into your content.

However, AI models don't just crawl looking for keywords. ChatGPT also evaluates and synthesizes your content, then makes a judgment call based on your authority and relevance.

AI is looking for signals of authentic experience and not just keyword density.

So content about you and your business needs to be explicit and authentically explained. You need to demonstrate a unique perspective, deep care and concern, and expertise.

STEP 2: Stop using AI-written content in your blogs or social media posts.

Yes, using ChatGPT or Claude to write your content is easy, but let's face it, it isn't your content. Yes, you can program an AI writer to sound like you (in fact, you can pay LOTS of money to have prompts written for this purpose).

But using AI to write all of your content is just a slippery slope to mediocrity.

Afterall, content written with AI has no original thought, no nuance, and doesn't have your original thought in the writing. And, for those Type A rule followers here, you must disclose when content is written by AI.

Lastly, AI can spot AI-generated content in your writing and immediately discount it during evaluation. Think about it…why would AI recommend recycled, generic content that sounds like everyone else when they are tasked with finding expertise?

STEP 3: E-E-A-T Signals
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

I've never been a huge fan of the acronym, but one thing is for sure. The Google E-E-A-T signals are now more important than ever.

Your entire digital presence, including blog posts, social media posts, website pages, social media bios, podcast guest interviews... the list goes on.ALL should march in the same direction and demonstrate to AI that you are an expert.

Experience: Do you show specific examples of how you have helped?

Expertise: Can you explain and demonstrate that you are an expert in your field?

Authoritativeness: Do credible sources and experts recognize you as a leader?

Trustworthiness: Is your information accurate and consistent across platforms?

When you take an E-E-A-T approach to content creation, you show the search engines and AI tools that you are THE one who should rank.

And most importantly, you don't try to throw all of E-E-A-T into every single post. Remember, we want an abundance of content and signals pointing to your expertise, so there are plenty of opportunities to authentically demonstrate it.

STEP 4: Owned content is the foundation, including your website and blog.

Your website and blog (internal to your website) are mandatory as they form the foundation of your digital presence. This is where you humbly let your expertise shine - demonstrate the depth of your knowledge. Your own website

As I have said for years, you need to answer your ideal clients' questions by demonstrating that you truly understand their problems. This is no longer just about long-tail keywords or questions generated from a report. You need to demonstrate that you understand your ideal clients' concerns and that you have the expertise to deliver results.

As an example, if you are a divorce attorney in Chicago:

Great for SEO: Chicago Divorce attorney for Child Custody.”

But now we need to take it up a notch: “My ex-husband wants to move out of Chicago, and I am scared of how that will impact our child custody schedule. Find me three attorneys who can help.

You can see that you now need to go deeper with your content.

For years, The Gardella Group has been baking this depth into client content.

STEP 5: Quality backlinks build your credibility.

Are other credible sources pointing towards your work? It is critical that AI can identify credible websites that link to your content and discuss you. ChatGPT and other tools place significant weight on these external validations.

These "earned mentions" can include:

• News articles

• Academic institutions

• Publications

• Blogs

• Forums

• Your bio as a podcast guest, panelist, or speaker.

Just like anything else, earning these mentions takes time. I always suggest you reach out to your close business connections to host you on their podcast or publish a blog on their website (with links to your site, of course).

STEP 6: Your digital assets should be what experts would create

Your content must be well-structured, with easy-to-read, clear, well-organized headings so that not only AI can understand it quickly, but your readers can as well.

To some extent, you need to look like everyone else in terms of types of content (and even the substance of that content) that experts in your field "typically" would also share, but be unique in your approach to stand out from the crowd. Sound confusing? It isn't...it means you have to be authentically you.

Some easy ways to start:

1. FAQ guide on your website with common questions (just make sure this is easy to read and crawlable, no need for fancy formatting!).

2. Offer a lead magnet that addresses the primary problem your ideal client faces.

STEP 7: Aligned digital footprint -

Now that you know what you have to do, you need to be clear on your story so you can tell it repeatedly. AI likes to see consistency

• website,

• author bios,

• website bios, speaking bios, social media bios, podcast interview bios, you need to tell the same story of what you do…over and over and over. AI likes consistency.

Make it easy for AI to understand exactly who you are, what you are an expert in, and why someone should trust you.

STEP 8: Test, then get back to work.

Years ago, when I started in the business, my attorney clients would sit in their offices and search for themselves...many times a day. Not only does this skew results, but it wastes time. It's like checking whether the water is boiling after just turning on the gas.

Yes, it can be important to monitor your results in Google and to check whether AI is finding your content. But just like Google search, you can blow the algorithm if you sit around and search for yourself all day. Plus, all you will really do is raise your blood pressure.

I have a trick for searching, which I can share with you on a call.

Part of the trick is thinking like your ideal client, so when you do a "check up" on your progress, you know what may be moving the needle.

Don’t get annoyed (I know, too late). If you are an expert in your field, it can be hard to take a hard look at your presence and realize it isn't

Now, channel that frustration into a digital marketing strategy.

Ranking in AI is a marathon that is also a call for authenticity, which we all know I LOVE. The internet is way too noisy and crowded with hacks - make sure your excellent content is visible, verifiable, and provides substantial value.

Most importantly, stop chasing shortcuts - they have NEVER worked.

Get started?

If you want to discuss the next right steps, book a call.