The 15 AI Search and AEO Experts to Follow in 2026

AI search has created a new class of “experts” overnight. Some are pushing thoughtful, data-backed insights. Others are chasing algorithms and headlines.

As AI reshapes how visibility works, from discovery to authority to measurement, marketers aren’t just experimenting. They’re making real budget, content, and technical decisions based on what they believe will drive visibility in AI-powered search. And in a space moving this quickly, following the wrong advice isn’t just noisy, it’s costly.

That’s why trusted voices matter—especially in an industry that’s still taking shape.

We’ve curated a list of 15 AEO experts leading the conversation across strategy, content, technical SEO, and AI systems. If you’re serious about building authority in AI-driven search, these are the people worth paying attention to.

What makes an AEO expert?

AEO isn’t just SEO with a new acronym.

Answer engine optimization sits at the intersection of search, AI systems, content strategy, and technical authority. It requires understanding how LLMs interpret entities, how generative search surfaces information, and how trust signals translate beyond blue links.

That means not every SEO expert is automatically an AEO expert. And not every AI creator talking about prompts or agents understands search visibility.

So, who are marketers looking to for guidance in 2026?

In Conductor’s recent enterprise research survey, marketing leaders indicated they rely most on recommendations from engineering or AI peers (65%) and analyst research from firms like Gartner and Forrester (60%) when evaluating AI tools for AEO/GEO. Technology leaders lean even more heavily on analyst research (80%) and peer input (60%), with events and professional communities ranking high across both groups.

In other words, influence in this space skews technical. The voices carrying weight aren’t just publishing hot takes; they’re grounding their perspectives in research, practitioner insight, and real-world implementation. Credibility in AI search isn’t earned through hype; it’s reinforced through scrutiny.

The experts featured here share a few important characteristics:

• They’re actively shaping the AI search conversation, not just reacting to headlines
• They publish original insights, research, or frameworks, not recycled commentary
• They influence real enterprise strategy, not just theory
• They bridge traditional SEO fundamentals with AI-powered discovery
• They’re trusted by AI-forward marketers navigating real budget decisions

Many of them built their reputations in SEO long before AEO became a buzzword. What sets them apart now is how they’re translating that experience into practical guidance for generative search, AI Overviews, LLM visibility, and agent-driven discovery.

In a space moving this quickly, credibility matters more than ever.

How to choose the right AEO experts to follow

Before you go and follow every influencer in this list on LinkedIn, it’s important to understand that not every marketer needs to follow every voice.

The right AEO experts for you depend on your role, your goals, and how deep you need to go technically. Some voices focus on enterprise-level strategy. Others dive into structured dataStructured Data
Structured data is the term used to describe schema markup on websites. With the help of this code, search engines can understand the content of URLs more easily, resulting in enhanced results in the search engine results page known as rich results. Typical examples of this are ratings, events and much more. The Conductor glossary below contains everything you need to know about structured data.
Learn more, entityEntity
An entity is a thing/concept that search engines and AI models can identify and relate to other entities, forming the foundation of semantic search.
Learn more systems, or how generative engines actually interpret content. Some specialize in content authority and brand visibility in AI answers.

Here’s how to think about it:

If you’re an enterprise SEO or digital leader

Look for experts who publish data-backed insights and speak to long-term strategy, not just tactical experimentation.

You’ll benefit most from voices who:

• Understand governance and cross-functional execution
• Connect AI search visibility to revenue and measurement
• Ground their advice in real enterprise case studies

These experts help you make budget and structural decisions with confidence.

If you lead content or brand

Follow experts who focus on authority, trust signals, and how generative search surfaces brands.

The right voices for you will:

• Explain how to build visibility beyond traditional rankings
• Talk about entity authority and zero-click discovery
• Translate AI search changes into practical content shifts

This is where content strategy and AI visibility intersect.

If you’re a technical SEO or data lead

You’ll want to go deeper.

Look for experts discussing:

• Structured data and entity modeling
• Knowledge graphs and semantic signals
• AI Overviews, LLM indexing behavior, and retrieval systems
• How search engines interpret machine-readable authority

These perspectives help you operationalize AEO at a systems level.

If you’re new to AEO

Prioritize clarity over complexity.

The best experts for you will:

• Break down generative search without hype
• Provide frameworks instead of buzzwords
• Connect AI concepts back to search fundamentals

AEO is evolving quickly—but strong fundamentals still matter.

And if you’re unsure where to start? Pay attention to who experienced marketers trust. In emerging spaces, credibility and consistency often matter more than follower counts.

As you move through the list, you’ll see which category each expert best aligns with so you can find the voices most relevant to your role.

The 15 AEO experts and thought leaders to follow in 2026

The experts below aren’t general AI commentators or trend chasers. They’re publishing original insights, influencing enterprise strategy, and translating SEO fundamentals into the realities of generative search.

If you’re looking for credible perspectives on AI-driven visibility, this is where to start.

Aleyda Solís

Founder, Orainti | International SEO & AI Search Consultant

Category: Enterprise SEO strategy & AI search education

Aleyda Solís is an award-winning international SEO and AI search consultant and founder of Orainti , where she advises global brands on scalable organic growth across eCommerce, SaaS, and complex international environments. She’s also the creator of SEOFOMO and LearningSEO.io, two of the industry’s most trusted educational resources.

In the AI search era, Aleyda brings operational clarity. Her work goes beyond theory, focusing on how AI visibility connects directly to revenue, conversionConversion
Conversions are processes in online marketing that lead to a defined conclusion.
Learn more rates, share of voice across LLMs, and citation tracking. She consistently bridges AI Overviews, agentic commerce, and technical updates back to measurable KPIs, helping enterprise teams move from experimentation to accountable performance.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and SEOFOMO newsletter
• Why follow her there: Real-time AI search updates, KPI frameworks, and enterprise-ready implementation guidance.
• Who should follow her: Enterprise SEO leaders, eCommerce teams, and international marketers tracking AI visibility as a revenue channel.

Andy Lambert

Principal Product Manager, Adobe Express | Co-founder, ContentCal

Category: Content, community & influence

Andy Lambert has spent 15+ years building and scaling software businesses. As co-founder of ContentCal, he raised $10M, grew the platform globally, and led it through acquisition by Adobe. Now a Principal Product Manager at Adobe Express and author of Social 3.0 and Spheres of Influence, he focuses on how businesses grow through creators, communities, and modern distribution.

Andy’s thought leadership centers on one core shift: social isn’t a channel, it’s infrastructure. As search fragments across TikTok, podcasts, LinkedIn, and AI interfaces like ChatGPT and Perplexity, he argues that visibility is increasingly ecosystem-driven.

He argues that influence isn’t a marketing tactic but an organizational responsibility, tied directly to share of voice, employee authority, and community signals that shape SEO and AI visibility.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow him there: Strategic breakdowns on influence, distribution, and how social signals impact SEO and AI visibility.
• Who should follow him: B2B marketers, brand leaders, and growth teams building ecosystem-driven visibility.

Anna York

AI SEO Systems Architect, Growth Architecture Studio

Category: AI-integrated SEO strategy

Anna York operates where SEO meets AI, helping brands evolve from ranking-focused strategies to AI-era visibility systems. Known for her practical, results-driven approach, she focuses on turning organic strategy into a scalable, structural advantage.

What distinguishes Anna’s voice is her emphasis on architecture over output. She consistently frames visibility as something AI systems choose rather than something brands demand. Her posts break down how structured data, zero-click answers, entity clarity, and machine-readable trust signals determine whether you’re cited in AI Overviews or ignored entirely.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow her there: Actionable AEO breakdowns, tactical checklists, and sharp reframes on AI visibility.
• Who should follow: SEO managers, growth marketers, and teams building structured, AI-ready content systems.

Barry Schwartz

CEO, RustyBrick | Editor, Search EngineSearch Engine
A search engine is a website through which users can search internet content.
Learn more Roundtable

Category: Search industry intelligence & AI monitoring

Barry Schwartz has been documenting the search industry for decades. As CEO of RustyBrick and editor of Search Engine Roundtable , he has built a reputation as one of the most consistent and trusted chroniclers of Google’s updates, experiments, patents, and policy shifts.

In the AI search era, Barry’s value is signal over speculation. He surfaces knowledge panel tests, AI-generated landing page patents, ad policy updates, and subtle UI experiments often before they’re widely discussed. For marketers navigating generative search and AI Overviews, his work provides early visibility into how platforms are evolving, sometimes quietly.

If you want to understand what’s actually changing inside Google’s ecosystem, not just what people think is changing, Barry is your source.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and Search Engine Roundtable
• Why follow him there: Real-time updates on Google tests, patents, UI shifts, and AI search developments.
• Who should follow him: Technical SEOs, digital strategists, and enterprise teams tracking search volatility and AI evolution.

Carley Lake

Seller Content MarketingContent Marketing
Content marketing is a marketing discipline with the goal of increasing awareness and scope for products and brands in the desired target group with content published on the web and offline.
Learn more, Etsy | Author, AI + Marketing Weekly

Category: AI tools, workflows & modern marketing

Carley Lake writes at the intersection of AI and modern marketing operations. Through her AI + Marketing Weekly newsletter, she curates tool launches, platform shifts, and emerging trends, translating fast-moving AI news into what actually matters for marketers and teams.

Her thought leadership focuses on how AI changes the way work gets done. From AI-assisted productivity and tool consolidation to trust, governance, and visibility, Carley consistently connects emerging technology to practical marketing behavior. She’s particularly sharp on the tension between automation and authenticity, reminding brands that AI can accelerate output—but trust still determines who gets chosen and cited.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and Substack
• Why follow her there: Curated AI + marketing updates, tool breakdowns, and thoughtful takes on trust and workflow shifts.
• Who should follow her: Marketing operators, content teams, and leaders integrating AI into day-to-day execution.

Eli Schwartz

Author of Product-Led SEO | Strategic SEO/AEO & Growth Advisor

Category: Strategic SEO & AEO reframing

Eli Schwartz is an experienced SEO consultant and author of Product-Led SEO, known for helping companies build organic growth into their core business strategy. He has advised startups and global brands alike, consistently pushing SEO beyond rankingsRankings
Rankings in SEO refers to a website’s position in the search engine results page.
Learn more into long-term distribution and market positioning.

Eli’s thought leadership challenges how executives think about AEO. He often points out that intent is shifting across platforms like Meta and AI interfaces, and that many teams still evaluate SEO and AEO using paid media logic. Through analogies like infrastructure versus faucet spending, he encourages leaders to think about long-term visibility ownership rather than short-term attribution.

His perspective adds strategic depth to the AEO conversation, consistently pushing leaders to think beyond tactics and toward long-term visibility.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and Substack
• Why follow him there: Sharp reframes on SEO, AEO, and executive-level measurement.
• Who should follow him: CMOs, growth leaders, and SEO teams advocating for long-term organic investment.

Kate Vasylenko

Managing Partner/CEO, 42DM | Member of CMO Alliance and Forbes Agency Council

Category: B2B AI visibility & hybrid architecture

Kate Vasylenko works at the intersection of B2B growth, AI visibility, and pipeline performance. Her work focuses on helping tech companies build AEO strategies that drive measurable business impact rather than surface-level mentions.

Across her posts, Kate often highlights the dual reality of AI-driven discovery: brands need both structured clarity for algorithms and compelling, frictionless experiences for human buyers. She regularly emphasizes looking beyond citation counts, encouraging teams to track downstream signals like branded search lift, referral traffic from AI platforms, and broader organic performance.

Kate’s perspective keeps AEO grounded in commercial outcomes rather than surface-level visibility wins.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow her there: Practical breakdowns of AI visibility tied directly to pipeline and ROI.
• Who should follow her: B2B marketing leaders, demand gen teams, and growth strategists integrating AEO into revenue models.

Kelsey Libert

Co-Founder, Fractl | Digital PR & SEO Strategist

Category: Authority, earned media & AI visibility research

Kelsey Libert is the co-founder of Fractl and a long-time advocate for data-driven digital PR and SEO. For more than a decade, she has focused on building brand authority through proprietary research, expert commentary, and earned media strategies that drive compounding visibility.

In the AI search conversation, Kelsey brings much-needed data to the debate. Across her posts, she consistently emphasizes that authority, reputation, and distribution determine whether brands are eligible to be surfaced in LLM results. Rather than getting caught in acronym wars, she advocates for fundamentals: SME-backed content, credible mentions, proprietary data, and cross-channel authority that compounds across search and generative engines alike.

In a space crowded with opinions, she keeps the conversation anchored in data.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow her there: Original research, industry analysis, and earned media insights tied directly to AI citations and visibility.
• Who should follow her: Digital PR teams, brand marketers, and SEO leaders building authority across search and generative platforms.

Lily Ray

VP, SEO & AI Search, Amsive

Category: Algorithm risk & AI search integrity

Lily Ray is a longtime SEO strategist known for her deep experience navigating algorithm updates and guiding brands through major visibility drops. She frequently analyzes search data trends, platform usage shifts, and the evolving relationship between traditional organic search and AI-driven results.

In the AI search conversation, Lily brings a needed dose of realism. She consistently pushes back on hype-driven narratives and warns against aggressive GEO tactics that risk triggering spam policies or long-term damage to visibility. Her recent analyses highlight how closely AI citation performance often mirrors organic search strength, reinforcing that foundational SEO still matters.

For teams tempted to chase shortcuts in the AI era, Lily brings necessary caution to experimentation, reinforcing the importance of sustainability, compliance, and protecting hard-earned authority.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and Substack
• Why follow her there: Data-backed trend analysis, algorithm insights, and practical warnings about risky AI tactics.
• Who should follow her: Technical SEOs, enterprise marketers, and teams balancing AI experimentation with long-term organic health.

Pat Reinhart

VP, Professional Services, Conductor

Category: Enterprise SEO strategy & AI search reality checks

Pat Reinhart brings a pragmatic, data-informed perspective to the evolving world of AI search. Whether through his 30 | 30 industry podcast or in his role as VP of Professional Services at Conductor, Pat is closely connected with enterprise brands, navigating the intersection of emerging AI discovery channels and traditional SEO. His work focuses on helping teams adapt their AEO strategies as search behavior and discovery platforms continue to evolve.

Pat frequently shares insights drawn from large-scale datasets and real-world case studies. His commentary helps marketers understand how AI visibility, citations, and referral traffic are developing across industries, grounding the AI search conversation in measurable trends rather than speculation.

In a space often dominated by bold predictions, Pat emphasizes the importance of a balanced approach. His perspective helps teams experiment thoughtfully while avoiding reactive strategies driven by hype or misinformation.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn & Subscribe to Pat’s 30 | 30
• Why follow him there: Data-backed analysis, industry commentary, and practical insights from enterprise search performance.
• Who should follow him: Enterprise SEOs, marketing leaders, and teams planning long-term AI search and AEO strategies.

Peter Rota

Senior Technical SEO Manager, HUB International | Freelance SEO Consultant

Category: Technical foundations & AI pragmatism

Peter Rota is an enterprise SEO specialist known for his no-nonsense approach to search fundamentals. With 15+ years in the industry, he frequently shares practical insights on technical structure, backlinksBacklinks
Backlinks are links from outside domains that point to pages on your domain; essentially linking back from their domain to yours.
Learn more, and execution discipline across large-scale websites.

Peter consistently brings the conversation back to SEO fundamentals. He pushes back on over-reliance on AI tools, warns against weakening semantic structure for design convenience, and reminds marketers that authority still drives rankings. While acknowledging that LLM visibility matters, he’s clear that agencies need outcomes, not dashboards, and that foundational SEO strength underpins AI citations and long-term authority.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow him there: Direct takes on technical SEO, AI overreliance, and what actually moves rankings.
• Who should follow him: Technical SEOs, enterprise teams, and agency leaders managing both SEO and AI visibility deliverables.

Rand Fishkin

Co-Founder, SparkToro | Co-Founder, Alertmouse | Co-Founder Snackbar Studio

Category: Audience research & expanding search definition

Rand Fishkin is the co-founder of SparkToro , Alertmouse , and Snackbar Studio , as well as a longtime voice in search and audience research. Known for grounding marketing strategy in behavioral data rather than assumptions, he consistently challenges industry narratives with research-backed analysis.

Rand pushes marketers to broaden their definition of discovery. His recent research shows that search behavior spans dozens of platforms beyond Google and ChatGPT, and he frequently questions whether AI citations truly reflect how models select or rank information. Rather than treating LLM visibility as a black box to game, he encourages marketers to combine audience research, distribution analysis, and empirical testing before drawing conclusions.

His work injects healthy skepticism into a fast-moving space, grounding AI visibility in real audience behavior rather than assumptions.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and SparkToro blog
• Why follow him there: Research-driven takes on search behavior, AI consistency, and audience-first strategy.
• Who should follow him: SEO leaders, audience researchers, and strategists expanding beyond traditional SERPs.

Rebecca Thorburn

B2B GTM Marketing Strategist | Fractional CMO | Advisor

Category: AI agentAI Agent
An AI agent is an autonomous software system that uses AI to perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions without human supervision.
Learn more readiness & infrastructure

Rebecca Thorburn focuses on helping B2B organizations prepare their digital infrastructure for the era of AI agents. Through audits and research across mid-market and enterprise brands, she analyzes how structurally ready companies are for machine-driven discovery and transaction.

In her recent work, Rebecca highlights a growing gap between brand recognition and machine readability. She frequently points out how entity modeling, schema implementation, and even seemingly minor barriers like complex forms or CAPTCHAs can block AI agents from interacting with a site. Rather than prioritizing dashboards alone, she emphasizes foundational readiness, ensuring brands move from being merely visible to being actionable within AI systems.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow her there: Deep dives into AI agent readiness, B2B infrastructure gaps, and practical visibility frameworks.
• Who should follow her: B2B marketing leaders, technical SEO teams, and enterprise brands preparing for AI-driven buying journeys.

Ryan Law

Director of Content Marketing, Ahrefs

Category: Content systems & AI-driven SEO strategy

Ryan Law writes about the structural shifts reshaping content and search. As Director of Content Marketing at Ahrefs , he explores how AI is changing the economics of SEO, from content production to maintenance, experimentation, and measurement.

Rather than focusing on using AI to scale article output, Ryan argues that the bigger opportunity is automating content maintenance and operational workflows so teams can invest more in research, original thinking, and editorial quality. He frequently shares practical insights on chaining LLM workflows, building guardrails into AI processes, grounding outputs in brand voice and research, and treating AI as infrastructure rather than a shortcut.

His perspective pushes marketers to rethink not just how content is created, but what will actually differentiate brands as AI automation becomes table stakes.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn and Ahrefs blog
• Why follow him there: Clear-eyed analysis on AI content automation, workflow design, and the evolving economics of search.
• Who should follow him: Content leaders, SEO strategists, and marketers experimenting with AI-driven content systems.

Steven Schneider

CEO, TrioSEO

Category: SEO-to-revenue systems

Steven Schneider focuses on turning SEO traffic into qualified leads. As CEO of TrioSEO , he works with B2B companies to build organic growth systems that go beyond rankings and into conversion infrastructure.

Steven regularly emphasizes that traffic alone doesn’t drive revenue. He often critiques traditional SEO engagements that stop at content and backlinks, arguing that without strong lead magnets, funnel architecture, and nurture systems, organic visibility stalls at the awareness stage. While he continues to advocate for core SEO fundamentals, his perspective centers on aligning intent, authority, and conversion so search traffic becomes a predictable pipeline engine.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow him there: Tactical breakdowns on lead magnets, funnels, and conversion-driven SEO.
• Who should follow him: B2B founders, CMOs, and growth teams responsible for turning organic traffic into pipeline.

Vincent DeCastro

Fractional VP/Director of GEO, AEO, and AI SEO | President, The ABM Agency

Category: AI ecosystems, measurement & machine buyers

Vincent DeCastro focuses on how AI-driven discovery is reshaping B2B go-to-market strategy. His work explores how answer engines, personalization, and agentic systems are changing the way buyers evaluate vendors.

His work zeroes in on the structural shifts shaping AI search, from platform control to increasingly personalized results. He often highlights risks like AI hallucinations, challenges outdated prompt-tracking methods, and introduces evolving measurement concepts such as Share of Model. He also emphasizes the importance of structured, machine-readable data as AI agents begin influencing purchasing decisions.

How to follow:

• Best platform: LinkedIn
• Why follow him there: Strategic analysis of AI search shifts, measurement evolution, and agent-driven buying behavior.
• Who should follow him: B2B marketing leaders, RevOps teams, and enterprise strategists adapting to AI-mediated discovery.

FAQs about AEO experts

What makes someone an AEO expert?

AEO is still emerging, which makes credibility especially important. The strongest experts build on proven SEO foundations while actively testing how AI systems retrieve, summarize, and recommend content, and they tie those insights to measurable business outcomes.

Who are the top AEO experts to follow right now?

The top AEO experts are helping marketers adapt to generative search in real time. They publish original research, influence enterprise strategy, and translate SEO fundamentals into AI-driven visibility. The 15 featured here represent trusted voices across strategy, content, technical SEO, and AI systems.

Are AEO experts different from traditional SEO experts?

Often, yes. Many AEO thought leaders come from SEO, but they’re the ones actively adapting their expertise to generative search and AI-driven discovery right now. Traditional SEO experts may still be highly credible, but if they’re not testing how AI systems retrieve, cite, and recommend information, they’re not operating as AEO experts yet.

How can marketers evaluate which AEO experts to trust?

Prioritize evidence over hype. Look for data, case studies, and repeatable frameworks, and for voices that acknowledge uncertainty in a fast-moving space. In an emerging discipline, practical application matters more than bold predictions.

Where do AEO experts share their insights?

Most publish on LinkedIn, newsletters, and industry blogs, with many also speaking at conferences or sharing long-form analysis on platforms like Substack. Because the field evolves quickly, these channels tend to surface insights first.

Navigating AEO with the right voices

AI systems are already influencing how brands are surfaced, cited, and evaluated, and teams are making content, technical, and budget decisions accordingly.

In a space this early, who you learn from matters. The experts in this list aren’t chasing terminology or reacting to headlines. They’re applying proven search experience to new systems and helping marketers adapt without losing sight of fundamentals.

If you’re investing in AEO in 2026, start by listening to the people who’ve built their reputations on getting search right.