Thread by @mattdiggityseo

Your competitor with worse content is outranking you on both Google and AI search.

The reason? They cracked the code on this ONE ranking factor that works across Google and every other LLM.

Here's how to get the same unfair advantage in 2025… 👇

LLMs prioritize brands.

They don’t just scan for keywords. They surface recognizable names.

If your brand isn’t being searched or showing up in discussions… you’re out of the conversation.

Google’s no different.

Every time someone searches your brand, it’s treated as a trust signal.

More branded queries = stronger E-E-A-T = higher rankings and more visibility in AI answers.

Here’s how to trigger those brand searches fast:

1️⃣Syndicate your content across Reddit, LinkedIn, Medium

This is where AI platforms are pulling the real training data from.

Take every blog post, thread, or video you create and republish it in native format across:

• Reddit (in relevant subreddits with value-first framing)
• LinkedIn (formatted as native article posts)
• Medium (use canonical tags to avoid duplicate content)

This creates web-wide touchpoints where your brand name is attached to helpful info, which Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity love to cite.

2️⃣Run $5+/day engagement ads in your target country

• Create a simple carousel or video ad introducing your brand, nothing fancy. Focus on the problem you solve.
• Run it on Meta/YouTube as an engagement campaign targeting the country you’re trying to rank in.
• People will see the ad, remember the name, and eventually search it. That’s your brand query spike.

3️⃣Post on YouTube (even if you have zero subscribers)

LLMs like Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are crawling YouTube content more than ever.

If your face (or voice) shows up answering industry questions, you’re getting indexed.

This drives brand search in 3 ways:

• YouTube is the fastest channel for building recognition
• Videos get shared across forums and communities
• You show up in AI summaries with citations like “Matt Diggity on YouTube says…”

Start with faceless slideshows or talking head videos. Title them after the exact questions your prospects are Googling.

Drop your brand name once in the first 30 seconds.

4️⃣Appear in “Best of” listicles (or create your own)

Listicles are one of the fastest ways to hijack brand search volume.

• Google: “Best SEO agencies 2025” or “Top affiliate marketing tools”
• See which ones rank
• Reach out and ask to be included (offer them a free incentive)

Once you’re featured, hundreds of people will search your brand just to check if you’re legit.

Can’t get into one? Create your own.

• Example: “10 Best SEO Minds to Watch in 2025”
• Feature yourself + others with a real following
• Post it on LinkedIn, Reddit, and Twitter
• Tag everyone. They’ll reshare. That traffic → Spike in your brand search volume → Lifts you in AI and Google

You can do everything “right” in SEO.

But if no one’s searching your brand… you’re capped.

More brand volume = better rankings = AI visibility = more revenue.

Want to see how often your brand actually shows up across Google and AI search?

We’re running free visibility audits this week to show you exactly what’s holding you back from getting more qualified traffic.

Put your details here:

go.thesearchinitiative.com/4m8Z2iL