In this episode, Christian Hustle and Athena HQ’s David Zeledon explore how AI search is rapidly reshaping customer discovery, with predictions that up to 60–70% of traditional search traffic could shift to AI in the near future. They explain why top brands are winning by focusing on answer-driven, intent-based content and building strong signals across websites, social media, PR, and third-party sources, helping AI systems understand and recommend them more often.
They also cover new performance metrics like Share of Voice and ROI per prompt, the growing importance of blogs and YouTube for AI visibility, and why brands must rethink success beyond clicks. They wrap up with practical strategies for adapting content, aligning teams, and investing in AI search optimization (AEO/GEO) to stay competitive.
👤 Guest Info
David Zeledon – Head of Growth at Athena HQ
🧭 Key Concepts Covered
The shift from keywords to answers in AI search
Why top brands dominate through content ecosystems and multi-channel presence
How AI evaluates trust using off-site signals, mentions, and citations
The growing importance of YouTube and video in training AI models
Why blogs outperform product pages as AI entry points
How zero-click behavior is evolving into answer-first journeys
New AI-era KPIs: share of voice, mentions per prompt, and ROI per prompt
How to map prompts to revenue using real customer insights
Why industries like travel and hospitality face the biggest disruption risk
How CMOs should restructure teams and budgets for GEO and AEO
🕒 Chapters
00:00 The Rise of AI Search and Traffic Decline Predictions
00:58 What Top Brands Do Differently in AI Search
03:08 From Clicks to Influence: The New Funnel
05:55 New KPIs for AI Search Success
08:45 YouTube, Context, and AI Training Data
12:24 Why Blogs Are the #1 AI Entry Point
14:02 Industries Most at Risk in AI Search
15:09 GEO Strategy for CMOs in 2026
17:06 Final Takeaways and Where to Follow
🔗 Resources
Discover GEO Studio: https://uberall.com/en-us/products/geo-studio
Discover Location Performance Optimization: https://uberall.com/en-us/products/lo...
Meet UB-I: https://get.uberall.com/ub-i/
Get GEO & LPO Certified at Uberall Academy: https://academy.uberall.com/
Learn more about Athena HQ: https://athenahq.ai/
David Zeledon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-zeledon/
State of AI Seach 2026 Athena HQ Report: https://athenahq.ai/athena-state-of-ai-full-report
