Search is changing quickly, and founders can no longer rely on traditional SEO alone to stay visible. In Episode 8 of Founder Fundamentals, Lydia Vijga, Co-Founder and CEO of DeckLinks, unpacked how answer engine optimization (AEO) is reshaping the way brands are discovered online. Drawing from her work in growth strategy, AI visibility, and search optimization, Lydia positioned AEO not as a trend to watch from the sidelines, but as a practical shift founders need to start experimenting with now.
Search Is No Longer Just About Rankings
Lydia explained that search has moved beyond the familiar model of ranking blue links on Google. Today, users increasingly receive direct answers through AI overviews, generative search engines, voice tools, and large language models. That shift means founders must think not only about whether their content ranks, but whether it is being selected, cited, and surfaced in AI-generated responses.
She broke down key terms such as AEO, AIO, GEO, and LLMO, showing how each reflects a different layer of visibility in AI-powered search. While the terminology can feel overwhelming, the central takeaway was simple: founders need to create content that helps AI systems clearly understand what the company does, who it serves, and why it is credible.
The Reality of AI Search Is Messy
A major theme of the session was that AI search is still inconsistent and difficult to measure. Unlike traditional SEO, where impressions, rankings, and click-through rates can be tracked more directly, AI platforms are non-deterministic. The same prompt can return different answers depending on timing, geography, user history, and platform context.
Lydia noted that this creates a new challenge for founders: a company’s content may be used to shape AI responses, while a competitor is still the one being recommended. In other words, a brand can become a trusted source of knowledge without becoming the recognized solution. That gap makes visibility, authority, and message clarity more important than ever.
AEO Still Depends on Strong SEO Foundations
Although the session focused on AI search, Lydia emphasized that classical SEO still matters. AI tools continue to rely heavily on indexed, structured, and technically sound web content. Strong site architecture, semantic headings, schema markup, backlinks, and fast-loading pages all increase the chances that a site will be crawled, understood, and cited.
Rather than replacing SEO, AEO builds on top of it. Founders still need websites that are easy for search engines to access and interpret before they can expect AI systems to surface their content effectively.
Content Must Be Clear, Structured, and Easy to Cite
One of the most practical parts of the session focused on how founders should write for an AI-first environment. Lydia encouraged participants to keep writing for humans, but to structure content in a way that makes it easier for AI tools to extract and cite.
That means using clear headings, answering questions directly in the opening sentence, reducing vague or overly promotional language, and including concrete facts wherever possible. AI systems respond better to precise, literal, evidence-based language than to broad claims or creative phrasing. Instead of burying the answer in brand storytelling or marketing fluff, founders should make key information obvious and easy to identify.
She also stressed the importance of explicitly mentioning the company, product, service, or community name within relevant content. If a brand does not clearly connect itself to the expertise it is demonstrating, AI may use the insight without associating it back to the business.
Authority Must Extend Beyond the Website
Lydia also highlighted the importance of building visibility outside a company’s own domain. AI systems draw from a wide range of sources, including LinkedIn, Reddit, Medium, Substack, YouTube transcripts, and third-party publications. Founders cannot rely on their websites alone to establish authority.
This makes content distribution and external mentions especially important. Guest posts, founder-led articles, expert commentary, testimonials, listicle placements, and thought leadership across multiple platforms all help reinforce credibility. The more consistently a company is mentioned in relevant, trustworthy places, the stronger its perceived authority becomes in AI-generated search results.
Experimentation Is the Real Competitive Advantage
Throughout the session, Lydia returned to one core mindset: experimentation. Because AI search changes so quickly, there is no single fixed playbook. Founders need to test prompts regularly, examine how their brands appear in AI tools, study which sources are being cited, and refine their content based on what they learn.
She introduced participants to a practical framework that includes identifying high-intent prompts, measuring share of voice across AI platforms, improving existing content, expanding visibility beyond the website, and creating fresh, citable material. The goal is not to game the system, but to become the most useful, trustworthy, and clearly understood source in a given space.
What Founders Need to Do Next
Episode 8 reframed AEO as more than a technical tactic. It is a shift in how founders communicate value, build authority, and earn visibility in a search environment increasingly shaped by AI. The companies that stand out will be those that pair strong fundamentals with consistent experimentation, clear positioning, and genuinely helpful content.
As Lydia made clear, founders do not need to have everything figured out today. But they do need to start testing, learning, and adapting now.
About Founder Fundamentals
Founder Fundamentals is a 12-week workshop series hosted by YSpace and Black Enterprenurship Alliance and powered by City of Markham designed to equip you with essential entrepreneurial skills. Attend 9+ workshops to earn a Certificate of Completion and take the first step toward entrepreneurial success!
About the Speakers
Lydia Vijga is the Co-Founder and CEO of DeckLinks, a SaaS platform for creating, sharing, and tracking video PDFs. With a background in entrepreneurship, growth strategy, and AI-driven visibility, she helps companies scale content and strengthen their presence across both traditional and AI search. Through LinkedIn, webinars, and speaking engagements, she regularly shares insights from her founder journey and her work at the intersection of search, content, and emerging technology.