I recently read an article by Ann Smarty on intent-based optimization which was a nice, clear articulation of how search engine optimization (SEO), generative engine optimization (GEO) and artificial intelligence optimization (AIO) are converging. She discusses how in order to succeed in this new landscape, brands must shift from targeting exact-match keywords to solving user problems clearly and contextually, ensuring their content is both discoverable and quotable by AI systems.
She’s right: understanding and aligning with user intent is critical. But the brands that will lead in this next era are the ones that move beyond intent to action and turn visibility into value through intelligent orchestration, seamless fulfillment and long-term trust.
In the new marketing landscape, we know search engines are no longer the final frontier of brand visibility. In their place, AI agents are emerging as the new digital gatekeepers. Simply “showing up” isn’t enough anymore. Brands need to reorient from discovery to delivery.
It starts with a shift from answer engines (like Perplexity or Gemini) to autonomous agents. These AI-powered assistants are capable of interpreting a user’s intent, taking meaningful actions and eliminating entire swaths of decision-making and interaction. Today, they might recommend a nearby pickleball court. Tomorrow, they’ll book it, cancel your meeting and route your car, all in seconds.
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This is the new “ambient” journey.
In the past, brands focused on optimizing content for search visibility (keyword tuning, metadata, structured data and the like). Optimization alone won’t win in an AI-driven future. The next competitive edge lies in stitching together experiences that intelligently adapt in real time.
Winning brands will:
- Deliver contextual personalization at the moment of fulfillment (highly recommend listening to this Business of Apps podcast with advertising and marketing influencer Adam Landis, who envisions an even more direct version of this where brands enable hyperspecific product recommendations and mail products directly to a user based on AI outputs).
- Use adaptive delivery based on device, behavior and relationship status.
- Create dynamic, customized landing experiences aligned to intent and entry point.
All of these factors will make the difference between being selected in the changing landscape.
Keep in mind the changing complexity of requirements for fulfillment in an AI future. If you’re searching for “weekend activities for my kids nearby,” an agent won’t stop at options but instead will deliver an outcome to the request. To do so, it needs real-time availability, ticketing APIs, location, traffic data, reviews and more.
If your brand’s data is out of sync (or worse — absent), you lose that customer.
That’s why intent optimization is only half the equation. Brands have to invest in fulfillment architecture: agent-ready, structured, trustworthy and constantly up to date. Without it, you’re invisible at the moment that matters most.
And marketing measurement is about to undergo its own reinvention. Last-click attribution and traditional KPIs can’t account for the opaque, autonomous decisions made by AI agents.
Instead, marketers need to look at relationship intelligence — a deeper, cross-agent understanding of how, when and why they’re included in recommendations. This includes:
- Tracking brand mentions or exclusions across AI systems
- Analyzing agent-driven conversions and task completions
- Measuring trust signals like feedback loops and repeat engagement
- Evaluating long-term relationship health, not just single-session ROI
The new question isn’t “did they click?” It’s “did AI choose us again?”
As this transition unfolds, SEO is being overtaken by AIO.
Brands must learn to shift their focus away from user search discovery to user AI discovery, optimizing not just for visibility but for discovery, delivery and measurement within AI-controlled ecosystems. And while this is a rapidly emerging space, user behaviors already are shifting for brand discovery to happen within these walled gardens. Like the search revolution changed how brands market, deliver and sell products, AI will change the game again. Those who adapt and learn quickly will emerge as winners in the new space.
For all these reasons, companies are investing in the infrastructure that underpins these new interactions. I’ve seen it here at Branch, where we’ve helped illuminate the dark arts of SEO measurement, prevent broken links and fragmented attribution, and facilitate web-to-app handoffs. We’re committing to helping brands navigate this new landscape, too.
Ann Smarty’s call to action for intent optimization is spot on. But the brands that will truly lead in this next era are the ones that go further: enabling seamless journeys from intent to fulfillment.
David Karnstedt, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Branch, is a seasoned operating executive, board member, and advisor for technology companies. For over 25 years, he has provided executive leadership with consistent focus and execution throughout the marketing technology ecosystem. Karnstedt has a record as a passionate, scalable team-builder and world-class operator at Adobe, Efficient Frontier, Yahoo! and Overture. He has served on the Boards of Demandbase, Vantiv, Quantifind and JumpTap, along with Senior Advisory appointments at Redpoint Ventures and TPG Capital.
