Overview

On this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, John Jantsch interviews Todd Sawicki, founder and CEO of Gumshoe AI, a cutting-edge platform helping marketers navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven search and discovery. Todd breaks down what AIO, AEO, and AI search really mean for marketers, why buyer behavior is shifting, and how brands can optimize for the new era where large language models (LLMs) drive discovery, answers, and conversions. If you’re looking for practical ways to future-proof your SEO and content marketing, this episode is packed with actionable insights and big-picture context.

About the Guest

Todd Sawicki is the founder and CEO of Gumshoe AI, a platform at the forefront of AI-driven search and discovery solutions. With a deep background in digital media, marketing technology, and scaling startups, Todd is a sought-after voice on the future of search, LLM optimization, and how marketers can adapt as buyer behavior and search platforms are transformed by AI.

Actionable Insights

• AI-driven search (AIO, AEO) is fundamentally changing how buyers search, what they expect, and how marketers must optimize—think “training the AI salesperson” rather than just ranking on Google.
• LLMs (like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews) are increasingly personalizing answers, using your site’s content, FAQs, product detail pages, and structured data to deliver tailored recommendations.
• AI search users are high-intent and convert at dramatically higher rates—often 2–20x higher than traditional organic or paid search—because they are pre-qualified and further down the funnel.
• Content quality, structure, and freshness matter more than ever; LLMs reward authoritative, updated, and well-organized information, not just what’s most popular or backlinked.
• Updating and repurposing existing content (especially with FAQs, schema, and summaries) is critical—LLMs cite content that has been updated within the last 90 days.
• Competitive insights and personas are key: Tools like Gumshoe can reveal what LLMs say about you, your competitors, and which personas they surface—providing messaging ideas and identifying areas to improve.
• Focus on high-intent, conversion-focused queries (not just top-of-funnel trends) and use AI insights to build better ad campaigns, content, and product positioning.
• Track, measure, and iterate: AI traffic is growing fast—use analytics to see where it’s coming from, how it performs, and how your optimizations are working.

Great Moments (with Timestamps)

• 01:31 – The Rise of AI Search and Zero-Click Experiences
  How AI-driven search is changing user expectations, buyer behavior, and marketing priorities.
• 03:21 – Why Buyer Behavior Matters More Than Technology
  Users are asking longer, more complex, and more high-intent questions, and expect personalized answers.
• 05:18 – The Value of AI Traffic
  Why visitors from AI answers convert at much higher rates—and what marketers should do about it.
• 06:49 – Training the AI Salesperson
  How to “teach” LLMs about your product, and why product marketing and messaging matter more than old-school SEO tactics.
• 08:30 – What Content Do LLMs Prefer?
  Brand websites, FAQs, knowledge bases, and structured content are the top sources cited by AI.
• 09:52 – Why Doing Content Right Pays Off
  How years of quality content and structure are finally being rewarded by AI-driven platforms.
• 12:26 – Content Freshness, Updates, and Repurposing
  The average AI-cited content is only 86 days old—updating and repurposing is critical for ongoing visibility.
• 14:42 – How Gumshoe AI Works
  Using personas, synthetic users, and competitive insights to see what LLMs are saying about your business—and what to do next.
• 20:38 – The Future of High-Intent Search
  Marketers must focus on conversion-ready, long-tail queries and position for the new funnel managed by AI.

Insights

“AI-driven search means you have to train the AI like you’d train a salesperson—answer objections, provide detailed info, and position your product for each persona.”

“Content quality, structure, and freshness are the new currency—LLMs reward the right answers, not just the most popular ones.”

“Focus on high-intent, conversion-ready queries—AI search gets users further down the funnel, and marketers need to adapt their messaging and content to win.”

“Analytics prove it: AI-driven visitors stay longer and convert more. Optimize now and track what’s working as AI’s role in discovery grows.”

“Competitive intelligence and persona insights are critical—know what LLMs say about you and your competitors to improve your messaging and positioning.”