by Gianluca Fiorelli | 26 Dec, 2025 | Blog
Paying for “5 articles and 10 links” is obsolete. As Kevin Indig argues in his Growth Memo, SEO budgets should buy capacity – strategic agility to pivot between AI Overview optimization, technical fixes, and digital PR – not factory-produced deliverables. You’re not buying stuff; you’re buying the capability to build influence across traditional search, AI-powered answers, and LLM recommendations. Many of these discovery surfaces won’t even appear in your analytics.
by Gianluca Fiorelli | 22 Dec, 2025 | Blog, SEO Resources
AI search is fundamentally changing how we find information, shifting from “here are links” to “here’s the answer.” This post uses semiotic analysis to decode how major AI interfaces (Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, AIO, AI Mode, and Web Guide) communicate intelligence and authority through their design choices.
Drawing on Umberto Eco’s theory of Open versus Closed texts, it reveals the tension between user agency and AI-generated narratives, and how each platform resolves this differently through specific design affordances. You’ll gain actionable insights into the visual and structural signals that shape user trust acquiring essential knowledge for designing or optimizing AI-powered search experiences.
by Gianluca Fiorelli | 19 Dec, 2025 | Blog, SEO Resources
Google still owns 95% of desktop search, yet 37% of users now turn to ChatGPT as a “second brain” for complex tasks.
The 2026 reality isn’t replacement: it’s integration.
This framework outlines six strategic predictions shaping the search landscape and provides actionable tactics for each: building proprietary knowledge graphs, engineering content hubs that satisfy AI sub-intents, and establishing provenance signals that position your brand as a trusted source when agents synthesize answers.
by Gianluca Fiorelli | 14 Dec, 2025 | Blog
The core of search is breaking down as AI allows “fake authorities” to fool search engines with detailed lies. A recent experiment showed how “Hollow Brands” exploit this weakness, using parasite SEO to hijack trust without having any real operations. In response, Google is shifting its ranking logic from text relevance to verified identity. New tools like the Branded Queries Filter prioritize user behavior signals that spammers cannot easily fake. In an era of infinite content, verified authenticity is now the ultimate SEO defense.
