Lily Ray on AI Slop, GEO, and What Actually Works

Ross Hudgens welcomes Lily Ray, VP of SEO Strategy & Research at Amsive — this time in person — for a wide-ranging conversation on what's actually working (and what's getting patched) in AI search right now. They dig into the rise and likely fall of self-promotional listicles and comparison pages, the new wave of GEO manipulation tactics already being flagged as spam by Google and Microsoft, and how to build visibility that's genuinely algorithm-proof. Lily also shares how her team is using AI day-to-day, what the technical GEO checklist looks like in 2026, and why she's still betting on Google winning the AI search race long-term. Show Notes: 00:00:11 – Lily's new consulting practice at Algorithmic 00:02:11 – The rise and fall of self-promotional listicles 00:08:11 – Comparison pages and alternative posts 00:12:38 – Authentic authority vs. paid influence 00:15:42 – GEO exploits Google & Microsoft flag as spam 00:27:23 – Using AI day-to-day 00:30:46 – The GEO technical checklist 00:36:27 – Predicting the Next 12 Months     Show Links: Find Lily at Amsive: https://www.amsive.com/insights/author/lily-ray/ Follow Lily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lily-ray-44755615/ Follow Lily on X: https://x.com/lilyraynyc Lily’s Substack: https://lilyraynyc.substack.com/ Subscribe for weekly episodes: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM Follow Ross on X: https://twitter.com/rosshudgens Follow Siege Media on X: https://twitter.com/siegemedia   Subscribe today for weekly tips: https://bit.ly/3dBM61f Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-and-conversation-seo-tips-from-siege-media/id1289467174 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1kiaFGXO5UcT2qXVRuXjsM Listen on Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9jT3NjUkdLeA Follow Siege on Twitter: http://twitter.com/siegemedia Follow Ross on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rosshudgens Directed by Cara Brown: https://twitter.com/cararbrown Email Ross: [email protected] #seo | #contentmarketing