The Ranking Expert: How to DOMINATE AI Search in 2026 (ChatGPT, AI Overview)

The Topline team interview Ethan Smith, founder of Graphite, an San Fransico-based growth and SEO agency with clients like Notion, Webflow and Rippling. As well as Rahul Jain from Noble, a consultant who writes and speaks about AI. Thanks for tuning in! Catch new episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe to Topline Newsletter. Tune into Topline Podcast, the #1 podcast for founders, operators, and investors in B2B tech. Join the free Topline Slack channel to connect with 600+ revenue leaders to keep the conversation going beyond the podcast! Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Host Introductions 00:41 How Well Do You Know AI Search? 08:14 SEO vs. AI: The Changing Landscape 13:42 The Role of PR in AI Search 14:46 Get Cited By THESE Websites 18:13 SEO Strategies in the AI Era 25:07 Is SEO Actually Dead? 33:16 HubSpot's Message to The Market 34:27 SEO Evolution and Traffic Trends 34:54 The Future of Search and LLMs 36:34 Signs You Have The Wrong Product 40:01 Scaling AI Search Content 46:38 The Role of PR and AI in Marketing 01:01:42 What Have You Learned?