(6:39 Q&A Video) “Redefining Visibility Online Through AI and LLM Utilization”
In this 6:39 video, Rebecca Colwell outlines three changes for marketers. She urges teams to look beyond Google to multiple models and forums. She reframes success as the influence of the answer, not the rank, and explains how LLMs compress the funnel into conversations.
Rebecca Colwell, SVP of Marketing at Yext, encourages marketers to expand their thinking about visibility in an era defined by AI and large language models. As traditional search evolves, buyers are turning to new platforms like LLMs, forums, and social channels for quick, reliable answers.
The result is a compressed buyer journey where visibility no longer depends on search rankings but on being cited as a trusted source. Marketers who understand this shift can build meaningful visibility across multiple touchpoints rather than relying solely on Google.
“You have to think beyond Google. It’s still an important platform, but expand your field of vision to where visibility and sentiment are forming because search is no longer a singular destination.” – Rebecca Colwell
To learn more, watch the 6:39 video or read the article below.
To catch the full interview with Rebecca on “Reinventing ABM for the AI Search Era,” CLICK HERE.
Article: “Redefining Visibility Online Through AI and LLM Utilization”
This article is based on an interview with Rebecca Colwell, SVP of Marketing at Yext
Thinking Beyond Google
“You have to think beyond Google,” Rebecca explains. “It’s still an important platform, but expand your field of vision to where visibility and sentiment are forming.” She emphasizes that platforms like Perplexity, Claude, and Reddit are shaping how buyers discover and trust information. These platforms use honest user conversations and verified data sources to generate accurate responses, which makes them powerful new arenas for visibility.
For marketers, this means diversifying their strategies to reach audiences where they are already searching. Visibility must include monitoring emerging AI models, ensuring data accuracy, and participating in relevant digital communities. Rebecca reminds marketers that visibility in the AI age is not just about being found but about being trusted. The brands that consistently provide verifiable, structured information across multiple channels are the ones that will rise in relevance.
Influencing Answers, Not Rankings
Rebecca introduces a new strategic discipline she calls Answer Engine Optimization. “The goal isn’t to rank for a keyword, it’s to be cited and trusted by the model.” This approach focuses on improving the quality and accuracy of AI model answers rather than chasing search placement. Visibility is now determined by whether AI platforms identify a brand as a credible authority when generating responses to user questions.
To achieve this, Rebecca recommends creating structured and clearly written content that AI models can easily interpret. Brands should prioritize transparency and consistency in how they describe their services, benefits, and customer experiences. Traditional keyword strategies are giving way to credibility signals that reinforce trust. In this new environment, success comes from being cited within the AI’s synthesized answers rather than ranking at the top of a search page.
Compressed Funnels and Instant Decisions
“The entire education journey can happen in an LLM conversation,” Rebecca says. Buyers now receive comprehensive insights and product comparisons directly within chat-based environments. This compresses the funnel dramatically because potential customers can move from awareness to decision within a single AI interaction. For marketers, this means that the old funnel stages of awareness, consideration, and decision often happen simultaneously.
Rebecca advises marketers to prepare for this change by developing content that educates AI models as much as it does human readers. This includes structured product pages, verified data, and content designed for machine readability. When the model accurately references a company’s information, it builds authority in that conversation and in future responses. As Rebecca explains, marketers must now assume that LLMs are the new digital advisors influencing every step of the buyer journey.
Conclusion
In today’s AI search era, Rebecca’s guidance is clear and actionable. Success depends on being discoverable, trustworthy, and structurally prepared for the way AI platforms process information.
Marketers who focus on structured accuracy and visibility across multiple ecosystems will stand out in an increasingly competitive environment. As Rebecca Colwell concludes, the call to action is simple. Optimize for answers, not ads, and your brand will remain visible wherever the next generation of buyers search.
ELEVATING CONTENT MARKETING STANDARDS RAISES A CRUCIAL QUESTION:
Why shouldn’t the very act of creating thought leadership content also spark new conversations with in-pipeline deals, top prospects, and high-priority customers for revenue expansion? Or serve as the cornerstone for learning and applying voice-of-customer strategies? That’s the power of ABM Podcasting—engaging B2B buyers and customers in meaningful conversations that uncover essential go-to-market insights, support long sales cycles, reinforce your market perspective, build peer-level trust, and dismantle objections that kill deals.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
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