Hayden Bond
Hayden Bond, in SEO since 2004, founded Plate Lunch Collective, an AI SEO agency that gets brands named when buyers ask, in search, on social, and in AI.
Articles by Hayden Bond
Surviving the Turn: How to Be ChatGPT's Pick When Buyers Narrow It Down
Buyers ask ChatGPT for options, get a list, then add details until one name is left. We ran 72 local chats to see who ChatGPT picked at the end, and why.
Marketing for Manufacturers in Windsor-Essex: What ChatGPT Cites for Suppliers
We asked ChatGPT where to find suppliers around Windsor-Essex, then searched its picks by name on Google. What came back, and what a shop can check this week.
Vacation Rental Marketing on Maui: What ChatGPT Names and What Google Shows Next
We asked ChatGPT where to stay on Maui, then searched its picks on Google. What came back, and what a hotel, resort or rental owner can check this week.
AI Search Has Six Buyer Paths. Your AI Referral Traffic Shows One.
AI search can send a buyer down six paths, and only one shows up as AI referral traffic. Here's what the other five leave behind.
Does ChatGPT Give Everyone the Same Answer? What It Means for Your Business
ChatGPT's answer depends on who's asking. Here's why one screenshot can't show how your business comes up, and what to work on instead.
AI SEO in Hawaii Depends on Who Your Customers Are
Residents, visitors and off-island buyers find Hawaii businesses in different ways. Here's what AI search changes for each, with the state's own numbers.
Social Media SEO: How to Show Up When People Search TikTok and Instagram
People search TikTok and Instagram now. Here's how the apps decide what your account is about, and how to see which searches find you.
GEO vs SEO: What's different, from an agency that does both
For Google, GEO is mostly SEO. Other AI assistants look in other places, like Bing and their own indexes. Here's what we still do and what we add.
How ChatGPT Gets Its Information: Memory, Search, and Your Business
ChatGPT can answer from what it learned in training, and it searches the web some of the time. Here's how each works, and what both mean for your business.
ChatGPT Brand Mentions: Why AI Cites Your Content and Recommends Your Competitor
Getting cited by ChatGPT isn't the same as getting named. Here's what the studies show, why it happens and what I'd fix first.
Brand Disambiguation: How AI Decides Which Business You Are
Brand disambiguation is how AI picks which business a name means. Here's why it mixes up businesses that share a name, and what you can fix yourself.
Query Fan-Out: Why AI Quotes Reddit Instead of Your Official Page
AI search splits a question into smaller searches and quotes whoever answers each one. Here's a real case, and how to make your page the one that answers.
How to Turn Social Media Followers Into Customers When Likes Aren't Selling
Engagement is up. Inquiries are flat. Here's why likes don't turn into customers, and what to post for buyers who search before they buy.
Is Keyword Research Still Relevant When People Ask AI?
Nothing replaced keyword research. It changed. Here's what keyword tools still show, what they can't see, and where to find your buyers' real questions.
Content Chunking for AI Search: Should You Break Up Your Pages?
Should you break your pages into bite-sized chunks for AI? Google says no. Here's what holds today and a simple test for each section of your page.
Who Answers When Shoppers Ask AI for Your Deals?
I asked AI tools for two brands' discount codes, and on most of them coupon sites did the talking. Here's how to answer for your own deals.
Agentic Commerce Optimization: What Agent-Ready Stores Still Miss
Getting listed in AI shopping is mostly automatic now. Getting picked depends on the facts in your listing. Here's where I'd start.
When to Hire a Fractional CMO, and What It Should Own in AI Search
When to hire a fractional CMO, what to try before you do, and who should keep track of how ChatGPT and Google's AI describe your business.
How to Get Your Business on ChatGPT (and Other AI Tools)
How to get your business on ChatGPT: check what it already knows, fix your listings, then make your site easy to find and quote.
Farm Marketing When Customers Ask AI Where to Go
Word of mouth still sells farm visits. Here's how to get your season, hours and visits written down where Google and AI tools can find them.
Generative Engine Optimization Strategies: What the Research Tested and What Holds Up
Much GEO advice traces back to one 2023 lab study on GPT-3.5. Here's what it tested, what newer research found, and what I'd still do.
Instagram Rewards Original Content Now. Does AI Search?
Instagram swaps copies for the original in its recommendations. Google has rules against copied pages. AI search is only partway there.
Voice Search Optimization: What Changes When People Ask Out Loud
People who speak a search name brands more often. How voice search works now that Gemini answers, and what that means for your business.
Schema Markup for AI Search: What Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT Say
Does schema markup help you show up in AI answers? Here's what Google, Microsoft and OpenAI each say, and the local business schema worth adding.
Is SEO Dead? How to Tell If Your Site Broke or Search Changed
No, SEO isn't dead. Here's how to tell, from your own Search Console, whether your site broke or Google started answering on the page.
What Is Answer Engine Optimization? Nobody Agrees on the Name
AEO is the work of getting your business named when people ask Google or ChatGPT. The name was in use by 2018. Here's what it and its cousins mean.