What if small businesses could actually benefit from the rise of AI search?

Out of all the overwhelm in marketing, figuring out what’s going on in AI search might be one of the most confusing (and cluttered) topics out there.

In this episode, Michelle Bourbonniere, PhD, founder of Words on the Rise, shares a simple way to understand how AI search really works—and what you can do about it. Michelle specializes in small-site SEO, helping businesses create smart strategies that get their brands in front of the right people.

She shares what’s worth focusing on, and why she’s growing more optimistic about AI search for small businesses. She also pulls back the curtain on how tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI overviews actually surface results.

Michelle introduces a clear framework for assessing your visibility, what she calls the “Three Rs of AI Search.” It’s a practical way to think about how your brand is recognized, trusted, and recommended.

Plus, we dig into why measuring success by citations is a fool’s errand. And she shares the single most important thing any small business should optimize for.

If you’ve been drowning in advice about AI search and aren’t sure where to start, this cuts through the noise, with a clear, simple framework for understanding it all

If you’ve been flooded with AI search advice and aren’t sure what’s real or relevant, this episode cuts through the noise, with a clear, simple framework for understanding it all. 

Referenced in the episode

AI Search Cheat Sheet: https://wordsontherise.com/ai 

F5Bot: https://f5bot.com — for real-time Reddit mentions

How People are Using ChatGPT: https://www.nber.org/papers/w34255 

Michelle’s Links:

Website: https://wordsontherise.com  

Email: michelle@wordsontherise.com 

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bourbonniere 

Newsletter: https://wordsontherise.com/newsletter/  

Brittany's Links:

Brittany’s Website: https://downeystrategy.com/  

Brittany’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-downey/