Can you buy agentic endorsement?

No — you earn it. Unlike SEO, you can't buy your way around it with paid placement. You earn endorsement by adjusting brand narratives through the consumer product experience, then monitoring progress and correcting course.

What should an AI assessment include?

A scored scan history, buyer-question tracking, competitor share of voice, citation receipts, and fix-efficacy tracking — measuring whether a completed recommendation actually moved your score.

Should I hire an SEO company for AEO?

Not an SEO company borrowing the tech. AEO moves far faster than SEO and needs someone who can work upstream from marketing — it's a moving target, not set-and-forget.

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September 16, 2026Agentic Endorsement

How to Lose at AI

By Rob Schlyecher

Tracking whether AI recommends you — and whether your fixes actually work. Getting to the top of the agentic endorsement hill is very different from staying there. You are not buying endorsement; you are earning it.

I've been banging on the opportunities and threat to your business in the brave new world of AEO and agentic endorsement. I'm going to talk about how you can win at it before you do what those who don't pay attention do.

They lose.

The opportunity is really an “act now” thing because as I write this all those AI agents are running around picking their favourites. And their favourites are the brands, companies, products and services that have their AI game on. Those who don't will have a very hard time getting to the top of the agentic endorsement hill once the agents have chosen their go-to's.

But getting to the top is very different from staying there. To get there you're going to need a few tools.

Start with an assessment to see how you score with AI

This needs to include:

scored scan history
buyer-question tracking
competitor share of voice
citation receipts
fix efficacy tracking (measuring whether a completed recommendation actually moved the score)

itstru.ai can give you the full assessment for $250 USD.

Set objectives

What do you want to build your AI reputation on? Unlike SEO you can't really buy your way around this with paid search. If that happens with AI, then all credibility within an AI goes out the window.

Get a dashboard

You'll need to keep score.

Make it a job description

AEO is growing a million times faster than SEO ever did. The landscape, and more importantly, your chances of endorsement are an ever-moving target. This is not set and forget.

Or hire an AEO company

And not an SEO company that is borrowing the tech. You need someone who can work with you upstream from marketing. I recommend Wearetheanswer.ca — I do this because I'm a founder. So, yes, I'm pitching you. It's for your own good.

Remember, you are not buying agentic endorsement — YOU ARE EARNING IT. You need to adjust brand narratives by adjusting the consumer product experience. For example, if you are exposing your consumer to shrinkflation, you're a long way from endorsement of any kind, agentic, human or celebrity. For that you need someone monitoring progress and helping you correct course.

Weighing AEO against traditional search? Read The shift from SEO to AEO. Ready to act? Work through the AEO method.

Frequently asked

Can you buy agentic endorsement?: No — you earn it. Unlike SEO, you can't buy your way around it with paid placement. You earn endorsement by adjusting brand narratives through the consumer product experience, then monitoring progress and correcting course.
What should an AI assessment include?: A scored scan history, buyer-question tracking, competitor share of voice, citation receipts, and fix-efficacy tracking — measuring whether a completed recommendation actually moved your score.
Should I hire an SEO company for AEO?: Not an SEO company borrowing the tech. AEO moves far faster than SEO and needs someone who can work upstream from marketing — it's a moving target, not set-and-forget.