- The Measureverse
- Posts
- Why your Google rankings won't matter in 2026
Why your Google rankings won't matter in 2026
Jeff Sauer
January 22, 2026
AEO (and why you need to know what it means)
Google's AI mode answers 95% of my questions without needing to scroll any further.
No 10 blue links. No pogo-sticking results. No clicking around to compare options.
Just: "Here's what you need to know."
People are opening ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini and asking: "What's the best CRM for a small agency? Who should I hire to build my Shopify store?"
And AI just tells them.
The businesses showing up in those AI answers are getting handed leads.
The businesses that don't show up? They're invisible.
This is the shift to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).
Old model: Rank on Google → Get traffic → Hope people click your link → Convert.
New model: Get recommended by AI.
Not ranked. Recommended.
Why This Is a Massive Opportunity
AEO is at this perfect inflection point right now. The demand is about to explode. The supply of people who actually know what they're doing is tiny.
In the video below, I break down:
→ The five core pillars of AEO that actually work
→ How to get AI to recommend you (there's a logic to it)
→ Why the low-hanging fruit gets results fast
→ The exact action plan to start adding this as a service today
Join Me Today at 1 PM ET
AEO is just one of 99 high-demand services I've identified for 2026-2027.
In two hours, I'm hosting a live workshop breaking down the five services most relevant to MeasureU members.
The 2026 Agency Blueprint Workshop
Today at 1:00 PM ET | 90 minutes + Q&A
I'll reveal the exact services to position yourself around so you can stay ahead of market shifts and build a sustainable, profitable agency.
Can't make it live? You'll get lifetime access to the recording.
The market is shifting faster than most people realize.
This workshop will show you exactly where to focus.
To Your Measured Success!
--Jeff Sauer
CEO of MeasureU
AI-native CRM
“When I first opened Attio, I instantly got the feeling this was the next generation of CRM.”
— Margaret Shen, Head of GTM at Modal
Attio is the AI-native CRM for modern teams. With automatic enrichment, call intelligence, AI agents, flexible workflows and more, Attio works for any business and only takes minutes to set up.
Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.