In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups

This AI SEO deep‑dive gets tactical. I sit down with Ilias Ismanalijev (aka @illyism) to map the real discovery journey happening inside AI search—what users actually prompt from problem‑aware to buyer‑ready—and how to influence results across models (GPT, O3, Claude, Perplexity). You’ll learn how to surface the right phrases (not just keywords), make your pages AI‑readable, and win off‑page placements on the listicles and directories LLMs love to cite.

What you’ll learn
  • The 4 levels of AI search (no‑search → deep research) and how strategy changes at each.
  • Prompt‑level intent mapping: info, comparison, executive/delegation, problem‑solving.
  • How to spot AI‑generated queries in Google Search Console and build your tracking sheet.
  • On‑page for LLMs: crawlability, structured content/markdown, alt text, and avoiding blockers (robots.txt, Next.js assets).
  • Off‑page that moves rankings: listicle outreach, affiliate offers, directories (G2, Product Hunt), and Reddit/“parasite” opportunities.
  • Why AI traffic is often more buyer‑ready—and how to target bottom‑of‑funnel prompts (e.g., “X vs Y,” “best X for Y,” pricing specifics).
Chapters
0:00 Cold Open — What You’ll Learn
1:22 Sponsor: TalentFiber
2:25 Meet Ilias & Why AI SEO Now
3:02 Who Benefits Beyond SaaS?
4:58 Research vs. E‑com Use Cases
6:20 Comparison‑Style Prompts IRL
8:59 Brands Doing It Well (Examples)
10:46 Why AI Traffic Is Buyer‑Ready
13:42 Benchmarking AI Search Visibility
16:38 Frameworks for AI Keyword Research
20:58 On‑Page for LLMs (Crawlability)
23:30 Finding AI Queries in Search Console
27:30 Regex + Long‑Query Filters
28:25 The 4 Levels of AI Search
32:17 Bottom‑of‑Funnel Prompts That Convert
34:06 Off‑Page: Listicles, Affiliates, Outreach
37:00 Reddit/Parasite SEO & Page One Sources
38:59 Mapping Sources w/ LinkDR
41:02 Pricing Pages & AI Page Inspector
44:34 Directories, Reviews & Digital PR
47:41 Should You Create AI‑Optimized Resource Pages?
48:38 Wrap‑Up & Where to Find Ilias

Guest
Ilias Ismanalijev
X: https://x.com/illyism
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/illyism
Site: https://il.ly/
Host
Cody Schneider
X: https://twitter.com/codyschneiderxx
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyxschneider
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyschneiderx
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by TalentFiber — hiring top offshore software engineers as an extension of your team (technical interviews, compliance, replacements, fast turnarounds). Learn more at talentfiber.com

What is In the Pit with Cody Schneider | Marketing | Growth | Startups?

In the Pit shares what founders and marketers are seeing from the front lines. Join host Cody Schneider for personal brain dumps and conversations with business leaders to learn the strategies and tactics being used to acquire first customers, scale growth, and build thoroughbred marketing organizations. Listen down. Level up.