20 free resources on this topic. Everything here is free and hand-picked. You can also search within this topic.
Barry Schwartz summarizes three studies on AI search visibility and search investment, including their stated limitations and conclusions.
Free Mason SBDC live webinar on local SEO, website optimization, social selling, lead generation and evaluating paid-ad spending. Held online December 9; Zoom access is provided after registration. The official SBA page lists a $0.00 cost.
An open-source SEO platform positioned as an alternative to Ahrefs and Semrush: keyword research, backlinks, rank tracking and site audits, billed by usage instead of a flat monthly subscription. Can be self-hosted free, or connected to AI agents over MCP.
A marketing blog post arguing that AI slop is content nobody asked for, and outlining a six-step social-listening workflow to find real audience questions and turn them into content that search engines and AI assistants cite.
Google's I/O 2026 announcements on combining its search engine with AI, including agent features.
Why I recommend it: Company announcement. Features roll out gradually and not everywhere.
A multi-chapter free guide to Answer Engine Optimization — getting your name into the answers AI assistants give, rather than into a list of blue links. Covers why search behaviour changed, where ordinary SEO still applies, deciding what you want to be known for, and how to measure and scale the work. Written by Nick Lafferty and Nigel Stevens.
Why I recommend it: The clearest free explanation of AEO I have read, and directly useful if you want an assistant to name you or your business when someone asks. Keep the source in view: Profound sells AEO tracking software and has just raised a $180m round, so the guide is built to make you feel you need a tool to do this. Take the method; test whether you actually need the product.
Search Engine Land's free guide by Curtis Weyant, last updated 30 December 2025, arguing the SEO-versus-GEO argument is a false choice and that the real change is visibility splitting across Google, ChatGPT and social platforms. Quotes the competing positions directly, including Google's "good SEO is good GEO" line. About a 13-minute read, free, no sign-up.
Why I recommend it: If you run a small business and you are being sold a separate "GEO package," read this first. It is the most level-headed free piece I have found on the subject, and it is from a trade publication that lives off this industry, so treat its optimism about measurement tools accordingly.
Free research reports on how people now search through AI answer engines instead of traditional search, with data by industry.
From the site: Explore Profound research on AI search, answer engines, and how people discover brands and information.
Why I recommend it: Relevant if you market anything online — how AI answer engines pick sources is changing how people find businesses.
A LinkedIn article on structuring long-form LinkedIn posts so they get read by people and surfaced by AI search tools — headlines, formatting, and keyword choices.
Why I recommend it: Worth ten minutes if you post on LinkedIn at all. Being findable by AI search is quickly becoming part of being findable, period.
SEO and competitive research platform with a limited free account for keyword and site checks.
A research report based on roughly 95,000 search result records across 3,000 prompts in Claude, laying out seven patterns behind which sites AI assistants cite - useful if you want your business or personal site to surface in AI answers.
Why I recommend it: AI answers are becoming a discovery channel whether we like it or not. If you run a business or a personal site, this is a practical read on being findable there.
Tracks which sites and sources AI assistants cite, so you can see how discovery is shifting away from classic search.
Why I recommend it: If you publish anything — portfolio, blog, business site — this is how you check whether AI answers are surfacing you at all.
Freelance marketplace for growth marketers, paid acquisition, and SEO specialists.
Why I recommend it: Bring numbers, not adjectives — marketing clients hire on measured results.
One printable reference of every platform tool, ad and shop setup page, AI marketing tool, and strategy read in this collection - 168 links across 24 platform categories.
Why I recommend it: Download this if you want the whole platform list in one place - it mirrors every link in the Marketing & Platform Tools collection.
Created by Justin Smith — Launchpad Library
Microsoft's free local-listing tool that manages how a business shows up in Bing Search and Maps.
Google's official help-center guide for creating and verifying a free Google Business Profile listing.
Why I recommend it: Start here if you're setting up your first Google Business Profile.
Free Google tool for creating and managing how a business appears on Google Search and Maps.
Free suite for monitoring and improving a website's presence and performance in Bing search results.
Google's free web analytics platform for tracking website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.
Why I recommend it: Essential for understanding where your website traffic is actually coming from.
Free heatmap and session-recording analytics tool from Microsoft for seeing how visitors use a site.
Why I recommend it: A completely free way to watch exactly how visitors use your website.
