Edition 106.

AI-ready websites, Dick’s AI coach, my 32-second ChatGPT referral, and the chatbot your site might need next.

5 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week:

💊 Olly rewrites for AI-search

Curious shoppers are prompting chatbots, not just Google. When they ask for “the best sleep supplement,” Olly wants to be front of the line.

With product discovery happening through LLM prompts, shopping behavior is shifting fast: less homepage wandering, more direct AI referral to the product page. Secondary product pages are the new primary. So Olly is adding clearer product descriptions, educational content, and FAQs to help AI understand, summarize, and recommend them.

Takeaway: If your product or service page can’t answer the obvious questions clearly, AI may not know what to do with you.

🔎 AI-search is Google’s new rival

Nearly 30% of marketers say search traffic has decreased as consumers turn to AI tools, according to HubSpot’s 2026 marketing data. That stat hits differently when you experience the behavior yourself.

I recently found a local charisma coach (I’ll explain) through ChatGPT. On our intro call, that coach confirmed the shift: Google used to be her digital referral friend. Now, ChatGPT is sending new people her way. Her words, not mine!

Takeaway: The question is no longer just “Can people find you on Google?” It’s “Would an AI tool understand, trust, and recommend you?”

🎤 When coaches and creators pivot, too

I turned to an LLM to find a “charisma coach.” Yes, go ahead and ask. The LLM thought for 32 seconds, then gave me a short list of people who clearly coach executive presence, communication, and on-camera confidence, not “generic life coaching.”

I checked two of the four. The first site felt sketchy. No people. No coaches. Very shell-of-a-site. Onto the next. The second was a hit: a real person, an impeccable roster of C-suite clients, strong YouTube presence, and great energy. Consultation call, booked. First session, done. In 32 seconds, AI-search understood the assignment, analyzed the fit, and sent me straight to someone credible.

Takeaway: Your point of view, testimonials, FAQs, press, podcast appearances, and content archive are not website-extras. They’re visibility cues that can give AI context. Add or keep ’em.

🏀 Dick’s gives shoppers an AI coach

Dick’s Sporting Goods launched an AI-powered tool that gives shoppers sport-specific product recommendations, training tips, and guidance based on their needs and skill level. It’s called Coach by Dick’s.

While I’ve so far covered AI-led brand *discovery* — where consumers search and find you. This example shows a retailer *owning* the AI-powered experience on-site. Land on their website, and it’s like someone’s helping you through the virtual store and (your sport goals).

Takeaway: An owned, AI experience should make your best offers, products, and services easier to access.

🐶 I found an AI “Ask Scout”

My Internet sleuthing led me to a well-known digital marketing coach’s website. They’re using an AI “Ask Scout” widget. After further “coding detective work” 🕵 the name seems to be a clever double meaning: Scout appears to be the actual name of this coach’s dog, while the tool itself seems powered by Help Scout’s AI Answers.

Personal, but practical.

Instead of making visitors dig through every offer, page, podcast episode, or freebie, “Ask Scout” (yes, you can personalize the name of your own AI bot) lets site visitors, like me, ask a question and get pointed somewhere useful, *fast.*

Pro tip: Before adding AI to your site, map out what questions prospective visitors and customers may ask: “Where do I start?” “Which offer fits me?” or “What resource do I need next?”

More brand bytes next Sunday at 5!