AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026
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What Does “AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast features a conversation between James Dooley and Dawood Khan, founder of CrowdScale.ai, focused on AI search visibility and what it means for brands heading into 2026. The discussion covers how large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini AI Overviews source and cite information, and why platforms like Reddit, Quora, and Facebook have become critical channels for appearing in AI-generated answers. Dawood explains how CrowdReply, currently focused on Reddit marketing, is expanding to cover multiple platforms and will soon include an LLM visibility and tracking component.
The episode dives into the mechanics of how LLMs rank brands in their responses, drawing a parallel to traditional link building where coverage across authoritative, trusted sources strengthens a brand's presence. James and Dawood discuss the concept of query fan-out, brand sentiment analysis, and how AI systems look for consistent, positive associations tied to brand names across the web. A real-world example involving a VPN app illustrates how Reddit brand mentions alone, without any backlinks, drove high-intent branded searches and app installs. The conversation also addresses why branded searches and branded clicks are emerging as dominant ranking signals, and why AI-driven visibility should be treated as a commercial opportunity rather than a zero-click threat.
“If your brand is consistently associated with positive attributes like good value, reliability, or strong customer service, the AI will repeat those associations in future answers.”
— Dawood Khan
Who Are the Guests on “AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026”?
Dawood Khan is the founder behind CrowdScale.ai and its flagship product CrowdReply, a platform designed to help brands generate traffic and leads through Reddit marketing, manage brand reputation, and rank inside LLMs. He has developed a strong understanding of omni-channel and omni-present marketing strategies, and has been an early mover in applying social platform activity to AI search visibility. His practical, results-driven approach is illustrated through real case studies, including driving high-conversion branded searches for a VPN app using Reddit mentions alone.
James Dooley is a well-known SEO practitioner and the host of the James Dooley Podcast. He brings deep expertise in search engine optimisation, link building, and digital brand strategy. In this episode, James contributes substantive insights of his own, including his perspective on why corroboration and third-party consensus now matter more than the traditional dofollow versus nofollow backlink debate, and why brands that failed to build real identities were the hardest hit by major algorithm updates.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- Reddit is one of the most cited sources used by LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity, making an active presence there a direct lever for AI search visibility.
- Quora and Facebook are the next most important platforms after Reddit for earning LLM citations, and both are growing in prominence as AI reference sources.
- Being mentioned consistently across multiple trusted platforms creates a stronger reference signal for LLMs, similar in principle to how traditional link building works for Google rankings.
- Brand sentiment matters as much as brand mentions, because LLMs analyse the context and associations around a brand name and repeat those attributes in future generated answers.
- Branded searches and branded clicks driven by AI citations are a major commercial outcome, as users who intentionally search for a brand after seeing it recommended convert at significantly higher rates.
“We have seen this with real examples. For a VPN app, we used Reddit brand mentions without any links. People saw the brand name in threads, searched it on Google, and installed the app. Conversion rates were extremely high because users made an intentional decision.”
— Dawood Khan
Is “AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it moves the AI search conversation beyond abstract theory into practical, actionable strategy. Rather than simply noting that LLMs are changing search, James and Dawood explain the specific mechanisms at work, including how citations are sourced, how brand sentiment is weighted, and why existing listicles and forum discussions are already being reused by AI systems. The real-world VPN case study alone makes the episode compelling, demonstrating measurable commercial results from a strategy most marketers have not yet considered.
The episode is also valuable because it reframes how marketers should think about zero-click searches and AI Overviews. Instead of treating AI-generated answers as a threat to traffic, James and Dawood make a convincing case that appearing in those answers with consistent, positive brand associations creates a new layer of digital salesforce activity. For anyone planning their search and brand strategy heading into 2026, the discussion offers a clear framework for where to focus energy across Reddit, Quora, Facebook, and beyond.
Who Should Listen to “AI Search Visibility | James Dooley Interviews Dawood Khan from CrowdScale.ai on LLM SEO in 2026”?
This episode is ideal for:
- SEO professionals and digital marketers looking to understand how to appear in AI-generated search results across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini
- Brand managers and business owners who want to understand how LLMs discover, cite, and recommend brands and how to influence that process
- Affiliate marketers and content creators adapting to the post-update search landscape where brand building has become essential for long-term visibility
- Entrepreneurs and SaaS founders interested in emerging tools like CrowdReply that are being built specifically around AI search visibility and omni-channel brand presence
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What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“The VPN app case study was the most practical thing I have heard on an SEO podcast in months. Dawood explaining how Reddit mentions alone drove branded searches and installs without a single backlink completely changed how I think about social platform strategy. Highly recommend this one.”
“I appreciated that James and Dawood did not just talk about Reddit in isolation but connected it to the broader picture of LLM citations across Quora, Facebook, and YouTube. The analogy between citation building and traditional link building finally made the whole AI search concept click for me.”
“The point about brand sentiment being something LLMs actively analyse and then repeat in future answers was genuinely new information for me. This episode has already changed how I brief clients on why their brand reputation across social platforms matters for AI visibility going into 2026.”
James Dooley AI search visibility in the SEO community is something everybody is talking about. How do you get more visibility in the LLMs? This could be ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Gemini AI Overviews. I have Dawood Khan back on the podcast. We previously spoke about Reddit marketing and Reddit SEO. Anyone not using Reddit needs to get on it quickly because it is one of the most cited sources for LLMs. Dawood is always two steps ahead of the game. He understands omni-channel, omni-present, holistic marketing. I do not want to keep praising you, so let’s jump straight in. Can you explain what is coming next with your SaaS products, not just Reddit SEO and Reddit marketing, but how you are taking this into AI search visibility? Dawood Khan Thank you for having me on the podcast. Right now, CrowdReply is mainly focused on Reddit marketing. You can use the platform to generate traffic and leads from Reddit. You can manage brand reputation. Another thing we already support is ranking in LLMs like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude. Reddit is one of the most cited platforms. When someone searches in ChatGPT, it uses its own knowledge base, but it also pulls from the internet. That can include Wikipedia, YouTube, and Reddit threads. Based on all those sources, it generates an answer. CrowdReply already helps with that, but it is still very Reddit-centric. Over the next couple of months, we are adding an LLM visibility and tracking component so it becomes much easier to rank across LLMs. James Dooley For anyone wanting to learn more about Reddit, check the previous episode. There is a full thirty-minute discussion on Reddit SEO and Reddit marketing. Moving away from Reddit and looking specifically at AI search visibility, what other platforms are you planning to integrate into CrowdReply that can be cited by LLMs? Dawood Khan The biggest demand besides Reddit has been Quora. Quora is the second most cited platform by LLMs. Facebook is also climbing quickly and has increased a lot over the last few months. We expect that to continue. We are also seeing YouTube, but for now the main focus will be Reddit, Quora, and Facebook. Longer term, we may add Wikipedia mentions and YouTube mentions. The goal is to cover as many social platforms as possible. There are many factors involved in LLM ranking, but one of the key factors is being cited across trusted sources. The more a brand is talked about across multiple channels, the stronger the reference signal for LLMs. James Dooley When people search today, forums and discussions appear everywhere. Facebook, Quora, and Reddit consistently show up. You mentioned showing examples like roofers in Manchester or Liverpool. Can you explain how that works in practice? Dawood Khan Yes. Let me explain the basics. If we search something like “what is a good roofing company in Manchester” in ChatGPT, it returns an answer with citations. These citations are the sources it used. ChatGPT checks those sources and looks at which brands are mentioned across them. If one brand is mentioned across more sources than others, it is more likely to appear higher in the AI answer. The more citations you cover and the more places your brand appears, the stronger your ranking becomes in LLMs. James Dooley That ties into query fan-out. The system expands a query into multiple variations around price, speed, location, and intent. That increases the chance of Reddit and Facebook being cited multiple times. It is similar to Reddit upvotes. More upvotes push comments higher. More citations push brands higher in LLMs. Dawood Khan Exactly. It is very similar in principle. There are more factors involved, but the core idea is coverage across citation sources. You can think of it like traditional link building. The workflows are different, but the idea is the same. Getting your brand mentioned on authoritative pages, listicles, and discussions creates long-term benefits because those sources are reused by AI systems. James Dooley A lot of SEOs still focus purely on buying backlinks. Links still matter, but the real differentiator now is corroboration. Third-party consensus proves who you are, what you do, and why you are trusted. Getting added to existing listicles is powerful because those pages are already cited. I care less about nofollow or dofollow and more about clear brand statements that machines can understand and reuse. Dawood Khan Brand visibility is huge right now. LLMs look for brand names across the web and analyse the sentiment and context around them. If your brand is consistently associated with positive attributes like good value, reliability, or strong customer service, the AI will repeat those associations in future answers. James Dooley That leads into branded search and clicks. When AI cites a brand, users often click through, search the brand, and engage. Branded searches and branded clicks are a major ranking signal. AI should not just mention you. It should recommend you. That turns AI into part of your digital salesforce. Dawood Khan Absolutely. We have seen this with real examples. For a VPN app, we used Reddit brand mentions without any links. People saw the brand name in threads, searched it on Google, and installed the app. Conversion rates were extremely high because users made an intentional decision. This worked even though the brand was new and had very little existing web presence. James Dooley That is why concerns about zero-click searches miss the point. AI visibility increases brand visibility when done properly. Affiliate sites that failed after major updates did not build brands. Brand building is now essential. James Dooley For people watching this, how can they track when CrowdReply expands into a full AI search visibility platform? Dawood Khan It will take a few months. We are adding Quora, Facebook, and potentially other platforms. We are also adding AI search visibility tracking so users can see where they are being cited and on which platforms. Anyone can reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter. I am always happy to answer questions and share strategies. James Dooley AI search visibility is critical going into 2026. Brands need mentions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. Leave a comment if we missed anything. Dawood, it has been an absolute pleasure. Dawood Khan It has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Creators & Guests
Host
James Dooley is a UK entrepreneur.