Darko Brzica says AI search rewards hidden company expertise

SEO strategist Darko Brzica says the biggest opportunity in AI search is not just optimization, but uncovering expertise already buried inside companies. His new analysis cites three Occam Digital client cases that saw Google AI Overview visibility rise as much as 700% to 850%.

Why it matters: - AI search is changing SEO from page tuning into a process of finding, structuring and exposing business knowledge that customers and AI systems can use. - The shift can affect more than visibility. It can improve conversion quality, reduce irrelevant enquiries and better align search traffic with commercial intent.

What happened: - Darko Brzica, founder of Occam Digital and a brightonSEO speaker, released a new analysis on how AI search is changing SEO. - The analysis draws on three anonymized client cases in industrial B2B, consumer legal services and premium architectural products. - Brzica said the core task is now to retrieve expertise from inside the company before AI can retrieve it from search. - Brzica presented related research at brightonSEO in April 2026 in a talk titled “What Actually Moves Rankings: Links, Mentions & AI Signals”.

The details: - The industrial electrical equipment case showed approximately 700% to 850% growth in Google AI Overview query inclusion from early 2026 through mid-September 2026. - The industrial electrical equipment business also recorded 65% more organic conversions during the relevant commercial comparison period. - The consumer legal services case showed approximately 170% to 200% growth in AI Overview query inclusion when mid-September 2026 was compared with the same period in 2025. - The consumer legal services intake team reported better-informed callers, more precise questions, clearer expectations and fewer enquiries about services outside the firm’s scope. - The premium architectural products case showed an estimated 300% to 400% increase in AI Overview query inclusion year over year. - That work focused on clarifying relationships among product categories, applications, collections, finishes, specifications and buyer needs. - Brzica said AI visibility growth came alongside technical SEO, original company knowledge, clearer information architecture and better alignment with customer decisions. - Traditional SEO still matters because websites must remain accessible, indexable and supported by internal links, authority signals and coherent architecture. - At Occam Digital, the process begins by identifying what existing content fails to communicate. - The team looks for questions sales and support staff answer repeatedly, distinctions used by internal specialists, information that changes a recommendation and insights customers may not know they need. - That knowledge is then verified, structured and connected with products, services and commercial actions. - Brzica said unique wording alone is not original content. - Brzica said original content contains knowledge, evidence or judgment that could not be added accurately without access to the business. - Brzica identifies six responsibilities for modern SEO: technical enablement, interpretation of customer demand, investigation of business expertise, information architecture, authority and external corroboration, and connection between visibility and commercial outcomes. - Brzica’s background includes more than 15 years of work across ecommerce, SaaS, artificial intelligence products, gaming, affiliate marketing, industrial B2B, consumer privacy, cybersecurity, professional services and regulated industries. - Brzica said AI is increasing the value of SEO professionals who understand the business and its customers well enough to make real expertise visible. - Brzica’s full analysis is titled “The Expertise AI Can’t See: Darko Brzica on the New Role of SEO.” - The analysis covers the client cases, Occam Digital’s process and the implications for businesses adapting to conventional and AI-assisted search. - Brzica is a Serbian SEO strategist and founder of Occam Digital. - Brzica has also spoken at Konverzija, Sarajevo Digital Marketing and CRO Commerce. - Occam Digital works with international businesses in ecommerce, industrial B2B, SaaS, artificial intelligence, gaming, affiliate marketing, cybersecurity, professional services and regulated markets. - Occam Digital says its approach combines technical SEO, original subject-matter expertise, information architecture and commercial intent. - The release includes Brzica’s LinkedIn profile, his Instagram account and his Facebook page.

Between the lines: - The analysis suggests AI-era SEO may favor companies that can turn internal expertise into structured answers, not just those that publish more pages. - The examples also show that better AI visibility can produce different business outcomes depending on the industry, from more conversions to fewer poor-fit leads. - The work reframes taxonomy, product structure and service clarification as search assets, not just website maintenance.

What's next: - Businesses adapting to AI-assisted search may need to audit what sales, service and technical teams know that the website does not yet capture. - SEO teams may spend more time interviewing internal experts, validating claims and shaping information architecture around real customer decisions. - Brzica’s analysis points to continued overlap between technical SEO and business strategy as AI systems influence discovery.