Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: How will AI tools rank brand trustworthiness five years from now?

Date: January 14, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Danny Kirk, Founder of Ready Reach

Overview

In this episode, host Jordan Cooney explores the future of AI tools in evaluating and ranking brand trustworthiness, focusing on advancements that could shape SEO and content marketing over the next five years. Guest Danny Kirk, founder of Ready Reach, discusses actionable insights, tools, and evolving practices, with candid thoughts about what drives real client trust in AI-powered SEO solutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Evolution of AI in Building Brand Trust

• The "Fix it Now" Button Concept
  • Danny Kirk predicts a future where the true mark of a reliable AI tool is its ability to not only diagnose SEO issues but resolve them instantly.
  • The key to trustworthiness will be visible, prompt results— "You see the results improve in a week from then. That's how you build trust..." (00:55-01:17)

Measuring and Tracking Brand Visibility

• Tool Selection and Usage

  • Danny emphasizes the importance of efficient, actionable analytics tools for tracking brand visibility and trust signals.
  • Peekaboo (aipeekaboo.com) is highlighted as a favorite at Ready Reach for its agility and startup-driven approach.
  • The platform is used to gain "initial intel" on clients compared to their peers and competitors.

    "We use that one for all of our clients to kind of get some initial intel on them." (01:52-01:55)

• Strategic Application

  • These tools help identify:
    • The brand's top citations
    • Performance relative to competitors
    • Major potential levers, e.g., influential external links like Reddit citations
    • Opportunities in underutilized but promising search queries

    "...really seeing like what are the top citations? How are they doing already relative to their peers? Are there any large levers that we could pull? Like maybe a single Reddit link is being cited and we should really just focus on that one." (03:29-03:54)

What Makes AI Tools Trustworthy?

• Immediate, actionable results will define future success in the market.
• Trust will come from observable, data-driven improvements rather than promises or speculation.
• Tools that merge diagnosis, action, and measurement seamlessly will rise above the competition.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Future of Trustworthy AI Tools:

  "The holy grail of all these tools is not just showing you what's wrong or what you can improve on, but the one click Resolve button... you see the results improve in a week from then. That's how you build trust."
  — Danny Kirk ([00:56–01:18])

• On Choosing the Right Tools:

  "I'm friends with the founders. Love Philippe and John. Great guys, super scrappy lean startup builders, which I am a personal fan of."
  — Danny Kirk ([01:40–01:46])

• On Pinpointing Opportunities:

  "Are there any large levers that we could pull? Like maybe a single Reddit link is being cited and we should really just focus on that one. Or certain types of search queries are being overweighted than others or have opportunity to overtake the competitors."
  — Danny Kirk ([03:36–03:52])

Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:43 — Jordan poses the forward-looking question on AI trustworthiness in brand ranking
• 00:55 — Danny introduces the "Fix it Now" button as the future of trustworthy AI tools
• 01:34 — Discussion of current tools and market experiences (Peekaboo)
• 03:26 — Deep dive into how Peekaboo is used for visibility, citation tracking, and competitor analysis
• 03:55 — Episode wrap-up and closing remarks

Episode Takeaways

• Actionable AI tools will be defined by their ability to both diagnose and resolve SEO issues in real time, fostering genuine trust.
• Measurement of trust signals is moving toward data-driven, transparent, and user-friendly platforms.
• Agility and scrappy innovation in tool development offer competitive advantages and strong client outcomes.
• Ongoing visibility tracking and leveraging key opportunities (like trending links or queries) can be a differentiator in crowded niches.

For more from Danny Kirk, visit Ready Reach or connect via LinkedIn. For continuous search marketing wisdom, follow Voices of Search on your favorite platform.