The most underrated signal brands should optimize for

Summary

Voices of Search Podcast

Episode: The Most Underrated Signal Brands Should Optimize For
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Tim Sanders, Chief Innovation Officer at G2
Date: February 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the evolving landscape of content and search engine marketing, focusing on how enterprise brands can remain discoverable in the AI-driven future of search. Tim Sanders draws from G2’s massive dataset on B2B software buyers to reveal surprising shifts in research habits and spotlights a highly underrated optimization tactic—using key takeaways formatted in markdown language. The discussion spotlights why old SEO tactics are rapidly losing relevance and what brands should do now to adapt.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Most Underrated Signal: Markdown Language for Key Takeaways

[01:24 - 03:04]

• Tim Sanders identifies the signal:
  “I think it's not so much of a signal, but it's a signal to the bots. I think that markdown language.”
  — Tim Sanders [01:24]

• Why this matters:

  • AI-driven search engines and language models prioritize clear summaries and structured data.
  • Marked-up key takeaways at the top of pages (especially on sales and product pages) have a dramatically higher inclusion rate during crawling and model training.

• Actionable tip:

  • Use a small markdown file to outline 3-4 key takeaways at the very beginning of your pages.
  • This can “dramatically improve the chances that your content is considered during test time.”
    — Tim Sanders [03:04]

• Pages to focus on:

  • Product pages
  • Sales pages

2. The Challenge of Pricing Transparency

[03:32 - 03:44]

• Jordan raises an overlooked issue:
  “One that I think we didn’t really talk about much but is pricing pages. It’s so complicated for business buyers…”
  — Jordan Cooney [03:32]

• Tim’s take on pricing opacity:

  • Sometimes opaque pricing is used as a seller’s leverage.
  • However, in the age of AI, you should run expected value (EV) analysis for transparency, as models are increasingly crunching this data.

• Advice on negotiation and expected value:
  “You need to run EV because you have to now account for the fact that it creates the model… Read the book ‘Never Split the Difference’ by Chris Voss. Like, we gotta use negotiation tactics. Maybe not.”
  — Tim Sanders [03:44]

3. The New Rules for SEO in the AI Era

• Traditional SEO tactics are no longer sufficient for guaranteeing discovery.
• Structured summaries and unambiguous value propositions are what bots and AI models can parse and surface most reliably.
• Brands should reconsider historic tactics (like keyword stuffing or long-form only content) and start thinking like data providers for AI.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On markdown language and signals to AI:
  “It’s not so much of a signal, but it’s a signal to the bots. I think that markdown language.”
  — Tim Sanders [01:24]

• On key takeaways for AI inclusion:
  “Key takeaways from a page that are placed at the very top of the page are going to create the most crawling and reference and training inclusion of your web pages than anything...”
  — Tim Sanders [03:04]

• On pricing page transparency:
  “Sometimes the opaqueness of pricing gives leverage to the seller. But you need to run EV because you have to now account for the fact that it creates the model.”
  — Tim Sanders [03:44]

• On changed SEO dynamics:
  “Traditional SEO no longer guarantees discovery… what companies need to do to win in this new era of Geo [is] optimize for AI responses.” — Jordan Cooney [00:44, paraphrased summary]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:44] — Introduction of guest and topic
• [01:24] — The importance of markdown language signals
• [03:04] — Key takeaways and their power in AI-driven search
• [03:32] — The complication of pricing pages for business buyers
• [03:44] — Expected value analysis and negotiation in pricing

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Conclusion

This episode serves as a wakeup call for enterprise marketers: optimizing for the next generation of search means thinking less about old SEO tactics and more about how machines ingest, summarize, and prioritize information. Whether it’s through markdown key takeaways or transparent pricing, the brands who distill their value simply and place it front and center will be those that AI finds—and features—the most.

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Key Takeaway:
“Key takeaways at the top—clear, concise, and in markdown—are your best shot at getting noticed by the machines that now shape discovery.”
— Tim Sanders [03:04]

Transcript

[Podcast Narrator]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[Jordan Cooney]

I'm Jordan Cooney and joining me today is Tim Sanders, Chief innovation officer at G2, home to one of the largest data sets on real B2B buyer behavior. G2 serves over 100 million software buyers annually and sees firsthand how enterprise research habits are shifting not gradually, but rapidly. Today, Tim will unpack what G2 data reveals about how buyers are using AI search, why traditional SEO no longer guarantees discovery, and what companies need to do to win in this new era of Geo what's the most underrated signal that enterprise brands should optimize for in AI responses?

[Tim Sanders]

I think it's not so much of a signal, but it's a signal to the bots. I think that markdown language.

[Sponsor Representative]

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[Tim Sanders]

Key takeaways from a page that are placed at the very top of the page are going to create the most crawling and reference and training inclusion of your web pages than anything. So when you think about a really. And I'm talking about sales pages, I'm talking about product pages. So a small markdown file with the key four takeaways will dramatically improve the chances that your content is considered during test time.

[Jordan Cooney]

One that I think we, we. We didn't really talk about it much but is pricing pages. It's so complicated for, for. For business buyers. And you're like, well, I don't know what this is and how do I, how do I measure the cost of this in my.

[Tim Sanders]

Sometimes, sometimes the opaqueness of pricing gives the leverage to this to. To the seller. But you need to run EV because you have to now account for the fact that it create the model. So this is another classic example of where expected value might, like, liberate you from like. No, no, no, no. Read the book. Never. What is it called? Never Split the Difference by Chris Boss. Like, we got to use negotiation tactics. Maybe not.

[Jordan Cooney]

Yeah, love that. Okay. And that wraps up this episode of the Voices of Search podcast. Huge thank you to Tim Sanders, Chief innovation officer at G2, for joining us. If you'd like to contact Tim, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show Notes, or you can find it on voicesofsearch.com you can also visit his personal website, Tim Sanders.com. if you haven't subscribed yet or would like a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be in your feed next week. Okay, that's all for today, but until next time, remember, the answers are always in the data.

[Sponsor Representative]

Sam.