Brian McLeod
Brian McLeod
Search advisory · SEO · AI search

Brian
McLeod

I advise brands and lead the search programs that get them found on Google and chosen by AI.

AI search and SEO advisor10+ years in search
Brands I’ve helped grow
Results

Proof.

Measured on visibility, AI search and conversions.

AI search90%share of voice across 17,000+ AI answers after a 2,400-page site consolidationHigher education
AI search10.7%conversion rate from AI assistant visitors, 1.6x organic searchProfessional education
VisibilityPage 1average Google position, up from page 4 a year earlierTelecommunications
Visibility325%growth in search visibility, with a 12% revenue lift across 1,500+ pagesGlobal consumer brand
Conversions+20%conversion lift across multiple site migrationsB2B and professional services
Visibility120%organic search visibility growth across a portfolio of global brandsPharmaceutical and nonprofit

Visibility is measured as Google search impressions and average position. AI search figures come from AI visibility tracking and GA4. Conversion and revenue figures come from client analytics. Client names stay private.

Advisory

Search that compounds.

Work done this quarter keeps paying next year. That is why I run search as a channel, not a project.

I advise CMOs and marketing leaders on search, and I step in to lead programs when a team needs it. Every engagement starts with a clear read on where demand is heading and ends in reporting a CFO can follow.

AI search sits inside that work. It gets measured the way organic does: visibility, citations and conversions.

Enterprise technical SEO

Technical, content and authority work, prioritized by revenue impact and sized to the team that has to build it.

AI search and GEO

How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews read your brand, and a plan to earn the citation.

Search program leadership

Interim or fractional leadership, team building, and the roadmap and measurement to run search as a channel.

Executive audits and buy-in

Search and AI visibility audits turned into strategies that executives fund.

How I workThe same four moves on every program, enterprise or single site.
01

Diagnose

Where demand sits, where the site loses it, and what AI systems see when they read the brand. Technical, content and measurement in one read.

02

Roadmap

A quarter by quarter plan ranked by revenue impact and effort, agreed with the people who have to build it.

03

Build

Weekly releases with engineering, content and analytics in the same room. Migrations and AI search work run inside the same plan.

04

Report

Visibility, citations and conversions in the terms a CMO and CFO use.

20

Brands I’ve helped grow

Household names, healthcare networks, universities and trade schools, across more than a decade of search work.

General Motors
Coca-Cola
L’Oréal
Discover
Sanofi
Sprite
Fanta
World of Coca-Cola
Simply Beverages
Fairlife
Gold Peak Tea
YMCA
Coldwell Banker
NCR Voyix
TEKsystems
C Spire
Alicorp
American Management Association
United Vein & Vascular Centers
National Forest Foundation
Choose Chicago
Lindenwood University
The Chicago School
Saybrook University
Tulsa Welding School
Kansas Health Science University
BenchMark Physical Therapy
Galena Country Tourism
TCS Education System
About

10+ years in search.

I started in search at Publicis on General Motors. Since then I’ve run global SEO at WPP and VML, and led professional services clients at Envisionit. For most of that time I also ran my own SEO consultancy for global beauty, financial services and real estate brands, building their search strategies and running the workshops that brought their executives into the decisions. Today I lead AI search strategy for enterprise brands. Based in Chicago, with a master’s in integrated communications and advertising from Purdue.

Agencies I’ve worked at
Publicis
VML
Envisionit
Level Agency
More about me
Clients and colleagues

What people say

“I know more about my business after this call than anyone has taught me at the company or at my current agency since I started a few months ago.”
CEO of a prospective client, after a discovery call
“Brian is wonderful to work with. He is thoughtful, strategic, and what I’d call a ‘truthseeker’. He is extremely AI-forward in his work and brings all his clients a TON of value in that regard.”
Allison Peck, TEDx speaker and Organizational Development Manager
“Brian possesses a unique ability to quickly grasp new concepts and understand project deliverables with minimal guidance.”
Joe Mulvihill, VML
“Brian has an exceptional blend of leadership, empathy, and strategic vision, making him stand out as a remarkable manager.”
Ana Natalia Benchlouch, WPP

Let's talk.

For AI search strategy, executive advisory or speaking, start here.

© 2026 Brian McLeod · Chicago, IL LinkedIn