Elina Panteleyeva

Background

I started in e-commerce, building a brand that reached 7 figures through search. That experience taught me how search actually works — not just the tactics, but the underlying logic of how information gets surfaced, trusted, and recommended.

When AI search started taking over, I noticed something most SEO practitioners missed: the rules had changed fundamentally. Google's algorithm ranks pages. AI models cite sources. Those are different problems requiring different solutions.

I spent two years studying how language models decide what to recommend — what signals they trust, what sources they pull from, what content structure makes something citable. That research became the foundation of ShowUpWithAI.

Today I work with law firms, med spas, B2B SaaS companies, and other service businesses to make them the answer when their potential clients ask AI for recommendations.

What I saw early

In 2023, I started noticing that my own searches were changing. I was asking ChatGPT questions I used to Google. So were my customers. The traffic patterns confirmed it: AI-generated answers were intercepting searches before they ever reached a website.

The businesses showing up in those AI answers were not necessarily the ones with the best SEO. They were the ones with the clearest positioning, the most consistent information across the web, and content structured in a way that AI could actually use.

"The businesses that win in AI search are not the ones that optimize for clicks. They are the ones that become the most citable, trustworthy source on their topic."

That insight became the core of the GEO methodology I use with every client.

How I approach GEO

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of making your business the source AI recommends when someone asks a question in your category. It is different from SEO in three important ways:

• AI cites, it does not rank. There is no page 1. There are 2-3 names AI mentions, and then there is everyone else. The goal is to be one of those names.
• Trust signals matter more than keywords. AI models assess credibility through consistency, authority, and source quality — not keyword density.
• Content structure is everything. AI pulls from content that answers questions directly, uses clear structure, and is supported by credible external sources.

My process starts with a visibility audit: running your business through 20+ real AI queries to see where you show up and where you do not. From there, I build a 30-60-90 day plan that addresses positioning, authority, and content in the right order.

Credentials and expertise

• Founded and scaled a 7-figure e-commerce brand through search optimization
• 2+ years of research into how language models assess source credibility and make recommendations
• Developed the GEO audit methodology used with every ShowUpWithAI client
• Worked with law firms, med spas, B2B SaaS companies, and service businesses across multiple verticals
• Tracks AI search behavior across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, and Claude

Connect on LinkedIn.