0:02 Chad GBT isn't just answering your
0:03 questions anymore. It's learning who you
0:06 are, what you care about, what you need
0:09 before you even ask for it. And in 2026,
0:11 the algorithm behind Chad GBT is about
0:13 to shift in ways most marketers don't
0:15 see coming. I'm Neil Patel, co-founder
0:18 of NP Digital. And my team analyzes a
0:20 behavior patterns across hundreds of
0:22 brands every single day. And what we're
0:24 seeing tells us one thing, the rules are
0:26 changing fast. Today, I'm walking you
0:28 through exactly how Chat GB's algorithm
0:30 is evolving, what signals it's
0:32 prioritizing, and how you can position
0:34 your brand to get cited, recommended,
0:36 and trusted inside the world's fastest
0:38 growing discovery engine. Because once
0:40 you understand how the algorithm works,
0:42 you stop guessing and you start winning.
0:44 Let's dive in. Update number one, Chad
0:46 GBT is building its own authority
0:48 system. Right now you can publish a
0:50 listical on your own site site yourself
0:53 dozens of time and chat GBT might
0:55 actually reference you and it works for
0:56 a lot of brands but that window is
0:59 closing. Chad GPT is building its own
1:01 version of domain authority similar to
1:03 how Google has paid or how they even
1:06 leverage the ET framework EAT which
1:08 stands for experience expertise
1:10 authority and trust and just like how
1:12 Google rewards expert-driven content
1:14 over keyword stuff garbage chat GPT is
1:16 starting to weigh industry relevant
1:19 sources more heavily than self-published
1:20 spam. Here's what's happening. The
1:22 algorithm is shifting away from pure
1:24 citation volume and towards citation
1:26 quality. It's not just about how many
1:28 times your brand gets mentioned. It's
1:30 about who's mentioning you and where.
1:32 Here's a right strategy. Build real
1:34 authority in your niche. Get featured on
1:37 industry publications. Contribute expert
1:39 insights to recognized platforms. Get
1:42 cited by credible sources, not just your
1:44 own blog. Create human-driven expert
1:47 level content. Chat GP's goal is to
1:49 reduce hallucinations. The best way to
1:50 do that, pull from people who actually
1:52 know what they're talking about. You
1:54 shouldn't rely on gaming the system.
1:56 Self- citations will eventually get
1:58 filtered out. Real expertise will rise
2:01 to the top. The brands that win in 2026
2:03 are the ones that build genuine
2:05 authority, not manufactured visibility.
2:08 Update two. Reddit and community sources
2:10 are losing ground. Chad GBT pulls a lot
2:12 of data from Reddit, Kora, and other
2:14 community platforms. But here's a
2:16 problem. Anyone can post anything on
2:18 Reddit. The quality is inconsistent.
2:20 Spamming is rising, and Chad GBT knows
2:23 it. Expect the algorithm to reduce its
2:25 reliance on generic community sites and
2:27 start prioritizing verified industry
2:29 specific sources instead. This means two
2:31 things. Low-quality forums will matter
2:34 less. Highquality expert platforms will
2:35 matter more. If your brand is only
2:37 showing up in Reddit threads, your
2:39 visibility inside Chad GPT is at risk.
2:41 Here's what to do. Focus on getting
2:43 mentioned in industry publications, case
2:45 studies, and expert roundups. Contribute
2:47 to high authority platforms where your
2:50 insights get attributed to you by name.
2:53 Build a reputation outside of open forms
2:54 because chat GPT is moving away from
2:56 them. The algorithm is getting smarter
2:58 about filtering noise. Make sure your
3:00 brand isn't part of the noise. Update
3:02 three, video content is getting
3:04 integrated. Textbased answers won't
3:07 dominate chat GPT forever. The algorithm
3:08 is starting to integrate video into its
3:11 responses just like how Google does with
3:13 video carousels. Why? Because that's
3:15 what people actually consume. More
3:17 people watch videos than read articles.
3:19 And Chad GBT is responding to that
3:22 behavior. In 2026, when someone asked
3:24 Chad GP a question, the answer might
3:26 include a ren summary, a link to a
3:28 YouTube video, a Tik Tok, or Instagram
3:30 clip. This is a massive shift. Here's
3:32 how to prepare. Create video content
3:34 around your core topics. Chad GBT will
3:36 start pulling from YouTube, Tik Tok, and
3:38 social platforms more frequently.
3:40 Optimize your videos for search. Use
3:42 clear titles, detailed descriptions, and
3:43 natural keywords integrated into your
3:46 scripts. Transcribe everything. AI reads
3:47 your captions, your descriptions, your
3:49 on-screen text. Make sure your video
3:52 content is machine readable. Video isn't
3:54 optional anymore. It's how you show up
3:56 in AIdriven discovery. Update 4. Chad
3:58 GBT is becoming a predictive discovery
4:02 engine. Right now, Chad GBT is reactive.
4:03 You ask a question, it gives you an
4:06 answer. But that's changing. In 2026,
4:08 Chad GBT won't just respond to what you
4:10 ask. It'll predict what you need before
4:11 you even know it. Here's how it works.
4:13 Chat GBT tracks your full search
4:15 history. It knows what you care about,
4:17 what problems you're solving, what your
4:19 goals you're working towards, and
4:21 instead of waiting for you to ask, it'll
4:22 start offering insights proactively.
4:24 Imagine this. You've been searching
4:25 about fitness, nutrition, and weight
4:27 loss for weeks. The next time you open
4:29 Chad GBT, it doesn't wait for your
4:30 question. It says, "Hi, Neil. Based on
4:32 your recent searches, here's a new bio
4:34 hack that could help you put on five
4:36 more pounds of muscle or lose 5 more
4:38 pounds of weight." That's not reactive
4:41 search. That's predictive discovery. And
4:43 it's similar to what Perplexity is doing
4:45 with its discover tab, but more
4:47 personalized and automated. And here's
4:49 what this means for your brand. Topical
4:51 consistency match. The more you publish
4:53 a specific topic, the more Chad GBT
4:54 associates your brand with that
4:56 category. First party data becomes
4:58 critical. If you're running ads inside
5:00 Chad GBT, your customer data trains
5:02 algorithms to understand who your best
5:04 customers are. You're not just competing
5:06 for keywords anymore. You're competing
5:08 for associations. The brands that define
5:10 their category early will become the
5:13 default recommendation. Update five,
5:15 freshness and citation velocity are the
5:18 new ranking signals. Right now, Chad GBD
5:20 tends to site older legacy brands,
5:21 companies that have been around for
5:23 decades and have massive citation
5:25 volume. But that's changing. In 2026,
5:27 the algorithm will start weighing
5:29 freshness and citation velocity, not
5:30 just total citations. Here's what that
5:32 means. If a new brand gets mentioned
5:35 constantly in the last 30 days, Chad GBT
5:36 will start citing them over older brands
5:38 that haven't been discussed recently.
5:40 It's not about who has the most mentions
5:42 ever. It's about who has the most
5:44 momentum right now. Here's a strategy.
5:47 Publish consistently. Fresh, updated
5:49 content signals to Chat GBT that your
5:51 brand is active and relevant. You also
5:53 want to get mentioned frequently. Press
5:54 coverage, podcast appearances, guest
5:57 posts. These create citation velocity.
5:59 You also want to do digital PR. And if
6:00 you're struggling with digital PR and
6:02 you just want someone to do it for you,
6:04 check out our ad agency, NP Digital,
6:06 where we have over a hundred people
6:08 globally that specialize in digital PR,
6:10 this get your brand mentioned out there,
6:11 especially on industry relevant
6:13 websites. So that way, LLMs like Chad
6:16 GBT and Gemini and Perplexi mention you
6:18 more often than the competition. Now,
6:19 you also want to update your existing
6:21 content. Add less updated dates to your
6:24 pages. Chad GBT favors current
6:25 information versus old, outdated
6:27 information. The algorithm is moving
6:29 away from legacy bias and towards
6:32 real-time relevance. Update six,
6:34 sentimentbased ranking is coming. Right
6:36 now, Chad GT will mention brands both in
6:38 positive and negative context. But in
6:40 2026, the algorithm is going to start
6:42 filtering based on sentiment. Here's
6:44 what's happening. Chad GPT analyzes
6:46 brand sentiment across web reviews,
6:48 social mentions, form discussions, and
6:49 over time it's going to prioritize
6:51 brands with positive sentiment and
6:53 filter out brands with negative
6:55 reputations just like you see in the
6:57 Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
6:59 This means platforms like G2, Trust
7:01 Pilot, Amazon Reviews, and Yelp are
7:03 going to become ranking signals inside
7:05 Chat GBT. And here's what you need to
7:07 do. Manage your reputation aggressively.
7:09 If you have negative reviews, respond to
7:12 them. Fix issues. Build positive
7:13 sentiment. You want to encourage happy
7:15 customers to leave reviews. The more
7:17 positive mentions you have across
7:18 credible platforms, the better you'll
7:21 rank in site chat GBT. Monitor your
7:23 brand sentiment. Use tools like Uberess
7:24 to track your brand and how it's doing
7:26 across the web and what people are
7:28 saying versus how your competition is
7:30 getting mentioned across the web. Is
7:31 your brand more positive than theirs or
7:33 negative? Uber suggest will show you.
7:35 And reputation management isn't optional
7:38 anymore. It's a core part of AI
7:40 visibility. Update seven. Blogging still
7:42 matters, just not the way you think. A
7:43 lot of companies are stopping their
7:45 blogs because traffic is declining. But
7:47 here's the thing, Chad GBT needs content
7:50 to learn from. The more you blog, the
7:51 more likely you are to get cited, even
7:53 if you don't get the traffic you once
7:56 did. Brands that blog regularly see
7:57 better traffic retention, more
7:59 conversions, higher authority
8:01 recognition within AI platforms. Here's
8:03 the approach. Keep publishing fresh new
8:05 information that isn't just regurgitated
8:07 that everyone else is talking about. And
8:08 when you publish content, make sure it's
8:11 structured. You use schema markup. And
8:12 even if you have a lot of content that
8:14 already exists on the web with your
8:16 blog, update it. Keep it up to date
8:19 because these LLMs like Chad GPT prefer
8:22 citing new fresh information versus old
8:24 outdated information. So there's nothing
8:26 wrong with updating your old content and
8:28 then having that last updated day
8:31 refresh on that blog post. You also want
8:33 to optimize for AI readability. Use
8:35 clear headers, bullet points, and schema
8:37 markup so Chad GBT can easily extract
8:39 and summarize your content. Think of
8:42 your blog as a data source, not just a
8:44 traffic driver. Update eight. Create for
8:47 humans package for AI. Here's a new
8:48 rule. Your content needs to serve two
8:51 audiences, humans and algorithms. Humans
8:52 want quick answers, engaging
8:54 storytelling, and depth when they want
8:57 it. Chad GPT wants structured data. It
8:59 can scrape, parse, and summarize
9:01 instantly. Here's how to do both. Use
9:03 clear headings and subheadings. This
9:05 makes it easy for AI to understand your
9:07 content structure and for people to skim
9:09 if they want. Add structured schema
9:11 markup. This tells AI engines exactly
9:13 what your content is about. Write
9:16 concise summaries. A pulls from sections
9:18 that are easy to extract and site. You
9:20 also want to site the main key points at
9:22 the top of your articles, similar to
9:24 what CNBC does, because this allows both
9:27 the user and AI to know what the main
9:28 points of the article is about. If a
9:30 user wants more, they can keep reading.
9:32 But this also makes it easy for AI to
9:34 summarize the main points and show it to
9:37 humans when they're using chat GBT or
9:39 any other LLM. You also want to balance
9:41 depth with scannability. Give humans the
9:43 details they want, but package it in a
9:46 way AI can process. Similar to using
9:48 tables of you versus your competition
9:50 and outlining the differences between
9:52 your products and their products or your
9:54 services and their services. Here's the
9:55 biggest thing that you need to take away
9:57 from all of this. Chat GBT's algorithm
10:00 isn't static. It's evolving fast, and
10:01 the brands that understand how to adapt
10:03 quickly will dominate visibility,
10:05 citations, and trust inside the world's
10:07 fastest growing discovery engine.
10:08 Authority matters more than volume.
10:11 Freshness beats legacy. Sentiment drives
10:12 recommendations. And if you're not
10:14 packaging your content for AI, you're
10:16 behind. The question isn't whether Chad
10:18 GPT will change how people discover
10:20 brands. It's whether your brand will be
10:22 the one they discover. If you want to go
10:24 deeper into how AI search really works
10:26 and how to dominate every major
10:28 platform, watch my next video. This will
10:30 show you exactly how to position a brand
10:32 for maximum visibility in 2026 and beyond.
