The Biggest Land Grab Since Social Media

Author

Erik VanHorn
February 12, 2026

I just talked with Kasim Aslam, and he dropped a truth bomb that made my stomach drop.

Everything you've invested in SEO - your rankings, your backlinks, your keyword strategy - is changing fast.

Not in five years. Not eventually. It's happening right now.

And if you're a franchisor or franchisee who thinks you can ignore this because "we're in brick-and-mortar, not tech," you're about to watch your competitors eat your lunch while you wonder what happened.

Quick disclaimer: I'm not an AEO expert. This is what I learned from talking with Kasim Aslam, who's been studying this for 18 months. Do your own research. Talk to your marketing team. But I'm sharing this because if even half of what he's saying is true, franchise owners need to pay attention.

Here's What's Actually Happening

Kasim runs a team that's done nothing but study how AI sources its answers for 18 months. He's got more data on this than anyone publishing publicly.

The bottom line: People aren't Googling anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

And those AI engines don't pick sources the same way Google does.

The stat that should wake you up: Over 90% of AI citations come from just 12% of websites.

Which 12%? The ones that have done one technical thing that most businesses haven't bothered with.

I'll tell you what that is in a minute. But first, you need to understand why this matters more for you than you think.

Why This Hits Franchising Different

Here's the part that stung when Kasim explained it:

AI doesn't trust brands. It trusts people.

Read that again.

Your franchise brand, your company name, your trademarked system - AI doesn't care. It wants a person.

It wants the human authority behind the business.

This is terrible news for franchisors who've built everything around the brand. And it's incredible news for franchisees willing to build personal authority in their markets.

Think about it. Someone in Denver asks ChatGPT, "Who should I use for HVAC repair?"

AI doesn't want to cite your franchise's corporate website. It wants the local HVAC tech in Denver who's been posting videos, answering questions, showing up as an expert.

The shift: From aggregated authority (big brands) to fractal authority (local experts).

If you're a franchisee and you're not building your personal brand, you're invisible in this new world.

The One Technical Thing You Must Do

Kasim gave me the simplest tactical advice I've heard in years:

Add schema validation to your website.

Schema is like a table of contents for computers. It tells AI what your content is about without making it crawl and interpret everything.

Only 12% of websites have it. But 90%+ of AI citations come from sites that do.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Ask ChatGPT: "I need schema markup for [your service] in [your location]. Here's my website: [URL]"

  2. ChatGPT will generate the code

  3. Send it to your web developer (or paste it yourself if you know basic HTML)

  4. Validate it at schema.org

That's it. You just made your website visible to AI.

Most of your competitors won't do this because it sounds technical and boring. Good. More market share for you.

How to Win at AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)

Once your schema is done, here's the playbook:

Pick a lane. AI hates generalists. It wants focused experts.

If you own three franchise brands and do consulting and invest in real estate, AI doesn't know who you are. Pick the one thing you want to be known for and go loud on that.

Everything else? Still do it. Just don't publish about it.

Build personal authority, not brand authority. Your name should be everywhere, not just your franchise name.

Your podcast should be "The [Your Name] Show," not "The [Franchise Name] Podcast."

Your LinkedIn should lead with you, not your company.

Create content. Everywhere.Not blog posts. Not press releases. Actual valuable content that helps people.

Podcast interviews. YouTube videos. Instagram Reels showing what you actually do. LinkedIn posts answering real questions from real customers.

AI loves multi-modal content. It loves seeing the same expert show up across platforms.

Get social engagement. In SEO, you wanted Forbes to link to you. In AEO, you want real people commenting on your posts saying "This guy knows his stuff."

Social comments are the new backlinks.

That means your content can't be promotional. It has to actually help people.

The Long Game

Here's the part nobody wants to hear:

There's no CTA. No "book a call." No "learn more."

You give value for years. Then you ask.

Look at Alex Hormozi. People think he made $100 million in a day when he launched his private equity firm.

No. He gave free content for seven years first. Then he cashed in his social equity.

That's the game now.

Gary Vee doesn't have CTAs. Cody Sanchez doesn't have CTAs. Anyone who actually understands this doesn't put "Schedule a consultation" at the end of their posts.

They give, give, give, give, give. Then they wait for the equity to be high enough. Then they make one ask.

If you're looking for quick wins and growth hacks, you're going to hate this.

If you're willing to play the long game and actually become an authority, this is the biggest land grab since social media.

What This Means for You

If you're a franchisor: Kasim's take is that brand advantage is shrinking fast. The franchisees who build personal authority in their markets will outperform corporate marketing.

You need to teach your franchisees to build their own authority, or they'll figure it out themselves and wonder why they're paying you royalties.

If you're a franchisee: This is your shot. You can beat franchisors at their own game by becoming the local expert AI recommends.

Start creating content about your specific market. Show up as the person, not the brand.

If you're thinking about franchising: Pick a franchisor who gets this. Ask them: "What are you doing about AEO? How are you helping franchisees build personal authority?"

If they look confused, keep looking.

Do This This Week

  1. Add schema to your website (instructions above)

  2. Pick your lane. What's the one thing you want AI to know you for?

  3. Create one piece of content that actually helps someone. A video, a post, something real.

That's it. Don't overthink it.

The opportunity is massive. Most people will ignore this until it's too late.

Don't be most people.

Erik

P.S. Looking to go deeper?

🎙️ LISTEN TO WHAT MATTERS

⏱️ 00:00 - 00:47 – SEO Is About to Be Wiped Off the Map
⏱️ 13:10 - 14:17 – The Day AEO Replaced SEO
⏱️ 15:18 - 16:38 – AI Traffic Is 100x More Valuable Than Google
⏱️ 20:12 - 21:09 – AI Trusts People, Not Brands
⏱️ 26:12 - 27:58 – The Schema Secret 88% of Websites Miss
⏱️ 22:06 - 23:24 – Why Google Rankings Won’t Matter Soon
⏱️ 28:23 - 29:32 – Give for 3 Years, Monetize Once
⏱️ 07:01 - 08:41 – Exits Don’t Fix Entrepreneurs
⏱️ 24:02 - 24:43 – Micro Authorities Will Beat Mega Brands
⏱️ 04:44 - 05:36 – My Billion-Dollar Moonshot Strategy

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CONNECT with Kasim Aslam 🤝

🌐 Website: Kasim Aslam

💼 LinkedIn: Kasim Aslam

CONNECT with Erik Van Horn 🤝

🌐 Website: Franchise Secrets

📷 Instagram: @erikvanhorn

👍 Facebook: Erik Van Horn

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