Stacie Porter Bilger is the Founder and President of Proof Digital, a strategic and creative performance marketing agency that blends modern marketing tools with traditional sales funnel processes. She spent the first 20 years of her career helping businesses develop growth strategies and connect with investors. Before founding Proof Digital, Stacie worked with several chambers of commerce and startups like the Indiana Venture Center. She helps organizations leverage data, digital marketing, and emerging technologies such as AI to uncover opportunities and drive growth.

AI is changing the way people discover businesses, and traditional SEO strategies alone are no longer enough to stay visible. As customers turn to AI platforms for answers, businesses need to rethink how they show up online. How can brands prepare for this new era of AI-powered search?

As a digital marketing strategist with deep experience in search and online visibility, Stacie Porter Bilger explains that businesses need to embrace AI readiness by optimizing their content, technical foundation, and authority to improve how they appear across AI platforms. She highlights that search is expanding beyond Google into tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, where brands must focus on being cited for accurate and relevant information. This shift requires businesses to understand customer intent, answer real questions, and create content structures that AI systems can recognize and trust. The result is a new approach to visibility where expertise, credibility, and accessibility drive discovery.

In this episode of Proof Point, Dr. Jeremy Weisz of Rise25 interviews Stacie Porter Bilger, the Founder and President of Proof Digital, to discuss AI readiness and the future of search visibility. Stacie explores AI-driven discoverability, content strategies for LLMs, and building authority in the new search landscape. She also shares insights on AI readiness audits and improving brand citations across emerging AI platforms.

Stacie Porter Bilger is the Founder and President of Proof Digital, a business growth-marketing agency that blends modern marketing tools with traditional sales funnel processes. She spent the first 20 years of her career working with businesses to strategize development and connect them to investors. Before founding Proof Digital, Stacie worked for several Chambers of Commerce and startups like the Indiana Venture Center. Her commitment to leveraging cutting-edge digital tactics has revolutionized business growth strategies, cementing her status as a digital marketing thought leader.

Sustainable business growth requires leaders to continually evaluate how their organizations operate, adapt, and improve. By staying open to new perspectives and creating an environment where people and ideas can thrive, businesses can become more resilient and better prepared for long-term success. What approaches can leaders use to strengthen their organizations and support meaningful growth?

This compilation episode brings together practical insights from BJ Lippert, Tyler Breadlescomb, Carrie Schroeder, Ken McLoud, and Nicole Donnelly. These business growth experts explore the value of letting capable employees step up, leveraging customer feedback to strengthen content strategy, inviting consultants and advisors to uncover overlooked opportunities, and applying AI to specific workflows rather than replacing entire roles. They also emphasize giving employees dedicated time to learn, collaborate, and share new ideas.

In this special episode of Proof Point, Stacie Porter Bilger revisits key conversations about people-centered leadership and practical innovation. From delegation and audience engagement to consulting, automation, and team development, the episode shows that lasting progress depends on combining effective tools with human judgment. Together, these lessons offer leaders a practical framework for creating more efficient, responsive, and growth-oriented organizations.

John Overton is an engineer, podcast producer, and graduate of the Round Table Recording Arts program. He is the founder of Popular Rapture, a podcasting company, and is responsible for co-production and recording of the Follow D$ Podcast, Conversation Piece Podcast, and North Indy Podcast. In addition to podcasting, John's expertise extends into voice-over work, audiobook recording, mixing, and mastering. He is also an artist and composer, specializing in Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, and Electronic.

AI search is changing how people find local businesses, and most small business owners don't fully understand what that means yet. Is it just the next evolution of SEO, or something businesses need to approach completely differently? And once you understand it, what should you actually do about it this week, not eventually?

In this episode, John Overton flips the script and interviews Stacie Porter Bilger, Founder and President of Proof Digital, breaking down AI search in plain terms. Stacie explains why the fundamentals of good SEO still apply, why PR and credible mentions now carry as much weight as backlinks, and why businesses that show up in AI-generated answers tend to see higher conversion rates. She also shares a real case study of a client who landed some of the biggest deals in their company's history after being structured and found for a specific search term in AI results.

In this episode of Proof Point, John Overton sits down with Stacie Porter Bilger, Founder and President of Proof Digital, to break down AI search and what it means for small businesses. Stacie covers the new rules for being found online, how reviews, PR, and site structure factor into AI results, and the exact steps a small business should take this week to get ready.