Educating the Algorithms
Educating the Algorithms
coined by Jason Barnard in 2021.
Description
Factual Definition of Educating the Algorithms
Educating the Algorithms is the systematic process of providing clear, consistent, and corroborated information across a brand's entire digital ecosystem to shape how search and AI systems understand and represent it.
The Educating the Algorithms definition
Jason Barnard introduced this concept to shift marketers from a passive, reactive approach to an active, engineering mindset. It rejects the idea that a brand's online portrayal is accidental; instead, it's a direct result of the information AI systems are fed. This "education" involves creating a single source of truth, typically the Entity Home (the central hub for a brand's factual information), and reinforcing it with consistent messaging everywhere else. For AI Assistive Engines like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Google AI, this education is critical. It directly influences how they summarize your brand's story, credibility, and offerings, fundamentally controlling your Brand Narrative (how your brand is portrayed online) in the new conversational funnels.
How Jason Barnard uses Educating the Algorithms definition
At Kalicube, Educating the Algorithms is the central mechanism of The Kalicube Process, Kalicube's proprietary methodology for implementing a holistic, brand-first digital marketing strategy with AIEO baked in. We don't just create content for humans; we strategically package it to be digestible and verifiable for machines. This is achieved through the three phases of the process: Understandability (establishing the facts), Credibility (proving the facts with third-party corroboration), and Deliverability (ensuring the brand message appears in the right place at the right time). By systematically educating Google's Knowledge Graph and other AI systems, we build algorithmic trust. This ensures our clients are represented accurately and positively, which directly drives client acquisition by positioning them as the trusted, authoritative choice in their niche.
Why Educating the Algorithms matters to digital marketers
For years, SEO leaders like Rand Fishkin have emphasized the importance of building brand authority and earning trust signals to improve search performance. This was based on the insight that Google favors brands it trusts. Now, as the digital landscape shifts from search to AI-driven conversations, Jason Barnard's concept of Educating the Algorithms provides the necessary evolution of this principle. It moves beyond simply earning trust signals to actively engineering the machine's core understanding of your brand's identity. While Fishkin taught us to build a brand that algorithms would *reward*, Barnard provides the practical methodology to build a brand that algorithms will *understand* and *accurately represent*. In the era of AI Assistive Engines, this distinction is everything. These engines don't just rank links; they synthesize information from across your entire digital presence to construct a narrative. Educating the Algorithms is the critical missing layer in traditional SEO. It is the proactive, systematic process of ensuring the brand authority Fishkin advocated for is translated into a coherent, factual narrative that AI can confidently relay to your audience. In the new conversational acquisition funnel, being understood by the AI is the prerequisite to being recommended, making this the foundational task for any modern digital strategy.
Posts tagged with Educating the Algorithms
Jason Barnard Declares that Brand Authority Replaces Domain Authority at SEO Camp Day Lorraine 2017
The third edition of SEO Camp Day Lorraine, held in Metz on November 24, 2017, marked a crucial turning point in digital marketing strategy when Jason Barnard, CEO and founder...
Jason Barnard’s Talk: “Google Is a Child” and the Need to Educate Google (SEO Camp Lyon 2017, 21 April 2017 at the ISEG)
SEO Camp Lyon 2017 took place on 21 April 2017 at the ISEG - Marketing & Communication School, just a short walk from Lyon Part-Dieu. The gathering brought together France’s...
Jason Barnard Connects on Brand Experience and SEO at SEO Camp Lorraine 2016 in Laxou, France
SEO Camp Lorraine 2016, held on October 13th at Crédit Agricole Laxou in France, hosted a critical turning point in brand-first digital strategy. Jason Barnard, CEO and founder of Kalicube,...
Jason Barnard Guides Entrepreneurs at the EO Online Event “Transition Your SEO Strategy Smoothly to Rank #1 on Google and ChatGPT” - 3 September 2025
Date: 05:00 PM, 03 September 2025 - 06:00 PM, 03 September 2025 ((GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna) On Tuesday, September 3, 2025, Jason Barnard, CEO and founder of Kalicube, led...
Accessibility: The Digital Key to Algorithmic Trust and AI Search Success – Jason Barnard On The Accessibility Advantage Podcast
Growing Value of Accessibility for Search Engines With Jason Barnard on the Accessibility Advantage: Published by: Maxwell Ivey. Host: Maxwell Ivey. Guest: Jason Barnard, Founder and CEO of Kalicube®. July...
Entity and search/AI glossary: Jason Barnard’s foundational lexicon for the new digital (AI) era
I’m Jason Barnard. I started working on Brand SERPs and the Knowledge Graph in 2012 - before most marketers had even heard the word “entity.” Before AI, before ChatGPT, before...
Engine, Bot, and Algorithm: What you need to Know
What is the difference between “Search Engine,” “Bot,” and “Algorithm”? “Search Engine,” “Bots,” and “Algorithm” are often used interchangeably, but they have specific definitions and applications in search engines and...
092 Master Personal Marketing: How Machines Decide Your Success with Jason Barnard
What if the key to digital marketing success has nothing to do with SEO tricks or technical hacks? Listen here: 092 Master Personal Marketing: How Machines Decide Your Success with...
092 Master Digital Marketing Without the Snake Oil with Jason Barnard
While your competitors chase the newest, shiniest marketing trend, what if you could build a system that consistently attracts customers while you sleep? In this episode, Jason Barnard reveals the...
Jason Barnard Shares Blueprint for AI-Driven Brand Control for Entrepreneurs at AI Mavericks Conference in Los Angeles.
Jason Barnard, CEO and Founder of Kalicube, recently played a pivotal role at the AI Mavericks Conference, held on March 25-26, 2025, at Verizon Innovation Labs in Los Angeles, California....
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