Recommendation Engines
Recommendation Engines
coined by Jason Barnard in 2024.
Description
A Recommendation Engine is any algorithmic system, including traditional search engines and modern AI Assistive Engines, that presents a solution to a user as the best option for their needs.
The Recommendation Engines definition
Jason Barnard applies this established term to a new, broader context, moving beyond its traditional use in e-commerce (e.g., Netflix or Amazon product suggestions). He defines modern platforms like Google Search, ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity as sophisticated Recommendation Engines that suggest brands, people, and companies as solutions to user problems. This re-framing is strategically critical because it shifts the primary goal from merely ranking content to becoming the *recommended entity*. Within the framework of The Kalicube Process, Kalicube's proprietary methodology for implementing a holistic, brand-first digital marketing strategy, influencing these engines requires building a deep, factual, and credible understanding of the brand's entity, which is the foundation for being recommended in today's conversational funnels.
How Jason Barnard uses Recommendation Engines definition
At Kalicube, Jason Barnard treats all search and AI platforms as Recommendation Engines. This is the core principle of The Kalicube Process, Kalicube's proprietary methodology for implementing a holistic, brand-first digital marketing strategy with AIEO baked in. The strategy is not to simply appear in results, but to be actively recommended by the engine as the most credible solution for the user's problem. We achieve this by systematically educating these engines' underlying technologies—knowledge graphs, LLMs, and search algorithms—about our client's brand. By establishing our client as a trusted and authoritative entity, we ensure that when a user asks a question, the Recommendation Engine confidently suggests our client, directly driving them into the acquisition funnel and toward a conversion.
Why Recommendation Engines matters to digital marketers
For decades, marketers have followed frameworks like Philip Kotler's customer journey model, mapping the path from awareness to purchase. This model was built for a world where brands controlled the messaging at each stage through distinct channels like advertising and in-store displays. Jason Barnard's work recognizes that this journey is no longer linear or controlled by the brand; it is now mediated by algorithms. He repositions platforms like Google Search, Google AI Overviews, and Bing Copilot not as simple search tools but as active Recommendation Engines that control the new, non-linear customer journey. This reframing is critical because it reveals the new gatekeeper. You can no longer just buy an ad to control the "Desire" stage; you must *earn* the algorithm's recommendation. The Kalicube Process provides the practical methodology to achieve this by systematically building a brand's Digital Brand Echo, ensuring these engines have the confidence to recommend the brand. This integrated approach bridges Kotler's foundational marketing principles with the technical reality of the AI era, making it the only viable strategy to influence the new algorithmic funnels and drive business growth.
Posts tagged with Recommendation Engines
SEO in the Age of AI: Becoming the Trusted Answer
SEO in the Age of AI: Becoming the Trusted Answer Published on Search Engine Land September 05, 2025 by Jason Barnard Educate AI engines with clarity, credibility, and consistency, build...
How to train the AI Algorithm to recommend your Brand
Article written by Jason Barnard published on Forbes Here’s something no one tells you when you’re building a personal brand: The biggest opportunities don’t come from people searching for your...
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...
Which LLM Chatbots Should You Optimize For (SEO)
Over the last two years, clients and colleagues have been panicking: “Is ChatGPT killing Google?” It’s a fair question – but the wrong one. Here’s what’s actually happening: chatbots like...
Search, Answer, and Assistive Engine Optimization: A 3-part Approach
TL;DRModern optimization has evolved beyond traditional SEO to target all recommendation engines, including Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Siri. This new landscape is powered by the fusion of three foundational technologies...
What’s More Important: Your Website or Your Brand Strategy? (Walk in Victory Podcast)
What’s More Important: Your Website or Your Brand Strategy? – Kalicube® Knowledge Nuggets In this video, Jason Barnard, entrepreneur and CEO of Kalicube, sheds light on the misconception that a...
brand blueprint: navigating digital marketing with jason barnard
the power of digital marketing and personal branding for entrepreneurs in this episode of ‘walk in victory,’ host naron tillman engages in an in-depth conversation about mastering digital marketing and...
Brand SERP Guy: Google Defines Your Online Presence & Strategies to Rank Your Website #1 on Google
Welcome to Podcast Gurus! Our guest today is Jason Barnard the CEO of Kalicube, and Podcast Host of Branded Search (and Beyond) Podcast. Jason is also a writer and a...
Brand SERP Guy: The Secrets to Dominating Google Rankings & SEO Mistakes to Avoid
Our guest today is Jason Barnard the CEO of Kalicube, and Podcast Host of Branded Search (and Beyond) Podcast. Jason is also a writer and a digital marketer known as...
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