Adam Chronister is the Founder and CEO of Enleaf, a US digital agency, with more than 15 years of SEO experience. In this Inside A Hustler’s Brain episode, recorded at the Phuket summit, Adam Chronister explains how his agency tracks LLM traffic, uses a consensus strategy to get brands into AI answers, and builds a safe AI brain.
What does it really take to run a successful SEO agency in the era of ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI search?
At the summit in Phuket, I sat down with Adam Chronister, Founder & CEO of Enleaf, for this episode of Inside A Hustler’s Brain. Adam has been doing SEO for over 15 years, and he says AI makes it feel like the early days again.
He shared how his agency tracks LLM traffic, the consensus strategy that gets brands into AI answers, and how he’s building an AI “brain” for his company safely.
Quick Facts: Adam Chronister
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Guest | Adam Chronister |
| Role | Founder and CEO of Enleaf |
| Agency | Enleaf, a US digital agency (SEO, advertising, web design, infrastructure) |
| Experience | More than 15 years in SEO |
| LLM traffic (his clients) | Under 1% on average |
| Core LLM idea | LLMs work on a consensus model |
| Tracking setup | Wakea, Semrush tools (in testing), Google Analytics regex, Looker Studio |
| Recorded at | The summit in Phuket |
| Host | Jitendra Vaswani |
| Podcast | Inside A Hustler’s Brain (YouTube) |
Watch the Full Adam Chronister LLM SEO Episode
In This Episode, We Unpacked
- Why LLM traffic is still under 1% and how to track it
- The toolbox approach to client marketing
- Why LLMs work on consensus
- Stacking listicles, press releases and social mentions
- The fictional-brand test that Adam says proved it
- Building an AI brain for an agency, safely
- Adam’s advice for SEO newcomers
- How he made his first $1 million
How Does Adam Chronister Track LLM Traffic? Why It’s Still Under 1%
AI SEO reminds Adam of the early days of SEO: lots of opportunity, and lots of questions. The biggest challenge right now is attribution.
Clients ask about AEO and AI SEO, so Enleaf built an attribution reporting system. But LLM traffic is still small, less than 1% on average. Many clients are surprised to learn ChatGPT sends less traffic than DuckDuckGo. He expects that to change with adoption: “We want to be where the puck is going.” 🏒
For tracking, Enleaf uses Wakea (“what AI knows about you”) and is testing Semrush’s tools. In Google Analytics, they segment LLM referral traffic with one regular expression that covers the main LLMs, then bring everything into a single Looker Studio dashboard.
What Is Enleaf’s Toolbox Approach to Client Marketing?
Enleaf is known for SEO, but today it does just as much in advertising, web design and infrastructure. It starts with a conversation about the client’s actual goals.
“We treat every marketing campaign like a toolbox, and each marketing discipline is a tool. Sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes a drill, sometimes all of them to build a house.” 🔨
For example, they test Facebook Ads against Google Ads. Sometimes Google wins, sometimes Facebook does, depending on the industry. The goal is simply to solve the client’s problem.
For another agency perspective, read how Lawrence Hitches scaled StudioHawk.
Why Do LLMs Work on Consensus? Adam Chronister Explains
The big difference between search engines and LLMs: search engines weigh rankings and backlink authority, while LLMs work on what Adam calls a consensus model.
The more an element, like a brand, entity or reference, appears across the web, the more likely LLMs are to pull it. “LLMs are really kind of parrots. They repeat what’s out there.” Create enough noise and consensus across channels, and you win.
For more on this, read Cindy Krum on barnacle SEO and AI search.
Despite talk of penalties, Adam says listicles are still working, and the higher you appear in them, the more likely you are to show up in LLMs.
Enleaf stacks them: create the listicle, link to it from a press release, then share the story on social media. Each piece spreads the same consensus. LLMs “love data,” so feed them the data you want them to repeat.
They stopped doing PR years ago and restarted, not for SEO but for AI visibility. Now it’s about quantity over quality: even low-quality or free outlets like PRLog can work if you get one mention in Google News that links back to a listicle. LLMs check whether multiple sources say the same thing.
What Is the Fictional-Brand Test Adam Chronister Ran?
To test the theory, Enleaf created a fictional company with almost no brand mentions and published one press release announcing an award. The awards weren’t real either. Now, when you search for that brand, results reference those awards.
It’s harder for brands with lots of existing positive or negative references, because you need more noise to counteract them. But for new brands, “it’s probably easier than it’s ever been to create a narrative.” 📖
His go-to strategy for a new SaaS or product brand: a listicle or featured article, plus PR.
For more, read Anirudh Agarwal on ranking inside ChatGPT.
How Is Adam Chronister Building an AI Brain for His Agency Safely?
Enleaf is building a central hub, or “brain,” for the company, inspired by agentic systems like OpenClaw. It’s connected to Google Analytics, Search Console and Google Ads, plus the company’s archive of collateral, its “DNA.” An LLM sits on top. From his phone, Adam can create an audit and send it to a team member’s roadmap.
Security is built in. The agent gets a separate email with view-only access to accounts, so it can’t change anything. Adam’s rules:
- Isolate and control any payment methods
- Keep email accounts separate
- Never install it on your primary machine; use an isolated environment
“For reporting purposes, it’s working great.” For another view on agents, read Ronnie Burt on WordPress.com’s AI agent.
What Is Adam Chronister’s Advice for SEO Newcomers?
“Just be curious, and have a desire to learn.” After 15+ years, new AI systems make him excited again. It can be overwhelming, but also exciting.
Don’t be afraid to break things and make mistakes, and use tools that help you learn. There are many voices in this space, so find two or three people you trust who match how you operate, and start there.
How Did Adam Chronister Make His First $1 Million? Family and AI
How did he make his first million? “Slow and steady,” working the agency, starting with web design and SEO. He and his wife have reinvested agency profits into investment property in and outside the US, plus stocks and crypto. If he won $10 million, he’d invest it, likely in growth stocks, which he says he’s good at.
Will AI replace humans? “I don’t think it will fully replace humans. I think it will augment humans.” He expects cures for diseases, but also job disruption and concerns about military uses.
- Best year: when his daughter was born, which also changed how he hustled in business
- Morning routine: sauna, workout and meditation
- Favourite places: Japan and Greece
- Life goal: to die with no regrets
- Hero: his mother, who had the courage to take him and his sister away from a bad situation
Key Takeaways From the Adam Chronister LLM SEO Interview
- LLM traffic is still under 1% for his clients, but track it now with GA regex and Looker Studio
- Treat each marketing discipline as a tool in a toolbox
- LLMs work on consensus, so say the same thing in many places
- Stack listicles with press releases and social mentions
- New brands can shape their AI narrative faster than ever, in Adam’s view
- Give AI agents a separate email and view-only access
- Stay curious and follow two or three trusted voices
- Go where the puck is going, not where it is today
FAQs About Adam Chronister and LLM SEO
Adam Chronister is the Founder and CEO of Enleaf, a US digital agency that does SEO, advertising, web design and infrastructure. He has more than 15 years of SEO experience and says AI makes it feel like the early days again. This interview was recorded at the summit in Phuket.
It covers how Enleaf tracks LLM traffic, its toolbox approach to client marketing, why LLMs work on consensus, how it stacks listicles, press releases and social mentions, the fictional-brand test, how Adam builds an AI brain safely, his advice for newcomers and how he made his first million.
According to Adam, LLM traffic is still less than 1% on average for his clients. Many clients are surprised that ChatGPT sends less traffic than DuckDuckGo. He expects it to grow with adoption, so his agency tracks it now, using a regex in Google Analytics and a Looker Studio dashboard.
Enleaf uses Wakea, a tool for what AI knows about you, and is testing Semrush’s tools. In Google Analytics, they segment LLM referral traffic with one regular expression covering the main LLMs, then bring everything into a single Looker Studio dashboard for reporting.
Adam says search engines weigh rankings and backlink authority, while LLMs work on consensus. The more a brand, entity or reference appears across the web, the more likely LLMs are to pull it. He says LLMs are like parrots that repeat what’s out there, so consistent mentions matter.
In Adam’s view, yes, as a tool for consensus. He says quantity matters more than quality: even free outlets like PRLog can work if they lead to a Google News mention that links back to a listicle. LLMs check whether multiple sources say the same thing. These are his opinions.
He gives the agent a separate email with view-only access, so it can’t change anything. He also says to isolate and control any payment methods, keep email accounts separate and never install the agent on your primary machine. He says the setup works great for reporting.
Be curious and have a desire to learn. Don’t be afraid to break things and make mistakes, use tools that help you learn, and find two or three trusted voices that match how you operate. He says new AI systems make him excited again after 15+ years in SEO.
Final Thoughts on the Adam Chronister LLM SEO Interview
The Adam Chronister LLM SEO interview shows a practical view of agency work in the AI era: track LLM traffic even while it is small, treat each marketing discipline as a tool, spread the same message across many sources, and build AI systems with strict access limits. Stay curious and go where the puck is going.
If you run an SEO agency or freelance, share this with someone figuring out AI search.
More Inside A Hustler’s Brain Interviews You’ll Love
- Liam Quirk on NEW Rules of ChatGPT SEO Why SEO Is Bigger Than Google Now
- How To Grow A 7-Figure SEO Agency That Runs Itself by Rafid Nassir
- Navneet Kaushal: Building a Million-Dollar SEO Agency and Life Lessons
- He LOST His SEO Empire.. Then Built It Back With AI ft. Kripesh Adwani
If you run an SEO agency or freelance, share this with someone figuring out AI search.
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Jitendra Vaswani is a well-known figure in the SEO and affiliate marketing communities. He is regarded as a legitimate authority due to his deep knowledge and game-changing contributions to the field. He is the founder of Digiexe.com, a digital marketing agency, and VenueLabs.com, a full-service PR marketing agency. His strategic acquisition of AffiliateBooster.com has further solidified his status as a leader, bringing forth groundbreaking solutions that are revolutionizing affiliate marketing. Follow Jitendra on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn