Capstone · Senior-Leader
Capstone: Lead AI Search Strategy
The Lead AI Search Strategy capstone is a board-ready GEO strategy deck for a real or sample company, covering the business case, a phased budget, a 12-month roadmap and a KPI tree. You can start from the MentionX Boardroom Deck export. The deck should help a board make a decision: what to fund, what it'll cost, how success will be measured and what the risks are.
What's the brief?
- Choose a company. Real, with permission to share, or a sample company with labelled assumptions.
- Set the context. Run a baseline visibility scan in a MentionX free account and summarise where the company stands against competitors.
- Build the business case. Link AI visibility to pipeline using a transparent model with conservative, expected and optimistic scenarios. Label every assumption.
- Propose a phased budget. Split it into a pilot and a scale phase, with tools, people, content and contingency, and a decision point between them.
- Design the team. In-house, hybrid or agency, with owners and contributors.
- Build a 12-month roadmap by quarter, with milestones and dependencies.
- Define a KPI tree from leading indicators (crawler access, citations, mention rate) to outcomes (AI-referred sessions, key events, pipeline).
- Cover risk and governance: measurement noise, platform changes, legal review and brand safety.
- End with a clear ask.
What structure works?
| Slide | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 | The ask, in one sentence |
| 2 | Why AI search matters for this company |
| 3 | Where we stand (baseline vs competitors) |
| 4–5 | Business case and scenarios |
| 6 | Budget by phase |
| 7 | Team model |
| 8–9 | 12-month roadmap |
| 10 | KPI tree |
| 11 | Risks and governance |
| 12 | Decision and next steps |
| Appendix | Method, assumptions, data |
How is it scored?
| Criterion | Points | What earns full marks |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity of the ask | 10 | Specific decision, amount and timeframe on slide 1 |
| Business case | 25 | Transparent model, scenarios, assumptions labelled, no invented benchmarks |
| Budget | 15 | Phased, with contingency and a go/no-go point |
| Roadmap and team | 15 | Realistic sequencing, named owners |
| KPI tree | 15 | Leading and lagging metrics clearly linked; measurement method explained |
| Risk and governance | 10 | Honest risks with mitigations; legal and ethics review addressed |
| Executive communication | 10 | Short, readable, jargon explained |
| Total | 100 | Pass: 70 |
What does a strong slide look like?
Illustrative example only; figures are invented.
This works because the board can see the logic, challenge the inputs and understand that the numbers will be updated.
What are the common mistakes?
- Leading with tactics. Boards want the decision and the money first.
- A single forecast. Use scenarios and ranges.
- Borrowed statistics. Industry numbers you can't verify damage credibility; use your own baseline.
- No exit point. A pilot without a go/no-go decision looks like an open-ended cost.
- Ignoring governance. Legal and brand-safety questions will come up; answer them before they're asked.
Where can you get help?
Use Leading AI Search Strategy for every section, the GEO strategy deck template, the GEO budget calculator and the executive GEO dashboard.
Passing earns MentionX Certified: AI Search Strategy Lead.
Questions
Can I use a sample company?
Yes. Use a real company if you can share the work, or a sample company with clearly labelled assumptions.
How long should the deck be?
Ten to fifteen slides plus an appendix. Boards prefer short decks with the detail available on request.
Do I have to use the Boardroom Deck export?
It's the recommended starting point, but any deck that meets the rubric is accepted.