Patrick Schmid

Patrick Schmid is Co-Founder and CMO of Rankscale AI, a Vienna-based platform that increases brand visibility across AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity. He has been shaping how brands measure and win in AI-powered search since before the category had a name — building the tools and frameworks that define Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as a discipline.

Featured in the first German-language GEO textbook published by Rheinwerk Verlag, Patrick is recognised as a leading voice in the emerging field of AI search strategy. His AI Search Accelerator program equips marketing teams and enterprises with the methodology to systematically increase their presence in AI-generated answers and recommendations.

Before founding Rankscale AI, Patrick built and led SEO campaigns through his agency Waumedia, developing deep expertise in how search engines discover, rank, and surface content. That foundation proved critical as search shifted from link-based ranking to AI-generated synthesis — a transition Patrick recognised early and built an entire company around.

Patrick is a Stanford d.school University Innovation Fellow, where he trained in human-centered design and innovation methodology. This design-thinking background informs his approach to GEO — treating AI search visibility not as a technical SEO problem, but as a strategic brand positioning challenge that requires understanding how language models construct knowledge and make recommendations.