Brian Hafner
Get My Free AI Visibility Snapshot
About

I'm Brian Hafner. I help service businesses get found in AI answers.

I'm Brian Hafner, an AI Visibility consultant helping service businesses get cited, recommended, and quoted by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Based in San Diego, I combine two decades of data and analytics experience with hands-on technical implementation — schema, entity clarity, and revenue attribution that proves the work is paying off. I operate this consulting practice as Brian Hafner Tech.

Search is fragmenting. Brands built for citation win.

The traditional search bar is no longer the only front door. AI answer engines now summarize, recommend, and quote brands directly — often without a click-through at all. Businesses that structure their online presence to be clearly understood by AI models get recommended. Businesses that don't stay invisible, even if their traditional SEO looks fine.

That shift changes what "good marketing" means. It's no longer just about ranking — it's about being the answer an AI model is confident enough to cite by name.

From Tokyo trading floors to AI strategy.

For over two decades I've navigated the evolution of data — from building trading applications in Tokyo's financial sector, to managing six-figure monthly ad spends for modern brands, to a full-stack development certification at UC San Diego Extension. Each chapter reframes the same underlying skill: finding signal in ambiguous, high-stakes data and building systems that make it legible.

That analytical foundation is what I bring to AI Visibility work today — it's not a pivot, it's the same discipline applied to a new layer of search. You can see it in practice across the services I offer and in the Planet Apparel case study.

Credentials

  • Google Analytics (Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate)
  • Google Ads — Search & Display Certified
  • SEMrush Academy Certified
  • UCSD Extension — Full-Stack Development

Last updated: July 2026

Beyond the work

Outside of AI Visibility audits and BigQuery dashboards, I'm usually back in the gym with CrossFit, brushing up on French for an upcoming trip to Paris, deep into World War II history, or reading hard sci-fi — Ben Bova, Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series, and Andy Weir are current favorites.

I also write developer-focused notes at brianhafner.info — separate from the consulting work here, and worth a look if you're technical.

See how AI currently sees your brand.

The AI Visibility Snapshot is a free, human-reviewed audit — no cost, no obligation.

Get My Free AI Visibility Snapshot