Author
Liyana van Wyk
Technical SEO & AEO Lead, Ambitions AI
15 years in digital marketing. An extraordinary list of qualifications. The technical backbone of everything we do on search.
If you have ever been on a Zoom call with Liyana, you will know two things immediately. First, there is almost always a smile on her face. Second, there is usually a glimpse of the South African coast through the window behind her, which, wherever you are in the world, is either delightful or deeply unfair depending on your mood.
Liyana leads the technical SEO and AEO team at Ambitions AI. She has been working in digital marketing for over 15 years, and in that time she has built a level of technical knowledge that is, frankly, rare. She does not just understand the theory. She goes away and studies it, tests it, and comes back with answers. Her certification list alone is longer than most people's CVs.
She works with clients across the UK, the USA, and beyond. At Ambitions AI, Liyana works alongside her husband Wes, and together they lead a wider team of technical specialists covering SEO, AEO, and everything in between. They are the backbone of what we do on the technical side of the business, and clients feel the difference immediately.
When she is not deep in a Search Console audit or mapping out an AEO strategy, she is at home in South Africa keeping up with three teenagers who have a habit of disappearing out of the back door and heading straight for the sea. We understand completely.
Qualifications
- Google Ads Certified (Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Apps, Measurement)
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Certified
- HubSpot Certified: Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Social Media, Email Marketing, Growth-Driven Design
- Meta Business Platform: Ads, Commerce Management, Business Marketing Strategy
- Advanced Diploma in Psychology (Distinction)
- Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Distinction)
- 15+ years in SEO, AEO, GEO and paid search strategy
Articles by Liyana
21 April 2026
Service Business SEO: The Complete Lead Generation System for Consistent Clients (2026)
Your competitors are booking leads from Google while you are still writing blog posts nobody reads. This pillar explains exactly how to build a service business SEO system that turns search into pipeline.
Read more →19 April 2026
GEO Analytics: How to Track AI Citations, Mentions, and Prompt Visibility (2026)
Most businesses have no idea whether AI mentions them or not. That's the gap this guide closes.
Read more →18 April 2026
llms.txt for GEO: What It Is, Why It Matters, and a Copy-Paste Example (2026)
llms.txt won't rank your site. But it might be the smartest thirty-minute job you do this month.
Read more →18 April 2026
Schema for GEO: Structured Data That Helps AI Understand and Cite Your Brand (2026)
Schema isn't a magic ranking switch. But it might be the quietest way to get cited by AI.
Read more →18 April 2026
Entity SEO for GEO: Build Topical Authority AI Engines Can Understand (2026)
If AI can't understand who you are, it will summarise someone else instead.
Read more →18 April 2026
Google AI Overviews Optimization: How to Earn Citations and Still Get the Click (2026)
Read more →7 April 2026
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and the Search Shift: How to Get Cited by AI and Still Rank on Google
Search has shifted from rankings to AI-generated answers. Learn what GEO is, how it differs from SEO, and the practical steps to get your business cited by tools like ChatGPT and Google.
Read more →3 February 2026
GEO vs SEO vs AEO: What They Actually Mean and Which One to Tackle First
GEO, SEO, AEO — three acronyms, one important question. This guide explains exactly what each means and the order to implement them so you are not wasting time on the wrong thing.
Read more →