Navigating the constant changes and complexities of Google rankings is hard enough, but marketers now face a new challenge, and that is achieving visibility within AI-powered search results.
While search engine optimization (SEO) for traditional platforms is for the most part well-understood, optimizing for artificial intelligence presents an entirely new and less defined road.
Traditional SEO tactics are just as important as ever. It's not just about keywords anymore, gaining visibility in AI search needs a deep understanding because its about deciphering the reasoning behind AI's information surfacing and recognizing how it uses signals of trust and authority to boost an online presence.
The Foundational Layer - Essential SEO Practices
At the core of AI visibility is, as always, a strong traditional SEO. This involves creating relevant content and a user-friendly website experience that speaks to a marketer's ideal customer profile (ICP). To attract and convert qualified visitors through search, several fundamental elements must be met and in place:
- High-Quality, Search-Optimized Content - Developing valuable content for both the bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) & middle-of-funnel (MOFU) stages that is also optimized for search engines.
- Backlink Profile and Domain Rating - Building a strong network of backlinks from reputable sources & establishing a solid domain authority.
- Consistent Messaging and Brand Voice - Ensuring that your messaging and brand positioning are uniform across all content assets.
- Regular Relevant, Content Refresh and Updates - Having a solid content plan to update and refresh existing content to maintain its relevance and accuracy.
- Strategic Calls-to-Action - Integrating clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that align with different stages of the marketing funnel.
- Intuitive and Fast Website Structure - Maintaining a website that is easy to navigate and loads quickly for an optimal user experience.
Furthermore, it's important to configure your robots.txt file to allow access for AI crawlers such as ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, and Googlebot-Extended. Blocking these crawlers will prevent your content from being considered for AI-driven search results.
Once you've established this solid base, marketers are likely to achieve significant visibility with traditional search engine results over time. A great example is Preply, the language learning platform, which attracts thousands of new visitors to its site every month by using core SEO principles.
Success in traditional SEO directly contributes to AI visibility because AI tools often rely on the very same search engine indexes to deliver up-to-date information. For example ChatGPT draws upon data from Bing and other external sources, while Gemini uses Google's search index.
While user search behaviors are evolving with the increasing use of AI, keeping up with traditional SEO tactics is not something that is going away, it is key.
The Middle Man Layer - Context & Content Strategy
The next very important step involves understanding the context in which AI mentions a brand and its competitors. Marketers can actively engage in a "context-learning" exercise and carefully analyze the AI's responses, giving marketers a significant advantage. This provides key insights into how AI perceives their brand, understands their offerings, and positions them within the competitive landscape.
Knowing this is huge for identifying content gaps and understanding the specific types of information AI prioritizes. Marketers can strategically create and optimize content that directly addresses how AI gathers and presents information, ultimately boosting a brand's visibility.
This is how marketers can stay ahead and know what content is needed for AI visibility. Ask the same questions to AI that your potential customers might ask during their decision-making process, such as:
- What are effective strategies for addressing PROBLEM (e.g., talent acquisition)?
- Which are the leading TYPE (e.g., HR software) tools available?
- Could you describe BRAND and its key functions?
- What are BRAND's strengths and weaknesses?
- How frequently does BRAND release new features or updates?
- What are the primary reasons individuals choose BRAND?
- What do customers typically say about their experiences with BRAND?
- Who are the main alternatives to BRAND?
The responses marketers receive from AI will provide insights into the overall sentiment surrounding the brand. Marketers gain clarity on how AI integrates a brand into the customer journey, whether it highlights its latest products or services, and if its understanding of the positioning aligns with the current messaging.
As you receive these answers, pay close attention to the sources AI cites. In ChatGPT, for example, these sources are typically displayed in the right-hand sidebar.
Ideally, your web pages should be among these listed sources. If they are not, this indicates a potential content gap that needs to be addressed. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, repeat this exercise across various AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.
Conduct a similar analysis for your competitors. If they are referenced more frequently, try to pinpoint the reasons why. Potential factors to investigate include:
- Have they published comparative articles highlighting their products against competitors?
- Is there a specific subreddit with positive discussions about their product?
- Have they accumulated a significant number of positive customer reviews?
For a broader overview of how AI search engines discuss your brand, HubSpot’s AI Search Grades (AISG) tool can be valuable. It complements a detailed manual analysis of specific user queries.
This tool provides a rating of your brand sentiment and benchmarks your performance against competitors. Running an AISG analysis alongside your manual query reviews on a monthly basis can help you track your progress.
As you analyze your brand's AI presence, you'll start to identify the types of sources that carry the most influence in AI-generated results. These sources might include:
- Product pages
- Review platforms
- Reddit discussions
- Company blog posts
- Wikipedia entries
- YouTube videos
- Case studies
The sources you identify can directly inform your content strategy. For instance, you might discover that Large Language Models (LLMs) frequently cite Reddit and YouTube when discussing products in your category, or that a competitor's extensive library of bottom-of-funnel articles and case studies leads AI to recommend them over you.
As you develop your AI-focused content plan, aim for some quick wins to build momentum and secure internal support. For example, updating existing blog posts to ensure they reflect your latest product positioning can be a good starting point.
Here is a list of AI Tools to help makreters:
The Top of Layer - Trust & Authority Signals
Once you've crafted content designed to inform AI's understanding and responses, the next vital step is to actively broaden its reach and strengthen its perceived trustworthiness across the internet.
Modern AI systems are increasingly sophisticated in how they evaluate brands. They look at signals like mentions from other websites, customer reviews, and discussions happening within specialized online communities to gauge how much trust and authority your brand holds.
When your company is consistently talked about positively on platforms like Reddit, within relevant industry forums, and on product review sites, AI models are more likely to feature your content and your brand in their answers to user queries. Therefore, a key strategy is to actively promote your content on the various online spaces where AI systems gather information.
Here are practical ways to increase your content's reach and build credibility in the eyes of AI:
- Engage in Online Conversations - Find relevant discussions on platforms like Reddit (think specific subreddits related to your industry, like r/SaaS or r/marketing) and professional forums such as GrowthHackers or StackExchange. Offer helpful insights, and when it genuinely adds value, link back to your own resources. Consistent participation, aiming for regular contributions each week, helps establish you as a knowledgeable voice in your field.
- Optimize Your Review Site Presence - Make sure your company profile is claimed and up-to-date on major review platforms like G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot. Set a reminder to promptly respond to new reviews, ideally within a day or two. Address both positive and negative feedback in a professional and thoughtful manner.
- List in Product Directories - Ensure your product or service is listed in relevant online directories that your target audience might use, such as Product Hunt, AlternativeTo, or Clutch. Make sure your listing is complete with accurate product details, visuals, and recent customer testimonials.
- Conduct Digital PR - Create interesting, data-backed reports, case studies showcasing your successes, or industry benchmark data. Reach out to journalists and bloggers who cover your industry to share your findings. When you get mentioned, share that coverage widely on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and your company blog to maximize its visibility.
Keep in mind that improving a site's visibility to AI takes time. Many of the large AI models only update their information at certain intervals and need some time to recognize and incorporate new mentions of a brand.
Making the AI Visibility Pyramid Your Strategic Advantage
AI search is changing and will continue to evolve, and the tactics marketers use will undoubtedly grow. However, the core principles underpinning the AI Visibility Pyramid are designed for long-term effectiveness.
Regardless of future shifts in search technology, brands that consistently focus on strengthening their foundational SEO, creating content that AI deems worthy of citation, and actively amplifying their credibility across the web will maintain strong visibility and a competitive edge.
Here is your overall checklist:
Final Thoughts
By consistently delivering these three types of improvements each month – one at the base, one in the middle, and one at the top of the pyramid – Marketers can build lasting authority over time. This sustained effort will ultimately position your brand to "own" the answer boxes that your potential customers see in AI-driven search results.
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