Pro Tips
How to Make Your Brand Visible in AI-Powered Search Engines
Published by
Domien Van Damme
on
Sep 6, 2025
How AI Search Is Changing Consumer Behavior — and What Brands Must Do
The way people discover information is evolving at lightning speed. Traditional keyword-based search is being replaced, or at least radically transformed by AI-powered answers. Platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity aren’t just tools for productivity anymore, they’re becoming the primary gateway to knowledge and brand discovery.
This shift is not subtle. It’s seismic. And brands that want to stay relevant must adapt.
From Browsing Results to Getting Answers Instantly
Consumers today expect instant, direct answers to their questions. They no longer want to scroll through 10 search results, they want a clear, confident response from their AI assistant.
Ask: “What’s the best CRM for startups?”
AI responds: “Here are the top 3 options: HubSpot, Pipedrive, and YourBrand.”
There’s no “ranking”, there’s only the answer.
If your brand isn’t mentioned, you’re invisible.
This is the essence of AI Search, and the behavior behind it is spreading fast.
AI Search Is Growing — Fast
The numbers say it all:
ChatGPT: 800M+ weekly users (as of April 2025)
Google AI Overviews: Now integrated in 13%+ of U.S. searches
Perplexity: 15M+ monthly users and climbing
Claude & Gemini: Embedded in operating systems, browsers, and productivity apps
AI is no longer a “side tool.” It’s baked into daily digital life.
Search is now happening through voice, smart devices, Slack, docs, and even wearables.
This decentralized, AI-powered behavior is redefining how consumers learn, trust, and decide.
What This Means for Brands
You must optimize for AI.
That means:
Understanding how LLMs (like GPT-4o or Claude) source content
Shaping the language used in your site, docs, and reviews to match how people ask questions
Tracking how often your brand appears in AI-generated responses
Outpacing competitors by becoming the most “answer-worthy” option
Traditional SEO helps people find you.
AI SEO (or AEO) helps people remember you, because the AI remembers you.
What Are LLMs Really Doing?
Language models don’t crawl in real-time like Google.
They either:
Use retrieval plugins (like browsing tools or PDFs)
Reference internal training data (static)
Pull from structured summaries, FAQ schemas, public rankings, and user forums
That means:
Your Help Center may be quoted in full.
A Quora answer or G2 review might define how AI understands your value.
A single schema-optimized comparison page could win you hundreds of prompts.
What You Can Do Today
To start showing up in AI answers, you need to take action beyond traditional content marketing.
Here’s what high-performing brands are doing:
1. Audit your brand's AI visibility
Check how often you're mentioned in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and AI Overviews.
2. Map high-intent prompts
Identify the exact questions your audience is asking — and whether you’re part of the answer.
3. Optimize structured content
Use FAQ schemas, comparison pages, “alternative to” blogs, and authoritative snippets.
4. Distribute content across AI-referenced sources
Post on Quora, Reddit, forums, G2, and more, where LLMs frequently source data.
5. Track and iterate
Use an AEO platform (like Visiblie) to monitor prompts, track performance, and get clear recommendations.
