"Traffic. Focusing on traffic obscures the purpose of AI answers: to satisfy a need on-site, not to generate clicks. AI-generated solutions do not typically include links to branded websites. Google's AI Overviews, for example, sometimes links product names to organic search listings. Thus visibility does not equate to traffic. A merchant's products could appear in an AI answer and receive no clicks."
"Rankings. AI answers often include lists. Many sellers are trying to track those lists to rank at or near the top. Yet tracking such rankings is impossible. AI answers are unpredictable. A recent study by Sparktoro found that AI platforms recommend different brands and different orders every time the same person asks the same question. Better AI Metrics Here are better metrics to measure AI visibility."
AI-generated answers prioritize satisfying user needs within the interface rather than driving clicks to merchant sites. AI solutions often omit links to branded websites, so appearing in an AI answer may not produce traffic. Answer lists and recommended brands are unpredictable, with platforms changing recommendations and order across repeated queries. Training data strongly influences LLM responses because models default to what they know and guide searches. Merchants should track what LLMs retain about products and competitors, identify incorrect or outdated information, and publish corrections across owned channels. Manual prompting in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can reveal gaps. AI visibility trackers like Profound and Peec AI can automate prompt monitoring.
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