Searching for relevance: how brands get found (or forgotten) by AI

"SERP rankings and SEO dominance are starting to ebb as more of us are using AI chatbots and assistants to find things online. AI search engines evaluate sources differently from traditional search engines. They also return results in a way that reduces the visibility of those sources. For example, when Ahrefs analyzed 75,000 brands for Google AI Overview mentions, it found that a quarter of the brands had no AI Overview appearances at all. They were, in effect, invisible in AI search results."

"So, how is AI choosing sources? MuckRack recently ran half a million gen AI prompts to find out. After analyzing the links in the results, more than 89% were earned media and close to half of the most recent links came from news outlets, including mainstream and industry-specific sources. Since earned media is PR's specialty, PR tactics now drive discoverability."

"A strong earned media strategy goes beyond press mentions. It's about building authority and trust where your audiences already spend time. That means sharing expert commentary in relevant publications and industry outlets, publishing thought leadership that positions your brand as a credible voice and joining podcasts or Q&A opportunities to expand reach. It also means maintaining visibility on professional platforms like LinkedIn through regular articles and consistently driving content and narratives in the areas where you want your br"

AI chatbots and assistants are shifting online discovery away from traditional SERP rankings and SEO dominance. AI search engines evaluate and surface sources differently, often reducing direct visibility of websites. Ahrefs found that a quarter of 75,000 brands had no Google AI Overview appearances, rendering them effectively invisible in AI search. MuckRack’s experiments showed over 89% of AI result links were earned media, with many recent links from mainstream and industry news outlets. Earned media now drives discoverability more than owned or shared channels. Brands should invest in journalist relationships, thought leadership, expert commentary, podcasts, Q&A and professional platform visibility to maintain presence.

Read at The Drum