The Shift You Can't Ignore
Your customers have changed how they find things. Instead of typing keywords into Google and scanning ten blue links, they're asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Google AI Overviews for direct answers. "What's the best CRM for small businesses?" "Which tour operator should I use for Iceland?" "What accounting software handles multi-currency?"
AI gives them one answer. Not a page of results. One synthesised recommendation.
68% of Google searches now end without a click. ChatGPT has over 800 million weekly users. Google AI Overviews appear on the majority of search results. If your brand is not in those AI-generated answers, a growing share of your market will never know you exist.
So why is your company not ranking in AI-generated answers? There are four main reasons. Each one has a fix.
1. AI Doesn't Learn From Your Website Directly
This is the biggest misconception. Most brands assume that because their website ranks well on Google, AI must know about them. That's not how it works.
AI models like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini build their understanding of brands from across the web. They pull from third-party sources: review sites, Reddit discussions, news articles, industry publications, directories, and expert content. Your website is one input among thousands.
Think of it this way. If the only place that talks about your brand is your own website, AI has a single source. One source is not enough to build confidence. AI needs corroboration. It needs multiple independent sources saying the same thing before it will recommend you.
Our research across 5,600 queries found that brands with strong third-party mention footprints consistently outperform those relying on their own domain alone. The brands AI recommends are the ones the rest of the internet talks about.
2. Your Website Is Built for Google, Not for AI
Traditional SEO optimises for Google's crawler. Title tags, meta descriptions, header hierarchy, page speed, backlinks. These signals help you rank in search results. They do very little for AI visibility.
AI models don't care about your meta description. They care about understanding what your brand is, what it does, and why it's relevant to a specific question. That requires different signals:
- Structured data (Organization, FAQ, Product schema) tells AI models exactly what your entity is and what you offer. Without it, AI has to guess.
- FAQ content gives AI directly citable answers. Our data shows AI models heavily favour FAQ-style content when generating responses.
- Entity authority means AI recognises your brand as a real, established entity in your category, not just a domain name.
A website that ranks #1 on Google for a competitive keyword can still be completely invisible to ChatGPT. The two systems use fundamentally different signals. If you want to know more about the differences, read our comparison of GEO vs SEO.
3. You Have No Third-Party Citation Footprint
This is the one that catches most brands off guard. AI search optimisation isn't just about what's on your website. It's about what the rest of the internet says about you.
AI models weigh third-party mentions heavily. They look at:
- Review platforms like G2, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor, and Google Reviews
- Reddit and forums where real users discuss products and services
- Industry publications and trade media that cover your sector
- Directory listings relevant to your category
- News coverage about your brand or products
If nobody writes about you except you, AI has no independent evidence to support a recommendation. Compare that to a competitor who has 200 Reddit mentions, reviews on four platforms, and coverage in three industry publications. AI will recommend them. Not because their website is better, but because the web vouches for them.
Our research found that citation rates vary by platform. Gemini cites sources in 30.4% of responses. ChatGPT cites at 28.6%. Claude is more conservative at 8.7%. Google AI Overviews rarely cites at 3.1%. But across all platforms, third-party authority matters. It's the foundation of how AI decides who to recommend.
4. Your Content Answers Questions Your Customers Don't Ask
Most brand websites are built around what the company wants to say. "Our services." "Our approach." "Why choose us." These pages exist for the company's benefit, not the customer's.
AI models surface content that directly answers conversational queries. The kind of questions people type into ChatGPT. "What's the best way to..." "How do I choose a..." "Which company is good for..."
If your content doesn't match these conversational patterns, AI has nothing to cite. "Our services" pages don't get pulled into AI answers. FAQ pages do. How-to guides do. Comparison content does. Specific, question-shaped content that mirrors how people actually talk to AI.
The brands that show up consistently are the ones publishing content that answers the exact questions their customers are asking AI right now.
What Actually Works to Get Recommended by AI
Fixing your AI visibility isn't about one quick trick. It's a deliberate strategy across four areas.
Build FAQ content on your website
AI models love citing FAQs. Create a comprehensive FAQ section that answers the real questions your customers ask. Not your internal FAQ. The questions people type into ChatGPT about your category. Use natural, conversational language. Be specific. Include numbers where you can.
Add structured data markup
Implement Organization schema so AI knows who you are. Add FAQ schema so your answers are machine-readable. Use Product schema if you sell products. This doesn't guarantee AI visibility, but it removes a barrier. You're making it easier for AI to understand and cite you.
Build your third-party presence
Get reviewed on platforms that matter in your industry. Participate in Reddit discussions where your expertise is relevant. Seek coverage in trade publications. List your business in authoritative directories. Every independent mention strengthens the signal AI uses to decide whether to recommend you.
Publish content that matches AI queries
Write content that answers specific, conversational questions. "Best [category] for [use case]" articles. Comparison guides. How-to content that solves real problems. Fresh, specific content that mirrors what your customers type into AI platforms. Update it regularly. AI favours current information.
How to Check Your Current AI Visibility
Before you fix anything, you need to know where you stand. Here's a simple test you can run right now.
Open ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Ask each one to recommend a company in your space. Use the exact kind of question your customers would ask. "What's the best [your category] for [common use case]?" Do it five times with slightly different phrasing.
Count how many times your brand appears. Note which competitors show up instead. Pay attention to whether AI mentions you, recommends you, or ignores you entirely.
Our research shows that brand mention rates range from 42.5% on Google AI Overviews to 82.5% on Gemini. The gap between being mentioned and being recommended is even wider. ChatGPT recommends brands in 8.9% of responses. Google AI Overviews almost never recommends at 0.2%.
This quick test gives you a snapshot. For a complete picture across all four major AI platforms, get a free AI visibility score. We'll check your brand across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews and show you exactly where you stand.
The Window Is Open Now
AI search is still early. Most brands haven't started measuring their AI visibility, let alone optimising for it. That means the brands that act now will build an advantage that compounds over time.
Our data shows that the brands AI mentions most tend to stay mentioned. Early visibility reinforces itself. The models learn patterns, and those patterns favour the brands that already have strong signals.
The question isn't whether your customers are using AI to make decisions. They are. The question is whether AI mentions your brand when they ask. If the answer is no, now you know why. And now you know what to do about it.