AI Is Changing How People Search, Are You in the Conversation?

AI is already stealing traffic from Google. If your content isn’t optimized for tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude – your brand may be missing from the conversation entirely.

Author

Casey Finestone
July 10, 2025

Your customers are using AI to find solutions. If your brand isn't there, you're invisible where it matters most.

🔥 TREND ALERT
Is Your PR Strategy Helping You Show Up in AI Search?

When potential customers ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity about solutions in your industry, those AI models aren’t recommending your ad copy or landing pages. They’re relying on trusted sources (i.e. trade publications, expert commentary, and industry insights.

💡 Here’s the shift: A single quote in a trade publication now does more long-term work than months of paid search campaigns.

Why? That quote becomes part of the training data AI tools use to shape how they understand your market and most importantly who to recommend.

🚨 REALITY CHECK
What This Means for Your Business

Your customers are already using AI to research solutions. 95% of buyers anticipate using genAI to support their decision and purchase process in 2025. When they ask "What's the best solution for [your industry problem]?" your brand either appears in that answer or it doesn't.

The bottom line: Earned media is no longer just PR — it's your long-term AI visibility strategy. Miss this shift, and your competitors will own the conversation.

Ready to Show Up Where It Matters?

Answer Engine Optimization is nto about gaming the system but rather about building authentic authority that AI tools naturally reference.

Want to see how it works? We've broken down the complete AEO strategy in our latest deep-dive: How PR Drives Answer Engine Optimization

Ready to take control? Our AEO service combines strategic thought leadership with the technical backend optimizations most brands overlook—giving you both the authority and the infrastructure to dominate AI-generated results. Learn more about our Answer Engine Optimization service.

🎯 THE SOLUTION
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Traditional SEO optimizes for search engines. AEO optimizes for AI-powered answers. Get the complete strategy breakdown here.

Here's what smart brands are doing differently:

  • Implementing technical optimizations most brands ignore: Schema markup, structured data, and FAQ formatting that AI bots favor. (invisible to users but game-changing for AI recognition.)

  • Executives are regularly quoted in trade publications and top-tier media: Building long-term visibility in AI-generated responses.

  • Investing in thought leadership: contributed articles, trend commentary, and expert takes.

  • Media coverage includes strategic backlinks: improve both traditional SEO and your visibility in AI search.

  • Don’t chase short-term clicks: Build durable visibility positioning your brand as the expert AI tools surface first.

The companies establishing thought leadership today are the ones AI tools will surface tomorrow.

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