How to become visible in AI searches?

The way people research has changed: it’s no longer just on Google—now they’re asking questions on AI assistants like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity. In fact, for many people, their default search starts with AI.

Naturally, this raises a new question: “How do we become visible in AI searches?”

Today, we’ll try to answer this question mainly for business owners, board members, and partners—since many organizations don’t yet have dedicated resources working on this.

Step 1: Are You Visible in AI Searches?

The first step is to figure out whether you’re showing up in these searches. From simplest to more advanced, I recommend three approaches:

Check classic traffic sources

Look at traffic reports—Google Analytics (Referrals tab) or tools like HubSpot, where AI referrals are now listed separately. If you see traffic from AI products, you’ll find them here. Be cautious though: Google doesn’t categorize AI referrals yet, so spotting them among hundreds of “referrers” can be tricky. In HubSpot, “AI Referrals” has just been added, but they may still appear under Referrals or even “Other campaigns” if AI directed traffic to a campaign link with UTM parameters.

Manual research

If you don’t yet have a detailed tracking setup or marketing support, try using AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, etc.) as if you were your customer. Search and see who appears in the answers. This also raises a second question: what kind of questions are your customers likely to ask to find you?

Use AEO/GEO tools

Just as there are SEO analysis products, there are also tools for AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). I haven’t used them myself yet, but I’m sure you can find them with a quick search.

Step 2: Do You Know the Key Questions Your Customers Ask?

What questions are your prospects asking about your product/service? Things like “How does it work?”, “What’s the best option?”, “What alternatives exist?”

You should use these questions both in your research and in your content creation. This applies to blog posts, FAQs, product pages, even your “About Us” page.

Your answers should be clear and simple. AI assistants prefer short, precise answers over long paragraphs.

Step 3: Which Pages Do AI Searches Prefer?

AI tends to point users to well-structured pages. Unlike SEO, it’s not only about keywords, but also about Q&A-style content. The common ground is clarity and well-structured content.

That’s why FAQ pages matter more than ever. Keep them updated—not only with actual customer questions, but also with the types of questions people might ask AI assistants when researching. Make your answers clear.

Make “concise, accurate, and up-to-date” information easy to find on your site. This isn’t only for AI searches but also for human visitors you’ve worked hard to attract.

Also, avoid generic slogans—show your expertise with precise definitions. For example:

• Generic (unlikely to be cited by AI): “Automatic time tracking improves your productivity!”

• AEO-friendly (more likely to be referenced): “Automatic time tracking software records how much time employees spend on projects by monitoring computer activity, helping managers see true costs.”

  
  

Step 4: How Do You Become a Trusted Source for AI?

This takes consistent effort. If you haven’t started yet, now is the time. Remember those marketing initiatives you once thought weren’t worth it? This is exactly where they matter.

You’ll need:

• Accuracy & clarity: AI favors precise, data-driven content over vague marketing fluff.

• Authority & trust: Academic papers, official sites, and frequently cited company content get referenced more often.

• Technical compatibility: Content structure (Q&A, headings, schema markup, product maps) makes AI’s job easier.

To achieve this, you’ll need a variety of content types. (This could be a whole separate topic!)

What We’ve Tried and Learned

For Growth-generation.com, we haven’t invested heavily in this, but we do a lot of work on it for our clients.

Key insights so far:

• Our SEO work does affect AI visibility in the long run.

• Placement varies across platforms and even across versions of the same product (e.g., ChatGPT free vs. paid). In free versions, outdated links sometimes appear, while in paid versions we see up-to-date product features and customer reviews.

• Since we can’t change references in free versions, we redirected old links to updated ones to avoid broken pages.

• We create blogs, interviews, and videos with AI in mind—especially content with clear, question-based titles (“What, How, Why”).

• We’ve updated FAQ pages with both customer-driven and AI-search-driven questions.

• We’re planning changes in site and link structure for better clarity.

• We’ve reactivated PR efforts, getting mentions and backlinks in external publications.

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Results? Yes, we’re getting some traffic from AI searches and even generating leads. For now, the volume is small compared to other channels, but that’s expected—AI search is an organic channel, surfacing you to people who are actively seeking solutions. That makes it valuable in the long term.

Let’s Work Together

Whether specifically on this topic or more broadly on marketing strategy, we can help you redesign the big picture and update what you already have with small but impactful improvements. You can request a discovery call with us anytime!