Google searches remain the most popular way to start searching online, yet AI search is giving businesses and marketers worldwide a chance to become more visible to consumers. The concern, as many see it, is that more and more consumers are using AI platforms to conduct online research.

Moreover, while many searches start with Google, a large chunk of them result in no clicks because people simply use the Google AI Overview to get their information.

A Forbes article outlined this brilliantly, revealing that 60% of searches now end without a click. It has created a world where businesses worry about online visibility, if people no longer click on websites in Google, how do you stay relevant?

The key is two-fold:

• Target visibility in AI searches & Google AI overviews
• Build visibility through a social presence

Understanding how to do this is another question entirely, but this article covers some ways to achieve better visibility in the AI search world.

Build Brand Authority Through Quality Backlinks

Link building has long been one of the most essential factors in improving traditional SEO. A search engine like Google often looks at how many backlinks a website or page gets; if lots of authoritative sources point to it, Google sees it as a trustworthy site it wants to recommend. Sites with no backlinks don’t seem as worthy of recommendation.

That’s a very basic understanding of how it works, and Link Building Guide goes into much more detail, including tips on how to make link building work for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). The core concept of building backlinks should still be a priority, but the focus shifts to using these links to build brand authority.

AI engines are more likely to recommend or pull sources from websites or brands that look authoritative, since they want to provide users with the best information. So, sites with links from media publications and high DR websites tend to become more visible in AI search. Getting these links isn’t easy, but experts suggest tackling two key areas:

• Digital PR
• Brand Mentions (reviews, listicles, interviews, etc.)

It’s about using backlinks and link building to build authority around your brand, helping it stand out to AI search engines and boost visibility.

Make Content For AI Search Engines

Content will still dominate your marketing strategy; only how you write it may change to target AI searches. Ask yourself: how do users interact with AI search compared to traditional search?

A Pew Research Center survey found that 42% of AI users use AI search to look for information, while 19% use it to learn something new. More and more people are turning to AI to ask questions when they want straight answers. It’s easier than typing a query into Google, scrolling through results, and picking a website that seems to have the answer.

Therefore, optimizing content for AI search will focus on answering key questions related to your business. You want to think about some of the more common questions people might ask, and then design content around them. Answer the questions early in the piece – and use descriptive headings, lists, and tables to separate the content, making it easier for AI bots to crawl through and notice.

Continue Working On SEO

Traditional search engine optimization should remain a key pillar of your visibility strategy, even in a world of AI searches. Why? Because two facts are still in place:

• Most searches start in Google anyway
• A lot of SEO strategies also help GEO

Neglecting SEO means ignoring the fact that Google holds a 90.29% global search engine market share across all devices, including AI search engines. So, putting all of your eggs in the GEO basket means you miss out on visibility and traffic from traditional searches.

More to the point, as discussed already, link building is a big part of both SEO and GEO. If you build quality backlinks to your site, you will improve visibility in both types of searches. Good content will rank well in either search engine; you may just need to tweak it slightly. Most importantly, Google has said that good SEO can increase the likelihood of being referenced in Google AI Overviews, which pull a lot of information from top-performing organic search results.

Invest In Good AI Search Tools

We’ve covered this before on the site, but plenty of top AI search tools can help you increase visibility. These tools help you understand a mixture of the following:

• AI citations linked to your brand
• Direct clicks through AI searches
• Prompts that yield more AI visibility
• Which pages perform better in AI than others

Always use AI search tools to see how things are going; it’s the best way to test, learn, and improve visibility.

Build A Social Media Presence

Beyond AI searches and Google AI overviews, you can build brand visibility through social media. Do this both organically and through paid ads. Research shows that 33% of consumers discover brands through search engines, but 31% discover them through social media ads.

Social media ads get your brand out there and serve as a first point of contact for users. You need a strong ad strategy that hooks people in, then your organic social media page keeps them following and coming back for more content.

It’s almost like you’re building visibility away from search engines entirely, and that’s a good thing. A lot of people will discover brands accidentally while scrolling through social media feeds, so make sure you’re tapping into that market.

You don’t need to worry about the rise of generative search engines or the shift away from traditional search habits. Maintaining visibility is still possible, and it continues to require a focus on SEO alongside GEO.

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