Adapting to Different AI Tools: How Businesses Can Increase Their Visibility in AI-Generated Answers

We are living in the age of AI. New AI tools are constantly emerging, and more and more people are using them. These tools can be extremely useful, allowing users to receive answers to almost any question within seconds.

This also includes questions such as: “Which company should I contact for this project?” or “Can you compare Company A and Company B?”

Naturally, you want your business to appear in these types of answers. Being mentioned can increase brand recognition, awareness and trust. In this article, we share several practical tips on how your business can respond to the rise of different AI platforms.

From Search Results to AI-Generated Answers

AI is changing the way people search. Instead of entering a few separate keywords, users increasingly ask complete questions. They then receive a direct summary, recommendation or comparison.

As a result, the objective is no longer simply to rank as highly as possible in traditional search results. In the age of AI, it is also important that your business is mentioned, described accurately, cited as a reliable source and included in recommendations and comparisons.

But how can you make sure AI systems know your business, understand what it does and consider it relevant enough to include in an answer? That is what we will explore in this article.

How AI Tools Generate Their Answers

AI tools base their answers on information, and that information has to come from somewhere. Sources may include existing datasets, current search results, websites and web pages, external publications, brand mentions and customer reviews.

Clear connections between a brand, its products, its services, its employees and the subjects it specialises in are also important.

Your brand name therefore needs to be discoverable, and accurate, up-to-date information about your business should be available online. Your content should also be suitable for use as a source. In addition, your business needs to be relevant to the user’s question and demonstrate sufficient authority within its field.

The Differences Between AI Platforms

There are various AI platforms, and each platform works slightly differently. Below, we discuss several well-known tools and explain what businesses should focus on.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is one of the best-known AI tools. It allows users to receive answers to their questions almost instantly.

ChatGPT can use both existing model knowledge and current information from the internet. Visibility therefore depends on being recognised as a brand and being discoverable as a reliable source.

It should be immediately clear what your company does, and the available information must be accurate and up to date. Your brand should also be mentioned on trustworthy websites and in a relevant context, such as in relation to topics, products or services that match your business.

Google AI Overviews and AI Mode

When users ask a question in Google, they may receive an AI-generated answer. One example is Google AI Overviews.

A strong SEO foundation remains essential. Pay attention to technical indexability and crawlability, content that answers specific search questions, internal links, a clear website structure, demonstrated expertise and strong topical relevance.

However, ranking highly in Google does not automatically mean that your website will be included in an AI Overview.

Microsoft Copilot

Copilot is another widely used AI tool. For businesses, it is important not to focus exclusively on visibility in Google, but also to consider search engines such as Bing.

Check whether your website is properly indexed, and keep your sitemaps and pages up to date. You should also resolve technical crawling issues and investigate which pages are being cited in AI-generated answers.

Perplexity

Perplexity clearly shows which sources have been used to generate an answer. This makes citable content particularly important.

Examples include facts and figures, clear definitions, original research and data, comparisons and well-supported conclusions. Specific and verifiable information is more likely to be used than promotional or purely sales-oriented content.

It is important to understand that you do not need to create completely different content for every platform. Start by building a strong digital foundation and then adjust your priorities for each individual platform.

Decide What You Want to Be Visible For

One of the first steps is determining which topics you want your business to be visible for. Do not start with the AI tool itself. Start with the questions your target audience is asking.

Consider which products or services your audience compares. Think about the problems they are trying to solve with the help of AI. Which experts, businesses or solutions are they searching for? You should also identify the topics for which your brand should definitely be mentioned.

These questions can be divided into several categories.

Comparison questions may include: “What is the difference between Company A and Company B?”

Recommendation questions may include: “Which company is best suited to carry out my project?”

Problem-solving questions may include: “How can I solve this issue?”

Brand-related questions may include: “What does this company do?”

Use these types of questions to determine where and how your business should become more visible.

Build a Recognisable Brand Identity

The next step is to create a clear and recognisable brand identity. AI systems must be able to recognise your company before they can mention it in their answers.

They need to understand who your company is, what it does and who it serves. They should also be able to identify the market or region in which the business operates and the products or services it provides. Your unique selling points should also be communicated clearly.

Important elements include:

• An “About Us” page that clearly explains who you are, what your company stands for and which products or services you offer.
• A clear and consistent company description across different platforms and channels.
• Detailed and well-structured product and service pages.
• Profile pages for relevant authors, specialists or experts within the company.
• Structured data where it is relevant and appropriate.
• A strategy for generating brand mentions.

Brand mentions are references to your business or brand name. These references may contain a clickable link, but they do not have to. Brand mentions can appear in blog posts, interviews, news articles, industry websites and press releases.

The Role of Brand Mentions

Brand mentions are references to a company on external websites and platforms. They can be linked or unlinked and may appear on news websites, industry-specific platforms, review sites and other relevant sources.

Brand mentions play an important role in visibility within AI-generated answers. They can help AI systems connect a brand to a particular category, area of expertise, service or solution. This makes it more likely that the brand will be included in future answers.

The objective should not be to generate as many mentions as possible. Quality is more important than quantity.

Focus on the relevance and reliability of the source, the consistency of your message, the context in which the brand is mentioned and the relationship between your business and the subject of the external publication.

Backlinks and traditional SEO also remain important alongside AI visibility and brand mentions. Backlinks are clickable links on external websites that direct visitors to your website. They can increase website authority and generate referral traffic.

This may also improve your position in Google’s search results, which could increase the likelihood of your website being used as a source in features such as Google AI Overviews.

Create Content That AI Can Use

The way you create content also affects whether AI systems can use it. This does not necessarily mean that you need to publish more content. Instead, you should create content that directly supports useful answers.

For example, you could publish clear explanatory pages about a product or service, add frequently asked questions or create a glossary of relevant terms. These are practical ways to provide information that AI systems can understand and use.

You could also create comparison pages, publish research results and original data, develop step-by-step guides and produce expert articles.

Every important page should clearly communicate which question it answers, what the answer is and what evidence supports that answer. It should also demonstrate why your company has expertise in the relevant area.

Finally, the information must be accurate and kept up to date.

There Is No Simple Trick

Becoming visible in AI-generated answers cannot be achieved with one simple trick.

Businesses need to be discoverable, trustworthy and relevant enough to be mentioned. This requires a strong website, clear positioning, authoritative content, consistent brand communication and credible external mentions.

Companies that invest in these areas will improve not only their traditional search visibility, but also their chances of appearing in the AI-generated answers of the future.