AI search visibility
Getting recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI answers isn’t magic, and it isn’t a new channel to panic about. It’s what happens when the fundamentals are done properly, and then measured.
Sound familiar?
Things people tell me on the first call.
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We’ve no idea whether AI tools mention us at all.
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Competitors appear in AI answers and we don’t.
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Someone’s told us we need an ‘AI strategy’ and we’re not sure what that means.
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Traffic is down, but nobody can tell us how much is AI.
Two or more sound like you? That’s where I’d start.
The LLM Ladder
Start at the bottom. Each rung makes the next one count for more.
1
Clear, expert content
Answers worth citing.
2
Information architecture
Content machines can find, render and understand.
3
Earned external mentions
Digital PR that gets your brand talked about in the places AI models read.
4
Unique, fresh data
Something only you can say, which gives models a reason to cite you.
Built on evidence, not hype
Ahrefs studied 75,000 brands across ChatGPT, AI Mode and AI Overviews. Here’s what mattered, and what didn’t.
75,000
brands studied across three AI search surfaces.
Brand mentions across the web, especially on YouTube
Strongest link
The number of pages on your site
Almost no link
Query fan-out
AI assistants run several searches behind the scenes for every question. We capture those considerations and answer them directly, under your brand.
We build campaigns around the factors that matter, then measure them.
So we don’t chase volume
So you can see what AI is contributing to your marketing mix and your bottom line.
Mentions machines can read
AI models build their picture of your brand from everything said about you elsewhere. These are the places that move it most.
Results
Nearly 2×
Most-cited brand in its category in Google’s AI Overviews, nearly double the nearest competitor.
Garden buildings retailer
+680%
Revenue from AI referrals, year on year.
Luxury holiday rentals
Nearly 2×
Citations in Microsoft Copilot nearly doubled.
B2B SaaS
Work led at a previous agency, 2025–26. Further reading: my talk, Slop, Scroll, Switch: How Humans are Reclaiming the Internet (September 2026).
Want to know where you stand in AI search?
Let’s find out.