Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the SEO …
Dun dun dun … you now have to consider a whole new audience: AI.
Regardless of whether you think AI is a technology to embrace or swim away from faster than a great white shark, how your content is framed externally influences how people find you.
The fact is, the way people search for information and therefore find organizations is changing.
I did an informal poll of a project team recently to learn how they got to a short list of organizations we could partner with on a new business opportunity. While the tools were different, every single person used AI to do the search.
That felt like a real shift, and it points to the fact we are no longer seeking to be pointed in the right direction; we are asking specific questions and looking for specific answers, quickly.
A survey from Orbit Media Solutions of 1,100 individuals confirmed this shift, which has real implications for how organizations put information out into the universe.
From Search Rankings to AI Presence
Historically, PR and communications teams focused on improving visibility in traditional search engines: climbing rankings, optimizing keywords and driving click-throughs. But AI doesn’t work exactly the same way. AI tools aggregate and synthesize information from multiple sources, and while visibility in AI-generated responses is influenced by traditional search signals, it is not determined by search rankings alone.
According to an article from Penn State University, nonprofits must ensure their websites are visible, credible and easy for AI systems to understand. Imagine:
- A potential donor asking an AI tool which organizations are making the biggest impact on voting rights
- A policymaker asking which nonprofits are credible voices on addiction and recovery
- A journalist using AI to quickly identify expert sources on land preservation
If your organization (or your client) isn’t showing up in those synthesized answers, you’re not just missing traffic — you’re missing something that could be even more important: influence.
However, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is still evolving. AI platforms are changing every day, there is no universal playbook and marketers are still learning which signals matter most. While some organizations are seeing meaningful visibility through AI tools, traditional search, direct referrals, social media and word-of-mouth continue to play critical roles.
5 Practical Tips for PR Practitioners
Before anyone charters a “bigger boat,” there are a few practical things communicators can do today.
1. Shift from “coverage” to “presence”: Media coverage still matters, but it’s not the endgame. It’s important to consider whether that coverage contributes to your organization’s broader visibility, credibility and influence.
2. Create content that answers real questions: AI tools are trained to respond to queries — not keywords. That means your content should directly answer common audience questions, be structured clearly and demonstrate expertise. If AI systems cannot easily understand your organization, they may recommend another organization instead.
3. Build authority across multiple channels: AI doesn’t rely on a single source. It aggregates. Your visibility strategy should include owned content like blogs, reports and explainers; earned media; and thought leadership across platforms.
4. Prioritize clarity over cleverness: This one is definitely evolving. In traditional PR/communications, creativity and nuance score points. In GEO, being literal and repetitive wins. The problem with this is that you lose personality. We are currently straddling the line between what AI wants and preserving our own voice, lest we all start to sound the same. Because the truth is, human audiences ARE still seeing and responding to our content. AI is becoming an audience. We don’t yet know exactly how influential that audience will become, but it’s influential enough that communicators should start paying attention.
5. Consider how you measure success: Start asking questions like:
- Are we showing up in AI-generated responses?
- Are we being cited or referenced?
- Is our organization part of the narrative being constructed?
If those aren’t your goals and the way you are being found, stay the course.
The Bottom Line
Obviously, AI is just one audience — though it is a growing one. And we don’t yet know which GEO metrics will become the industry standard. We’re still in the early scenes of the movie, not the final act.
As PR practitioners, we should lean into what we already do best: build credibility, craft clear narratives and show up consistently.
Agility PR Solutions is a recognized leader in enterprise-ready AI-optimized PR tools and resources, including AI-powered media monitoring, media database, and media intelligence and measurement.
