In the past three months, three new projects have come from clients who found our creative agency, Svyazi, through AI-powered search recommendations.
It would be tempting to turn that result into a guaranteed formula for generative engine optimization. But no such formula exists (yet?). We have been studying the field for four years, and AI answers still vary by platform, prompt and context.
The systems also keep changing. While marketers cannot control the answer, we can make it easier for the AI-powered search engines to understand brands, verify and recommend them. These are the practices that were successful in AI-powered search engines recommending my agency to clients.
Build content around the questions customers actually ask
Keyword tools tend to flatten customer intent into short phrases. When people use an AI assistant, they often describe their situation, constraints and desired outcome. They ask, “Who can help us create an investor deck for a complex product?” rather than typing “presentation design agency.” A general service page may be relevant, but it may not contain enough context for a useful recommendation.
Start with information your marketing team already has: sales call notes, briefs, emails and customer conversations. Collect the questions people ask before choosing a provider, then check whether your website answers them clearly. Who is the service for? What problems does it solve? How does the process work? What are the limitations? What evidence supports the claims?
The answers can become service page sections, case studies, articles or FAQs. Keyword research still matters. It works better when the content also reflects how buyers describe their needs and make decisions.
Replace broad claims with evidence
Statements such as “we deliver high-quality work” or “we are an industry leader” give customers and AI systems little to work with. Replace them with facts: project scope, timelines, results, relevant experience, client feedback and links to completed work.
A case study should explain the client’s problem, what the company did and what changed as a result. Be precise about where the evidence comes from. A measured result, a client-reported outcome and an internal estimate are different things and should be labeled accordingly.
Apply the same rule to service pages. Instead of promising a fast process, state the usual timeline and explain what can affect it.
Instead of claiming deep expertise, show the industries, types of work and project examples behind the claim. Specific evidence makes a company easier to evaluate and harder to confuse with competitors who say the same thing.
Structure content so each section can stand on its own
Long-form content does not have to be a wall of text. An article should still make sense if a reader lands halfway down the page or an AI system cites one passage without the surrounding paragraphs.
Use headings that say what each section answers. Put the main point near the beginning, then support it with an example, statistic, expert quotation or link to the original source. Keep each section focused on one idea. Use a list when readers need to follow steps or check criteria. Use a table when they need to compare options. A short summary can help at the end of a longer piece.
Do not overdo it. Chopping an article into artificial fragments will not make it more useful. Ask whether someone can understand the point without going back five paragraphs. If the answer is yes, an AI system is more likely to interpret and cite it correctly.
Build credibility beyond your own website
Any company can call itself an expert on its own website. The claim becomes easier to support when independent sources connect the company, its founders or its specialists with the same area of expertise.
Build that presence deliberately. Contribute expert commentary to reputable industry publications. Appear on relevant podcasts and speak at conferences that publish session descriptions and speaker profiles. Keep company profiles accurate in respected industry listings, rankings, review platforms and professional directories, especially those customers use to build their shortlists. Encourage clients to write detailed reviews that explain the problem, the work and the result.
Volume is not the goal. Buying links or placing repetitive articles on low-quality websites may produce more mentions, but it does not establish credible authority.
One detailed contribution to a publication trusted in your industry is more useful than dozens of generic placements. These sources create a public record that supports what the company says about itself.
Check how AI search recommends your company
One favorable AI answer proves very little. Use a repeatable check instead:
- Choose a short list of questions that real customers might ask when looking for a provider.
- Test each question in several wordings and across the AI platforms relevant to your audience.
- Record whether the company appears and which competitors are recommended instead.
- Check whether its services, expertise, locations and other important details are described accurately.
- Note which sources the AI uses to support its recommendations.
- Look for publications, rankings, directories and review platforms where frequently recommended competitors appear. Consider how your company can earn a relevant presence there as well.
- Repeat the same test regularly to see whether the results change.
The patterns give you a starting point: missing content, unsupported claims, inaccurate information or credible external sources the company has overlooked.
Prepare for AI search while GEO is still evolving
GEO is developing too quickly for guaranteed formulas. AI-assisted search, however, is becoming a more common way to research options, compare providers and ask for recommendations. That gives marketers a reason to prepare without waiting for every platform and practice to stabilize.
If the platforms change next year, the company will still keep clearer, better-structured content and a stronger presence in trusted third-party sources. That is useful marketing work regardless of which AI platform becomes dominant.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
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For more on AEO, read Future B2B’s “How B2B marketers can succeed in the age of AEO.”
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