Not long ago, the question was: “Where does our brand rank on Google?”
Now, increasingly, it’s: “What does ChatGPT or AI platforms say about us?”
The way people discover brands is changing. AI-powered search and answer engines are becoming part of the research journey, changing what visibility looks like and creating a new challenge for communications teams.
Enter Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).
Unlike traditional SEO, AEO isn’t just about ranking. It’s about making sure a brand is credible, relevant and easy for AI systems to understand and reference when people ask questions about a company, category or issue.
At Primary, we’re seeing clients increasingly ask: Why aren’t we appearing in AI answers? How do we get our expertise recognised? What does AI actually say about our brand?
And the answer isn’t simply “create more content.”
AI draws on information from across the web including news coverage, research, industry publications, expert commentary and company websites. That means the fundamentals of good PR still matter. In fact, they may matter even more.
A strong media story isn’t just reaching an audience. It can help establish credibility, authority and context around a brand and its people.
So, we’re adapting how we approach PR at Primary. We’re looking at the questions audiences are asking, identifying gaps in our clients’ online presence, developing original research and expert content, strengthening executive profiles and building credible third-party coverage around the topics our clients want to own.
We’re also starting to think beyond traditional measures of visibility: is our client being mentioned, understood and represented accurately when AI answers questions in their category?
The rules of visibility are changing.
And the brands that understand this now will be better positioned to shape the conversation rather than simply show up in it.
Because being found is no longer enough. Your brand needs to be part of the answer.
