How to Show Up in AI Search: 5 Ways to Increase AI Visibility

More and more of your prospects are no longer starting their research on Google alone.

They are opening tools like ChatGPT, Google AI, and other AI-powered search experiences to understand their problems, explore solutions, and even evaluate vendors. That shift changes how businesses need to think about visibility.

If your brand does not show up in AI search, you are effectively invisible during a critical part of the buying journey.

In this article, I will walk through five practical ways to increase AI visibility and explain how to show up in AI search based on what we are seeing across client work and AI visibility audits.

Why AI Visibility Matters

AI tools are increasingly replacing traditional search behavior.

Instead of scanning ten blue links, users now expect direct answers. When AI tools do reference outside sources, they pull from websites, content, and brands they trust and understand.

That means every business needs an intentional AI visibility strategy. The goal is not gaming the system. The goal is making sure AI tools clearly understand who you are, what you do, and why you are credible.

1. Start With Foundational SEO

The first step to AI visibility is still traditional SEO.

Despite new acronyms like GEO or AI SEO, most AI tools rely on the same underlying infrastructure as search engines. If your website cannot be crawled, indexed, or understood, you will struggle to show up anywhere.

Focus on three basics:

• Technical structure – Your website needs clean architecture so search and AI crawlers can access and index your pages. A well-built site should already handle this, but it is worth verifying.
• User experience – AI tools are cautious about where they send users. A slow, insecure, or poorly optimized site reflects badly on them. Mobile friendliness, page speed, and security all matter.
• Backlinks and authority – Links from reputable websites signal trust. The more high-quality backlinks pointing to your site, the more likely AI systems are to treat your content as credible.

Traditional SEO is not optional. It is the foundation everything else builds on.

2. Strengthen Your Positioning Content

Some of the most important AI visibility pages are often overlooked.

Your About page, Services pages, and bio content play a major role in how AI tools describe your business. When someone asks an AI tool what your company does, the answer is usually pulled directly from this positioning content.

If those pages are thin, outdated, or unclear, AI will either misrepresent you or skip you entirely.
Strong positioning content should:

• Clearly state who you help and what problem you solve
• Use plain language instead of vague marketing terms
• Follow SEO best practices without sounding robotic

If AI cannot clearly explain what you do, it will not recommend you.

3. Create Expertise and Opinion-Based Content

Generic how-to content is no longer enough.

AI tools are excellent at summarizing basic instructions. What they struggle with is lived experience, informed opinions, and nuanced perspectives.

That is where your opportunity lies.

To increase AI visibility, create content that reflects:

• Your specific experience working with clients
• Lessons learned from real-world situations
• Clear opinions about what works and what does not

When users ask AI tools for expert recommendations or opinions, those tools are more likely to reference external sources. This is where blogs, videos, and long-form content tied to your expertise can surface.

The goal is not volume. The goal is depth and credibility.

4. Increase Brand Mentions Beyond Your Website

AI visibility does not come from your website alone.

Brand mentions across podcasts, social platforms, interviews, webinars, and events play a significant role in how AI systems assess authority. These mentions help AI connect your name with specific topics and expertise.

This is especially important for broader prompts that are not about a specific company.

If someone asks an AI tool about a topic in your field, it is more likely to surface podcast interviews, YouTube videos, or articles where you are clearly positioned as an expert.

If all of your content lives only on your website, you are limiting your visibility. Public, indexable content across multiple platforms strengthens AI recognition.

5. Run Test Prompts and Optimize

AI visibility is not a one-time project.

One of the most effective ways to improve is simply running test prompts. Search for your name, your business, and your services inside different AI tools.

Pay attention to:

• What information shows up
• Which sources are cited
• Whether the description is accurate

If the information is wrong or incomplete, trace it back to the source. That might be a website page, a LinkedIn profile, or an old article. Update those sources and monitor how results change over time.

Testing prompts gives you direct insight into how AI understands your brand.

Key Takeaways

AI visibility is becoming a core part of digital strategy. If you want to show up in AI search:

• Get the fundamentals of SEO right
• Clarify your positioning content
• Publish expertise-driven and opinion-based content
• Build brand mentions across trusted platforms
• Regularly test AI prompts and refine your sources

AI search is not replacing strategy. It is rewarding clarity, credibility, and consistency.

If you want help understanding how your business shows up today, this is exactly what we assess through AI visibility audits.