TLDR: Recent research underscores how generative AI is fundamentally reshaping brand visibility and public relations. With AI models now synthesizing information directly for users, traditional SEO is evolving, demanding a focus on semantic clarity, authoritative sources, and AI-readable content. Brands must adapt their strategies to ensure their content is recognized and trusted by AI systems to maintain relevance in the new search landscape.
A new wave of research, notably highlighted by Search Engine Land, reveals the significant impact of AI media partnerships and generative AI on brand visibility. As AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude become integral to how the public discovers and perceives brands, the dynamics of public relations and marketing are undergoing a profound transformation. The shift is away from merely driving clicks to websites and towards ensuring content is recognized, trusted, and synthesized by AI models themselves.
Google I/O 2025 confirmed this definitive shift with the introduction of AI Overviews, which are changing how information is surfaced. The traditional search engine results page (SERP) is evolving, with blue links becoming footnotes as answers are increasingly synthesized by generative models. These models draw from earned media, owned content, and structured brand assets to generate results, making an outdated PR playbook ineffective.
For brands, this means PR strategy must now be built for AI-first discovery. Google’s AI Overviews do not simply reward keyword optimization; they favor semantic clarity, structured insights, and reputational weight. Press releases, contributed articles, and media mentions must be AI-readable and semantically rich to surface in these overviews. If content is not interpreted correctly by generative models, it risks never being seen in response to key brand-related queries.
Trusted media coverage is more critical than ever. AI models prioritize content from authoritative, verified sources. Earned media coverage in credible publications now serves as a crucial input into how AI systems understand and position a brand. This emphasis on authority extends to Google’s algorithm and AI models, which prioritize widely cited and trusted content, favoring brands with strong E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) signals. Digital PR, therefore, becomes a key driver of visibility by securing high-authority backlinks and trusted media mentions, increasing the likelihood of being featured in AI-generated results.
Marketers are urged to shift from measuring PR by impressions to measuring by visibility in generative environments. This involves investing in media placements that AI models reference, not just those that make headlines. Creating content with semantic structure and a persistent topical focus, while ensuring messaging consistency across earned media, owned platforms, and social content, is paramount.
Key actions for PR and marketing teams include auditing existing earned media and owned content to assess its performance in generative search tools, aligning content calendars with high-impact search themes, and building relationships with media outlets frequently cited by AI platforms. Introducing AI visibility scoring into reporting workflows is also recommended to benchmark progress.
Data indicates a rapid consumer shift: 82% of consumers find AI-powered search more helpful than traditional SERPs, and over half of U.S. shoppers plan to use generative AI for shopping in 2025. Despite this, only about 22% of marketers currently track LLM brand visibility or traffic, highlighting a significant gap between consumer behavior and marketing adaptation.
In this evolving landscape, content isn’t enough; authority is paramount. Brands that produce genuinely useful research—surveys, trend reports, benchmarks—are more likely to be cited by both journalists and AI engines. Generic content is being overshadowed by content that offers new, meaningful, or emotionally resonant insights. Storytelling and proprietary data become crucial for influence, not just engagement.
Also Read:
- Marketing Agencies Undergo Radical Transformation, Embracing AI to Redefine Industry in 2025
- Generative AI Transforms Email Marketing: A New Era of Personalization and Efficiency
Ultimately, safeguarding SEO now involves AI-powered workflows that scale authority, build trust, and drive cross-channel visibility. The core signals that drive visibility haven’t changed, but the methods of achieving it have. By combining proven SEO and content strategies with AI-powered workflows, brands can maintain competitiveness and ensure their presence across the fracturing search landscape, including indexable web content, schema markup, E-E-A-T signals, and short-form social content.
