The way people search has changed. And if your digital strategy hasn’t changed with it, your brand is already playing catch-up.
For decades, SEO success was largely built on one thing: backlinks. If reputable sites are linked to you, Google rewarded you. Simple enough. But the rise of AI-powered search tools – from ChatGPT and Perplexity to Google’s AI Overviews – has quietly rewritten the rules, leaving your strategy slowly becoming out of date. People aren’t just clicking the blue links anymore, they’re asking questions and getting instant answers, often without ever visiting a website.
So where does that leave brands who have relied on the old ways of working? Right at the heart of a new challenge: how do you make sure your brand is visible, credible, and cited in AI-generated answers? That’s where Digital PR comes in!
Rankings to Recognition
Traditional SEO was about rankings, but AI search is about recognition. Large Language Models don’t just look at your website in isolation; they build an understanding of your brand based on who is talking about you, what is being said, and how often your brand is cited in trusted publications. In other words, it’s no longer just about what you say and how others link to it. It’s about what the world is saying – and where.
This shift has given rise to two new disciplines: Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), which focuses on making your content understandable and referenceable by AI, and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which ensures your brand is recognised, cited, and trusted by AI models. Both rely heavily on strong, strategic Digital PR.
The Power of Digital PR
Digital PR has always been about credibility, reputation, and reach, but what’s changed is who’s actually paying attention to all of that hard work. AI tools now actively reference news articles, expert commentary, industry features, and trusted blogs, so if your brand is appearing consistently in these spaces, AI is far more likely to pull your insights into summaries, treat you as a trusted authority, and surface your name in the answers users see.What’s more, latest research shows that AI prefers sources published in the last year so appearing regularly in these sources and staying current is key. If you’re not present in these conversations, you risk becoming invisible – even if your website is technically perfect.
Backlinks of course still play an important role, but they’re no longer the only signal that matters- AI models interpret language, context, and frequency of mention. A brand regularly quoted in respected media sends a powerful signal of authority, even without a direct link. Thought leadership articles, expert commentary, data-led PR campaigns, and industry insights all contribute to how AI understands and represents your business.
Storytelling = AI visibility
The brands who will be winning this year aren’t just optimising web pages; they’re telling stories that matter. Strong Digital PR positions spokespeople as experts, secures quotes in trusted publications, and reinforces consistent messaging across the web. When AI generates answers, it’s pulling from this digital ecosystem we now rely so heavily on. The more your brand is cited in authoritative contexts, the more likely it is to appear where it counts – in the answers, summaries, and insights shaping people’s perceptions and influencing their purchasing decisions
Digital PR is a visibility strategy, a way to ensure that when people – and AI – are looking for expertise, products or servicesin your sector, your brand is part of the conversation.
The Risks of Staying Silent
Some businesses have reacted to these changes by hiding from AI, blocking LLMs from crawling their sites. While that protects intellectual property, it also increases the risk of invisibility – leaving the narrative in the hands of competitors and third-party content creators.
The Golden Ticket
Digital PR isn’t about chasing headlines for the sake of it. It’s about being visible in the right places, consistently, and with authority. It’s about shaping how AI interprets your brand, while building trust and credibility with your audience.
Handled strategically, Digital PR can help your business move from simply being “found” to being “referenced” and “respected” in the spaces that matter. In a world where answers matter more than rankings, being talked about in the right places is everything.
If you’d like to find out more about how HeadOn PR can help your brand get noticed by both people and AI – and turn that visibility into real business growth, find out more about our AEO /GEO service here or – get in touch with us here.
