How online visibility is changing in the age of artificial intelligence
For many years, being visible online has mainly meant appearing among the top results on Google. A good ranking, a few well-chosen keywords, a properly indexed website and an effective SEO strategy made up the bulk of a company’s digital presence, and all of this continues to hold value. But something is changing: increasingly, we no longer ask a search engine where to find an answer; we ask it directly for the answer.
We search for a product, compare solutions, ask for recommendations on a supplier or on which technology might solve a problem. Systems such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and the new AI-based search platforms do not necessarily return ten links to consult. They interpret the question, gather information from various sources, compare it and construct an answer.
For businesses, this is a more profound change than it appears. The question is no longer simply whether we are well-ranked on Google, but whether, when someone searches for expertise such as ours, we are amongst the companies that the system is able to recognise, understand and regard as authoritative. The sector has already given this discipline a name: Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, and it is also referred to as AEO or ‘SEO for AI’. Which acronym will ultimately prevail is, for the time being, a secondary issue: it is more useful to understand how these systems select their sources, and only then to learn how to adapt.
From keywords to intent
Traditional SEO has accustomed us to thinking in terms of keywords, such as “office furniture Treviso”, “industrial automation Veneto” or “exhibition stand design Milan”. Today, however, a person might express the same need in a very different way, for example by asking which Italian companies are capable of designing a showroom for a furniture manufacturer that sells mainly abroad.
A question like this encompasses a sector, a need, a geographical area and, between the lines, a range of expertise. To feature in a result of this kind, it is not enough simply to have included the right combination of keywords on the website: the system must understand who we are, what we do, who we do it for, and why we can be regarded as credible. And this is where the issue ceases to be merely technical and becomes strategic.
The return of authority
There is also an apparent paradox. The easier it becomes to produce content using artificial intelligence, the more likely it is that the value of content that cannot simply be replicated will increase: a real-life experience, a project, a test, an expert opinion, a proprietary methodology, a mistake from which a lesson has been learnt, data collected in the field, an original photograph.
If the internet becomes flooded with texts that are grammatically correct but interchangeable, what will ultimately make the difference is what a company truly knows. In this sense, artificial intelligence does not render expertise useless; it makes it easier to recognise.
From ‘being found’ to becoming a source
For years, we have been creating content to attract visitors. Today, we must also start creating content that is clear, original and authoritative enough to become a source of information, because this is the path: first, to be found; then, to be understood; then, to be cited; and finally, to be chosen. This does not mean writing for algorithms, but describing more precisely – for people – what we are capable of doing. Behind every search, even when it is facilitated by artificial intelligence, there is always someone who has to make a decision.
Being present does not mean being understandable
There are companies with rich, well-designed websites that remain surprisingly difficult to interpret. Eye-catching homepages, ambitious slogans, plenty of photographs and very little concrete information: it is not uncommon to reach the end of your visit without having understood what problems that company can actually solve. If this is a limitation for a person, it is even more so for a system that has to automatically interpret information, expertise and relationships.
An effective digital presence must therefore also be easy to understand. Clearly described services, areas of application, expertise, case studies, products, people, frequently asked questions and completed projects are the building blocks upon which a company’s digital identity is built.
We tried to verify this by asking ChatGPT and Google AI Mode the same question: which companies design showrooms in Veneto? Both tools listed six companies. The lists were not identical, but some names appeared on both. Looking at these companies’ websites, in addition to good search engine rankings for the keywords, we found three recurring elements: a page dedicated to their services, a portfolio showcasing completed projects, and a clear statement that they operate in the Veneto region. This is not a statistical study, but an observation that anyone can replicate, and it illustrates a simple point: the companies that get mentioned are those that make it clear what they do and can demonstrate it.
Where to start
When it comes to GEO, it’s still too early for ready-made solutions, and we are wary of anyone who promises them. What we can say is that the starting point is almost always the same: our website. All you need to do is read through it again with three questions in mind. Would someone unfamiliar with us understand within a minute what we do and for whom? Would they find concrete examples of real projects, with names, figures and results? Is there anything in what we say that a competitor couldn’t write in our place?
If the answers aren’t entirely convincing, the problem is probably not artificial intelligence.
It’s time to rethink what we’re saying, and if you’d like to do it with someone, we’re here to help.
Did you enjoy our articles?
Subscribe to the newsletter!
