Your buyers have started asking AI first
Search behaviour is shifting. Instead of typing "skincare brand oily skin" and opening ten tabs, people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Mode a full question and get one answer with three or four brands named in it. Google has rolled out AI Mode in India, and AI Overviews now sit above the regular results on many searches.
If your brand is in that answer, you are on the shortlist before the buyer has visited a single website. If you are not, you may never get considered. AI search engine optimization is the work of getting into that answer.
How AI tools decide which brands to mention
Each tool works a little differently, but they share the same basic pattern. They search the web, read the pages they find and summarise what the web broadly agrees on. Three things matter most:
- What others say about you. In a study of 75,000 brands, Ahrefs found that brand mentions across the web had the strongest link with a brand appearing in Google's AI Overviews. Press articles, reviews, listicles, Reddit threads and creator content all count.
- What your own pages say, clearly. AI tools prefer pages that answer a question directly in the first few lines, with specific facts, prices, locations and names they can quote.
- Consistency. If your website, Google Business Profile, Instagram bio and directory listings all describe you the same way, AI tools are more confident about what you do and who you serve.
Google itself says optimising for its AI features is still SEO. Pages that rank well are still a big source for AI answers, so this builds on your SEO rather than replacing it.
Step 1: Test whether AI mentions you today
Before fixing anything, find out where you stand. Fill in the boxes below and you will get the exact prompts to paste into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Mode.
AI visibility prompt builder
Use a new chat for each prompt and note whether your brand appears, what it says and who else is named.
Step 2: Fix what AI can see
Tick what you already have. Your score updates as you go, and the unticked items are your to-do list.
Tick the items you already have.
The fixes that move the needle most
1. Earn mentions on sites AI already trusts
This is the biggest lever and the one most brands skip. Get featured in industry articles and "best of" roundups, pitch founder stories to journalists, list your business on reputable directories and work with creators whose content gets indexed. Each genuine mention is another source an AI tool can draw on.
2. Rewrite key pages to answer first
Open every important page with the answer, then the detail. "Glow Studio is a bridal makeup studio in Andheri, Mumbai, with packages from ₹25,000" is easy for AI to quote. "Where beauty meets passion" is not.
3. Build comparison and question pages
Buyers ask AI to compare. Pages such as "X vs Y", "best options for [need] in [city]" and detailed FAQs match how people now phrase their questions.
4. Make your facts consistent
Pick one description of your business and use it everywhere: website, Google Business Profile, social bios, directories and press kits. Fix old addresses and outdated service lists.
5. Keep doing SEO
Fast pages, clean structure, strong content and backlinks still decide which pages get read in the first place. AI visibility sits on top of that foundation.
How to measure AI search visibility
There is no single dashboard yet, so use a simple routine. Each month, run your prompts from Step 1 in each AI tool and record whether you were mentioned, your position and which competitors appeared. In Google Analytics, watch for visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com as referral traffic. Over a few months, the trend matters more than any single answer.
Get an AI visibility check
Digital Berries combines SEO, PR and creator campaigns to build the mentions and pages AI tools rely on. Book a call and we will run the prompts for your category, show you who AI recommends today and what it would take to get your brand into those answers.
Sources: Ahrefs on Google AI Mode and AI Overviews brand mentions, PPC Land on AI Mode in India.
Put this insight into action with Digital Berries:
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Frequently asked questions
What is AI search engine optimization?
AI search engine optimization means making your brand easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity to find, understand and recommend. It is also called GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization).
Is AI search optimization different from SEO?
It builds on SEO rather than replacing it. Google has said that optimising for its AI features is still SEO, and pages that rank well remain a major source for AI answers. What changes is the extra weight on brand mentions across the web, clear answers on your pages and a consistent description of your business everywhere.
How do I check if ChatGPT mentions my brand?
Ask it the questions your buyers ask, such as "best skincare brand for oily skin in India" or "top digital marketing agency in Mumbai", in a fresh chat. Note whether you appear, what it says and which competitors it names. Repeat monthly, because answers change. The prompt builder on this page writes these prompts for you.
How long does AI search optimization take to show results?
Fixes to your own website can be picked up within weeks once pages are crawled again. Earning mentions on other sites, reviews and press takes longer, usually a few months of steady work.
Can Digital Berries improve our AI search visibility?
Yes. We run SEO, PR, creator and content programmes that build the mentions and pages AI tools rely on. Book a call and we will run an AI visibility check on your brand and show you the gaps.
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