AIO is a wakeup call for PR pros.
The rise of AI overviews (AIO) is rapidly changing online visibility, demanding that PR and communications professionals adapt their strategies or risk fading into obscurity.
“AIO is like two-thirds of the page at this point…you’re literally disappearing into the shadows if you’re not addressing the issue,” Rochelle Thielen, CEO of Traject Data, said. “Those that aren’t out there on the leading edge…are fading away,”
AIO’s increasing dominance in search results necessitates a proactive approach, not only for leveraging the technology, but gaining a deeper understanding of how it works, she said.
For agencies and brands, especially those that are targeting a B2C audience, mastering AIO is crucial for maintaining visibility and driving traffic.
“This is especially important for mobile devices, where AIO is occupying a significant portion of the screen and consumers may be interacting primarily with AIO-generated content,” Thielen said.
Check out these actionable items your team can use to place you in a position for success.
Source awareness
Understanding where AIO is sourcing data is critical.
As AIO search results become increasingly unpredictable as it evolves, it’s important to have as much insight as possible in order to show up at the top of the page and keep showing up, she said.
Use tools for data tracking and media sourcing like Perplexity, ChatGPT and Gemini, Thielen said. You can also create media lists to see where and how often your brand is showing up with tools like Consensus.
This can help you quickly find relevant background stats and data searches. Speak with experts from other organizations, keep a discussion going and learn what resources are out there that can help track relevant data and see if they’re right for your organization, she said.
“Keep pressure testing to see how you can improve,” Thielen said.
Presence
Monitor how often and where your organization appears in AIO summaries. Tools like CoPilot can help keep track of your brand’s mentions and when they’re showing up in summaries. Make notes of this and pay attention to how it’s being described. What words are being used? How is it showing up? Is it a social platform, a newsletter or a news outlet?
“If you’re an agency or retailer, many consumers are only interacting with AIO,” Thielen said. Be mindful of the content showing up and analyze what you can learn from it.
Customer sentiment
Focus on how customers and other stakeholders are talking about your brand or organization.
“What was traditionally something you would work really hard on your website, like making sure you have the right keywords, is now much more about how customers are talking about you…do they really have an authoritative ownership of your space?” Thielen said.
AIO prioritizes authoritative voices and content that reflects positive customer experiences, Thielen said. Cultivating strong relationships with customers and actively monitoring online conversations about your brand are more important than ever, she said.
Understand who is an authoritative voice in your space and prioritize those voices, she said.
Prompt influence and content clarity
Identify which prompts have the greatest impact on AIO and how your organization can improve.
Traditional focus on keywords is no longer sufficient. Instead, PR pros need to prioritize conciseness in their content, Thielen said.
Simplifying your content and stripping away the fluff makes it easier for search engines to pick up on your content again and again, making your organization appear more frequently in AIOs.
“What (organizations) can do is segment their queries so they can identify which ones are triggering AI summaries,” Thielen said. “Structure content in a different way with more clarity. This makes it easier for search engines to pick them up.”
Members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council have exclusive access to additional resources on making the most of AIO.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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