How to Win Visibility in AI Search (and Why SEO Alone Won’t Cut It)
By Harry Hughes, Director at Mayfair Media Group
Everyone’s obsessed with SEO. Rankings, keywords, impressions. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Google rankings ≠ AI citations. You can rank #1 on Google all day long… and still lose the conversation when a buyer asks ChatGPT “What’s the best [your category]?” That’s because most SEO teams are still playing a 2018 game in a 2025 landscape. AI assistants are the new front door, and if you’re not cited, you don’t exist. So how do you adapt? Here’s a four-part process that actually works.
1. Diagnose Your AI Discoverability Gaps
Old playbook: Track keyword rankings and check Google Search Console.
New playbook: Audit your brand’s visibility across AI assistants.
Map prompts across the buyer journey:
What questions do prospects actually ask?
Where (if at all) are you mentioned?
Who else gets cited?
Nine times out of ten, you’ll find your competitors showing up instead of you.
Takeaway: Stop measuring search visibility only by Google rankings.
Do this: Use tools like https://scrunch.com/ (or even test prompts manually) to see if you’re visible in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, etc.
2. Design Demand-Weighted Content
Old playbook: Chase high-volume keywords because “traffic.”
New playbook: Prioritise topics by impact × difficulty × business fit.
Here’s the problem: high-volume SEO content usually means low-intent traffic. Thousands of “what is X” clicks that look good on a dashboard but do nothing for pipeline.
Instead, target MOFU/BOFU queries, the stuff buyers type when they’re close to a decision. Lower volume, higher intent.
Takeaway: Not all traffic is equal.
Do this: Build a simple scoring sy
stem for your content backlog. Prioritise what drives revenue, not what just drives impressions.
3. Ship Daily, Citable Content
Old playbook: Publish a handful of long-form SEO blogs each month.
New playbook: Publish daily content optimised for humans and AI.
The key? Make it citable:
Lead with the answer.
Support with evidence.
Offer alternative viewpoints (AI assistants love balance).
Structure with lists, bullets, and short paragraphs.
Do that consistently and you’ll notice two things:
AI assistants start pulling your answers.
Your organic SEO performance improves as a byproduct.
Takeaway: AI rewards structured, balanced, answer-first content.
Do this: Shift from monthly “pillar” blogs to daily, citable insights.
4. Earn Proof Signals AI Trusts
Old playbook: Build backlinks for domain authority.
New playbook: Build multi-source validation.
Here’s the kicker: AI assistants don’t just care about your site. They pull from forums, niche blogs, social posts, Reddit threads, news articles.
If your competitor is mentioned in those places and you’re not? Guess who the AI is going to cite.
Takeaway: AI wants consensus, not just backlinks.
Do this: Audit where AI is pulling its answers from in your category. Seed consistent, credible mentions across those surfaces.
The Bottom Line
SEO isn’t dead. But SEO without AEO (AI Engine Optimisation) is half a strategy.
If you want to show up in the buying conversations of 2025, you can’t just rank, you need to be cited.
Next Step
Want to know how visible you are right now in AI search?
Run a quick audit, see which prompts you win, which ones you don’t, and what sources the AI trusts.
The earlier you start, the bigger the compound advantage.
Harry Hughes
Director at Mayfair Media Group
Harry Hughes is the Director of Mayfair Media Group, a B2B demand generation agency that builds high-performance growth systems for ambitious brands. With 5+ years’ experience in demand generation across B2B and B2C, Harry helps companies move beyond vanity metrics to scalable, revenue-driven marketing strategies.
