How is AI visibility different from SEO?

Traditional search engine optimization works on your position in a list of links. AI visibility works on your authority as a source. Ahrefs found only 38 percent of pages cited in Google AI Overviews still rank in the top ten organic results for the same query, down from 76 percent a year earlier, so ranking well no longer guarantees being cited.

Where do AI platforms get the information they cite?

Mostly from earned media. Muck Rack analysed more than 25 million links cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini across 17 industries and found 84 percent of citations came from earned media, with paid and advertorial content accounting for 0.3 percent. McKinsey found a brand's own website typically accounts for only 5 to 10 percent of the sources AI references.

How does Solv Communications improve AI visibility?

Solv works across six areas: AI visibility audits, AI visibility optimization, authority building, thought leadership, AI search readiness, and public relations built for AI search. The framework rests on three pillars: earned trust, public proof, and clear consistent signals.

Solv | AI Visibility (preview)

AI VisibilityServices

Q: What is AI visibility?

AI visibility is the process of helping an organization become a trusted source that artificial intelligence platforms recognize, reference and recommend. It has two sides: what AI says when someone asks about you by name, and whether you appear at all when someone asks a question without naming anyone.

We Help Your Brand Get Seen, Mentioned and Trusted by AI.

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Search is changing. Today, people are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and other AI tools for recommendations instead of clicking through pages of search results. If your organization isn't part of those answers, you're becoming harder to find.

Solv Communications helps organizations prepare for the next evolution of search by building authority, trust, and visibility across AI-powered platforms.

The evidence

How to Get Your Brand Mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude?

0^%

of AI citations come from earned media, not your website or paid media.1

Muck Rack analysed more than 25 million links cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini across 17 industries. Paid and advertorial content accounted for 0.3 percent. See the study

AI visibility comes down to two things: trust and the signals your brand sends.

The framework

We recently published a white paper on AI visibility and developed a proven framework to help clients get seen, mentioned and cited by AI platforms.

Our approach is built on three key pillars:

1. Earned Trust

Media coverage, expert commentary and credible third-party sources that validate your brand.

2. Public Proof

Reviews, discussions and conversations across the web that shape what people, and AI, believe about you.

3. Clear, Consistent Signals

A website, messaging and digital presence that tell the same story everywhere.

Read the framework white paper

Definition

What Is AI Visibility?

AI Visibility is the process of helping your organization become a trusted source that artificial intelligence platforms recognize, reference, and recommend.

Unlike traditional search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on improving rankings in traditional search results (SERPs) such as Google and Bing, AI Visibility focuses on increasing your organization's authority so AI tools reference your business when users ask questions.

There are two sides to it.

When someone asks about you by name, AI visibility determines what the answer says. Accurate, current, and consistent, or outdated and wrong.

When someone asks a question without naming anyone, AI visibility determines whether you come up at all. This is where shortlists get written, and where most organizations find out they've been missing for months.

The goal is to be the most credible answer available.

Talk to Solv about your visibility

Why now

Why It Matters

51%up from 29% a year earlier

of B2B software buyers now start their research with an AI chatbot more often than with Google.3G2, The Answer Economy, April 2026

1 in 3buyers

purchased from a vendor they had never heard of before, discovered inside an AI answer.3G2, The Answer Economy, April 2026

5–10%of cited sources

is all your own website typically accounts for when AI assembles an answer. The rest comes from everywhere else.2McKinsey, October 2025

2%overlap

is the average overlap between the journalists communications teams pitch and the journalists AI actually cites about their brand.5Muck Rack, December 2025

$750BUS revenue, by 2028

is what AI-powered search is projected to influence.2McKinsey, October 2025

The way people discover businesses is changing faster than ever. Instead of searching Google, people are increasingly asking AI questions like:

"Which healthcare organizations are the most trusted voices on patient care?"

"Which universities have the strongest reputation for handling difficult issues openly?"

"Which aerospace and technology companies are seen as leaders in their field?"

"Which professional services firms are the most credible experts in their industry?"

The mechanism

How AI Search Works

Understanding AI Visibility starts with understanding how AI finds answers.

Someone asks AI a question.

AI evaluates trusted sources.

Unlike traditional search engines that primarily rank websites, AI platforms analyze information from across the web to determine which organizations demonstrate expertise and authority. That includes your website, media coverage, executive thought leadership, industry mentions, citations, backlinks, reviews, and other trusted sources.

News coverage Trade publications

Executive commentary

Industry mentions

Reviews and forums Citations and backlinks Your website5–10%

Your own site is one input among many. McKinsey puts it at 5 to 10 percent of the sources AI references.2

AI recommends the sources and organizations it trusts.

Based on independent coverage and third-party sources, a few names come up consistently as trusted media trainers. Each is a former journalist, with recent commentary in trade media and documented work preparing executives for high-stakes interviews.

Illustrative example. The stronger your digital authority, the more likely AI is to recognize your expertise and include your organization in its recommendations. That's where AI Visibility makes the difference.

How we help

How Solv Helps

AI Visibility isn't one tactic. It's the result of building a strong, credible digital presence that AI systems trust.

AI Visibility Audit

We show you how AI sees your brand, your competitors and your category. You'll get the prompts we tested, the sources AI relies on, and a clear, prioritized list of opportunities to improve your visibility.

AI Visibility Optimization

We strengthen your digital footprint through strategic content, website optimization, structured messaging and authority signals that improve discoverability.

Authority Building

AI trusts organizations that consistently demonstrate expertise. We help you build credibility through media coverage, high-quality content, executive visibility, speaking opportunities, and trusted third-party mentions.

Thought Leadership

Organizations that teach become organizations AI recommends. We develop content strategies that position your executives and organization as recognized experts within your industry.

AI Search Readiness

We prepare your website and digital content for the next generation of search by ensuring your information is comprehensive, structured, accurate, and easy for AI systems to understand.

Public Relations to Optimize AI Search

Meaningful media coverage and authoritative online mentions don't just strengthen your reputation; they strengthen your visibility in AI-powered search.

Solv's Ethical AI Guidelines

Building AI Visibility should never come at the expense of trust. That's why Solv follows ethical, transparent strategies designed to build long-term authority, not manipulate AI systems or chase short-term trends.

Our approach focuses on creating accurate, credible, and valuable content that benefits both your audience and the technology they use to find information.

WHITE PAPER AI Visibility: What Drives It, Where It Comes From, and Where to Invest First Solv Communications

Learn More About AI Visibility

Want to dive deeper? Read our AI Visibility White Paper to learn how AI-powered search is changing online discovery, what it means for your organization, and the practical steps you can take today to strengthen your digital presence.

Whether you're just beginning to explore AI search or you're ready to build a long-term visibility strategy, this guide will help you understand what's changing and how to stay ahead.

Read the White Paper

Sources

Muck Rack Generative Pulse, What Is AI Reading?, May 2026. 25 million-plus links from ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini across 17 industries.
McKinsey & Company, New front door to the internet: Winning in the age of AI search, October 2025.
G2, The Answer Economy, April 2026. Survey of 1,076 B2B software buyers and decision makers, March 2026.
Ahrefs AI Overview citation study, 863,000 keywords and 4 million AI Overview URLs, reported by Search Engine Journal, February 2026. Ahrefs notes improved citation detection accounts for part of the change between study waves.
Muck Rack, Earned Media Still Drives Generative AI Citations, December 2025.

Be Found in the Future of Search

AI is changing how people discover businesses, organizations, and experts. We'll help make sure you're part of the conversation, and part of the answer.

Let's start the conversation