Discovery is Shifting From Links to Answers: How to Ensure Your Brand Stays Visible

In today’s digital landscape, brand success metrics are shifting away from traditional clicks and rankings and toward something far more consequential: how well your brand is represented inside generative AI algorithms. As AI assistants become a primary gateway to information (and often a first impression engine), share of model has emerged as a critical way to understand not only whether a brand shows up in AI-generated responses, but how it’s positioned when it does and what that implies for visibility, credibility, and preference.

Clear signals that discovery is moving from page-ranked search results to direct, AI-generated answers are all around us. Gartner has flagged a 25% decline in search queries as consumers and businesses increasingly bypass Google in favor of AI assistants. In parallel, Forbes has raised the issue of how controllable the content is that AI tools cite when responding to branded queries. This means content hygiene and third-party validation now matter more than ever, because the sources (media coverage, awards and Wikipedia-style reference pages) that shape your brand narrative increasingly sit outside your owned channels.  

I see these shifts in my own personal behavior, but the change is not limited to consumers. G2 reports that a meaningful portion of B2B leaders say AI search has changed how they do research, which means brand impressions and buying decisions are being formed before anyone ever clicks through to a website. If your brand isn’t present in those AI responses—or isn’t described the way you’d want—it’s not just a missed click; it’s a missed opportunity to be considered at all. Here’s where Greenough’s Marka+ AI reports come in.

Marka+ measures visibility (how prominently your brand appears when models mention you) and presence (what percentage of AI queries mention your brand at all). But scores alone are only the surface. The real value comes from diagnosing:

• Brand sentiment (strengths, weaknesses, and competitor white space)

• Cited sources shaping your authority (what the models trust and how you can influence them)

• Website technical issues that affect AI crawler understanding (and actionable recommendations to fix them)

• Share of model by buyer persona (because AI responses change based on perceived user intent)

As shared by Ameresco’s Chief Marketing Officer Leila Dillon: “The Marka+ AI reports have directly influenced how we’re thinking about our priorities for 2026. They’ve helped us understand not just where conversations are happening today, but how AI engines are surfacing and shaping narratives within our industry and beyond. Being ahead of the curve and visible in these emerging environments has never been more important, and Marka+ has given us a strategic advantage in doing that.”

Here’s a look at the top 5 trends we’re seeing across Marka+ AI reports and how they might impact your messaging and strategy.

1. Take charge of your digital footprint - AI is digging deep online and your narrative is being written with or without you. This makes content hygiene non-negotiable and  
   website backend and site readiness critical as they directly impact recognition by models.

2. Be Bold to Breakout from the Pack - LLMs often tune out overused claims like “leading” and “trusted” and generic messaging can get ignored.
   Brands that improve uniqueness, clarity and other low-scoring brand sentiment categories see stronger outcomes.

3. Lean In to Thought Leadership -  AI engines draw heavily from media coverage. Top domains and citations show where to build reporter relationships and which outlets most influence model perception.

4. Advance Your Awards Program – Earned trust isn’t just press. Product, culture, company, and leadership awards provide the validation AI systems consistently crave. Accolades and third-party credibility can be compounding assets that shape model perception and brand sentiment.

5. Create New Education Campaigns - Persona-led content wins in this new marketing environment. Brands that build comparisons, listicles, FAQs, and “best option for X” explainers designed specifically to meet the needs of their target buyers create the most reusable content for AI-generated answers.

The time to act is now. Search and buying behavior has already shifted and if you’re not visible in the models, you risk becoming irrelevant. Brands must quickly speak the language of LLMs (conversational, helpful, and ready to be recommended) in addition to gaining the third-party credibility that increases trust and reliability. The first step is simple: establish your brand baseline then optimize with intention, filling the white space in the industry landscape and showing up where it matters.