Hello!
Last week, I asked you to test if you're showing up in AI search results.
A few of you replied with something along the lines of, "Well, s4!t. I'm invisible."
Welcome to the club. In fact, I just ran an audit for a demand gen team spending $50K/month on paid ads. We tested non-branded queries in ChatGPT and their company was not mentioned. Not even one time. And, an up and coming competitor was.
So, while they are paying to get traffic, buyers are learning and discovering on their own terms. And now, this team is facing a new competitor that is not even playing on the same field.
Now here's the part that's going to frustrate you: Most advice about "AI Engine Optimization" (AEO) is telling you to do the wrong thing.
The conventional wisdom: Clean up your website copy. Add structured data. Optimize your meta descriptions for AI crawlers.
The reality: AI doesn't care about your website as much as you think it does.
When ChatGPT recommends vendors, it's not just reading your homepage. It's reading everything about you:
G2 and Capterra reviews
Reddit threads where people mention you
Case studies (the ones that aren't gated)
YouTube videos and podcasts
Industry publications
Your competitors' comparison pages
Your website is just one data point. And if the rest of your digital footprint is thin, outdated, or locked behind forms, AI has nothing to cite.
This is the shift most marketers are missing:
AEO isn't about optimizing your site. It's about owning your presence everywhere buyers look.
And here's why this matters for demand gen: AI is building buyer memory long before they're ready to convert.
You're investing in SEO, paid ads, and content, trying to get buyers into your funnel. But if they're asking AI for recommendations and you're not there, all that spend is wasted. They've already shortlisted your competitors before they ever see your ad.
That buyer asking "What are the best demand gen tools for mid-market teams?" isn't ready to buy yet. They're researching. Learning. Building opinions.
If you show up in that answer, with real reviews, real case studies, real community discussions, great! You're in the consideration set when they are ready to buy.
If you don't show up? You're starting from zero when your competitor is already trusted.
