Winning genAI search requires structured, persona-driven content strategies

Brand visibility now matters more than ever. Roughly eight in 10 consumers say they must be able to trust a brand to buy from it. That trust is built via a quality product and consistent, visible messaging. 

To stay competitive, marketers must:

• Fully embrace both visibility and personalization. If your brand isn’t present in the AI answer, you risk being invisible to the consumer.
• Focus on high visibility and niche content strategies that align with user intent and context. The more relevant and resonant the content, the more likely it is to be surfaced by AI and trusted by the consumer.

Dig deeper: Why visibility is now the most important marketing metric

How brand leaders should prepare

Understand your brand’s current visibility

Before rolling out a full generative engine optimization (GEO) strategy, it’s essential to know how AI platforms are currently surfacing and perceiving your brand. 

Generative search tools pull from various online sources for responses. That means outdated, incomplete or biased content can easily shape how you are presented to consumers. If AI tools pull in information that misrepresents your brand, you need to know what sources they’re using.

Audit your current AI visibility to benchmark your brand performance. This will help uncover reputation risks and identify opportunities to strengthen your brand narrative.

Identify user personas and content spaces early

Succeeding in the age of generative browsing means taking a proactive approach that starts with nailing down user personas and the digital assets that matter most to them. 

Unlike traditional search, generative platforms provide responses based on user context and intent. That means you must be certain of:

• Who you’re trying to reach.
• What questions that group is asking. 

These questions might be different from traditional keywords. The earlier you do this, the better a brand will be positioned to remain relevant and visible as consumer behavior shifts.

Build structured and targeted content

Once personas and content opportunities are defined, the next step is execution. Build content tailored to those audiences and structured so the AI can easily understand and retrieve it. 

For example:

• Break down key points into clear sections.
• Use headings.
• Answer specific user questions in a direct, authoritative tone. 

The goal is to create trustworthy content that serves both the user and the AI. This makes it more likely they will use your brand in conversational answers and multimodal results.

Monitor AI ecosystem data developments and performance

New browsers are coming from Perplexity and OpenAI. As they move toward monetization, they will roll out new visibility metrics tied to market size, audience segments and transaction value.

These metrics will likely offer insight into:

• How often a brand appears in AI-generated responses.
• What types of queries it is associated with.
• How those interactions contribute to outcomes like engagement or conversion.

Prepare for a shift in the attention economy

With online advertising projected to reach $854.9 billion in 2026, Perplexity and OpenAI are positioning themselves to capture a significant slice of that market. Generative browsers and conversational interfaces become primary touchpoints. They’re redefining where consumer attention flows and how it’s monetized.

Think of visibility not just as a means of discovery, but as a form of premium real estate earned through authority and relevance. Develop strategies that maximize brand presence while tracking how generative visibility translates into brand affinity and conversion.

Dig deeper: How to turn SEO wins into GEO dominance

Building a future-ready brand in the generative AI era

AI-powered browsers and hybrid search platforms will keep evolving — and new ones will emerge. With adoption still taking shape, now is the time to move. Waiting until these tools are mainstream means playing catch-up in environments with limited visibility and high competition. 

SEO will remain essential, but it won’t be enough. Generative systems call for:

• Structured, persona-driven content.
• Continuous monitoring.
• Strong integration with existing SEO efforts.

Marketing leaders who combine GEO with traditional strategies will be able to shape their presence, protect their reputation and stay visible in the next generation of search.