Your newest competitors aren’t other brands

A few weeks ago, researching software for a project, I did what millions of people are doing these days and opened ChatGPT instead of Google.

It quickly recommended four vendors, explaining how they differed, and suggesting one as the best fit for my use case. It wasn’t until I was done that I realized all the things that didn’t happen. I never visited most of the vendor websites. I didn’t read a comparison page, download a white paper, or click a paid ad. The AI already synthesized dozens of sources into a recommendation before those brands had a chance to shape my decision.

That’s when it hit me: those brands weren’t competing only with one another. They were competing with AI-generated answers, comparison sites, affiliate content, Reddit discussions, analyst reports, and every other source influencing my decision before I reached their websites.

For years, we thought of competition as the companies selling similar products. Today, those third-party sources also shape buyers’ perceptions before they reach your brand.

This is synthetic competition. Visibility now depends on becoming a source that AI systems choose to cite. That requires you to think differently about how to build authority.

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Competition has expanded beyond your category

Marketers long focused on attracting buyers to their websites. Search rankings, paid campaigns, email nurture programs, and content marketing all worked toward the same goal: earn the click.

Today, many buyers begin with an AI assistant. They ask broad questions, compare vendors, request recommendations, and narrow their options before visiting a single website. AI-generated summaries, comparison content, and community discussions often become the first touchpoint in the buying process.

That behavior is accelerating faster than many realize. Product discovery attributed to AI or ChatGPT increased roughly twelvefold in 2025, according to the 2026 AI Attribution Report from Knocommerce and GR0, which is based on millions of post-purchase surveys across more than 6,000 Shopify brands. Shopify President Harley Finkelstein also shared that AI-driven orders increased 15x year over year, underscoring how quickly AI is becoming part of the buying journey.

The traditional buyer journey: Google → Website → Demo.

Today’s buyer journey: AI assistant → Summary → Comparison → Brand website → Demo.

That additional layer influences which brands buyers consider before they reach your website.

Many visitors now reach your site after they’ve narrowed their options. They’re looking for proof points, customer stories, and product details that confirm what they’ve already learned.

Traffic still matters. Credibility builds the authority that earns your brand a place in the research process before someone reaches your site. Companies that consistently appear in trusted conversations, industry publications, customer reviews, and expert recommendations have a much stronger chance of making the shortlist early in the buying process.

Synthetic competitors shape buyer decisions before you do

When we think about competition, we usually think about other companies selling similar products or services.

Synthetic competition includes:

• AI-generated recommendations.
• Google AI Overviews.
• ChatGPT and Claude responses.
• Affiliate reviews.
• Software comparison sites.
• Reddit discussions.
• Community forums.
• Analyst reports.
• Customer reviews.

Collectively, these sources shape how potential customers evaluate your brand before your marketing team has an opportunity to earn their consideration.

Buyers often get answers before they reach your website

Many of these sources answer the same questions your website used to answer.

• Which solution fits my use case?
• What are the pros and cons?
• How does Vendor A compare to Vendor B?
• Which platform is easiest to implement?

Buyers frequently receive those answers before they visit your pricing page, request a demo, or download a white paper.

That’s easier as search itself changes. SparkToro recently found that 68% of Google searches now end without a click, meaning buyers increasingly get the information they need without ever visiting a website. Whether those answers come from AI Overviews, featured results, or AI assistants, you have fewer opportunities to shape first impressions on your own properties.

Many marketing teams still spend most of their energy trying to outrank direct competitors in search results. That’s still worthwhile, but AI systems generate responses from a much wider collection of trusted sources, many of which exist outside your website.

Customer reviews, guest articles, podcasts, analyst reports, community discussions, and original research all contribute credibility signals that shape future AI recommendations. Together, they shape your brand’s reputation across the web and increase the likelihood that buyers, and AI systems, encounter credible information about your company.

Authority matters more than visibility alone

SEO has always rewarded those who understood how search engines worked. Strong keyword targeting, clear site architecture, technical optimization, and high-quality content helped brands earn visibility.

Those fundamentals still matter. But discovery is shifting toward AI-powered experiences. The 2026 AI Attribution Report found that AI-driven discovery is growing 25-30% month over month, making it the fastest-growing acquisition channel by a wide margin. While AI still represents a relatively small share of overall discovery, its influence is expanding much faster than traditional channels, making trust and authority increasingly important competitive advantages.

AI platforms increasingly rely on credibility signals to determine which brands deserve authority in their responses. You need to broaden your thinking about authority.

Ask yourself:

• Are respected industry experts referencing our work?
• Do customers share their experiences publicly?
• Are analysts citing us in their research?
• Are we publishing original insights that others reference?
• Are trusted publications and communities discussing our brand?

If the answer to most of those questions is no, AI has fewer reasons to surface your content or recommend your company.

Ask one more question: If someone asked ChatGPT why your company is worth considering, what sources would it rely on?

If the answer is mostly your own content, expand your credibility beyond your owned channels.

Credibility compounds over time

Authority grows from consistent credibility. A single article, analyst mention, customer review, or conference presentation rarely changes how your brand is perceived. Together, those signals build authority over time.

Every expert quote, podcast interview, research report, guest article, and customer story adds another credibility signal. Together, they strengthen your authority with buyers and help AI systems recognize your expertise.

Many organizations treat these activities as separate initiatives across PR, content, customer marketing, and social. Together, they build an ecosystem of credibility.

Create content AI can’t easily replace

Authority starts with information worth referencing. As AI-generated content becomes more common, original thinking becomes more valuable.

Invest in content only your company can create

Examples include:

• Original research.
• Customer data.
• Proprietary benchmarks.
• Executive perspectives.
• Behind-the-scenes lessons.
• Customer case studies.
• Product insights.
• First-hand experience.

Original research, first-hand experience, and proprietary data give buyers, publishers, analysts, and AI systems something worth citing. Those citations strengthen your credibility, which builds authority over time.

AI organizes existing knowledge. It can’t replace original experience, proprietary data, or firsthand expertise.

Brands that consistently contribute original ideas earn authority because other experts choose to reference their work. Those citations accumulate over time, strengthening both authority and visibility across search, AI assistants, and the broader digital ecosystem.

Publish fewer pieces that contribute something original. Contribute information that moves the conversation forward. That’s the kind of content buyers remember, experts reference, and AI systems have a reason to surface.

Build authority wherever your audience is learning

Your website is one place where buyers learn about your brand. It shouldn’t be the only place they encounter your expertise.

Meet buyers where they’re already learning

Look for opportunities to contribute through:

• Podcasts.
• Industry publications.
• LinkedIn.
• Community discussions.
• Guest articles.
• Webinars.
• Customer advocacy.
• Reviews.

Instead of asking, “What should we publish next?” Ask, “Where does our audience go when they’re trying to solve this problem?”

Share original perspectives. Answer questions, contribute practical lessons, and join conversations where your audience already spends time.

Every credible mention adds another signal that strengthens your authority and increases the chances that your brand will appear in future AI responses.

You don’t need to be everywhere. Show up consistently where your audience already spends time.

Measure visibility beyond website traffic

Traffic will always be an important marketing metric.

It tells you whether people are finding your content and engaging with your website. It helps evaluate campaign performance and identify opportunities to improve.

Today’s discovery journey extends well beyond what web analytics can capture.

That’s especially true because many of the interactions influencing purchase decisions never appear in traditional attribution models. AI remains a relatively small discovery channel today, but its share already grew from less than 1% to roughly 2-3% while some traditional discovery channels lost ground. That means those who rely only on website traffic or last-click attribution may overlook where buyer influence actually happens.

A prospect may first encounter your brand through ChatGPT, an analyst report, or customer reviews before visiting your website. Those interactions shape buying decisions long before they appear in your analytics.

Track signals traditional analytics miss

Alongside traditional SEO metrics, monitor signals such as:

• Brand mentions in AI-generated responses.
• Share of voice across search and industry conversations.
• Review quality, freshness, and volume.
• Third-party citations from analysts, publishers, and creators.
• Referral traffic from AI platforms as reporting evolves.
• Growth in direct and branded searches.
• Earned media mentions.

No single metric captures how people discover your brand anymore. Review these signals together to understand how your credibility translates into authority across search, AI platforms, and third-party channels.

Today’s environment calls for a broader definition of visibility — one that reflects where buying decisions are taking shape.

The brands people trust will become the brands AI trusts

AI has changed how people discover information, compare vendors, and make buying decisions. That shift creates an opportunity for marketers to rethink how authority is built.

Publishing more content isn’t the answer. Contributing better information is.

The brands that stand out contribute original research, practical expertise, customer perspectives, and ideas worth referencing. Over time, those contributions build credibility, credibility builds authority, and authority earns trust from both buyers and AI systems. Those brands are most likely to shape their own stories.