CMOs: Google Just Confirmed Your Brand Visibility Strategy Needs to Change

Search is being rebuilt around AI. If your brand isn't showing up, it's time to rethink how you're found.

By Sophie Carr - Founder and CEO, GAIO Marketing

TLDR

A recently released U.S. Department of Justice court document confirms Google is rebuilding its search engine to centre around large language models (LLMs). This is not a tweak. It’s a ground-up rethink of how search works, from how pages are ranked, to how results are retrieved and displayed.

If your content visibility strategy still relies solely on traditional SEO, you're optimising for an older system that Google is actively replacing. At GAIO Marketing, we've been helping brands adapt to this shift since 2022. And with AI shaping how decisions are made, now is the moment to get ahead.

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Table of Contents

1. What Google Just Confirmed About the Future of Brand Visibility

2. Why CMOs Are Paying Attention to AI-Driven Discovery

3. The Signals That Led Here

4. How to Evolve Your Visibility Strategy for AI Search

5. What GAIO Marketing Has Proven About Strategic Visibility

6. Where to Begin: Building Your AI Visibility Strategy Now

7. FAQs: Your Most Pressing Questions on SEO, GAIO and AI Search

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1. What Google Just Confirmed About the Future of Brand Visibility

In May 2025, a document surfaced during the U.S. DOJ's antitrust case against Google, featuring an internal interview with Pandu Nayak, Google’s Vice President of Search. He stated:

“Google is currently re-thinking their search stack from the ground-up with LLM taking a more prominent role. They are thinking about how fundamental components of search (ranking, retrieval, displaying SERP) can be reimagined given the availability of LLMs.” - DOJ Trial Exhibit PXR0357

That means traditional ranking methods, like keywords, backlinks, and metadata, are no longer the only signals. Google is now designing for a world where AI delivers the answer, not a list of results.

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2. Why CMOs Are Paying Attention to AI-Driven Discovery

If you're a CMO, this directly affects how your audience finds and trusts your brand.

Buyers are no longer just typing in search terms. They're asking questions to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot, and those tools are deciding which brands to cite.

In these AI-native environments, visibility depends on whether you're recognised as the best answer. If you're not showing up there, you're missing out at the exact moment decisions are being shaped.

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3. The signals That Led Here

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. The shift has been building for a while.

• In February 2024, Gartner predicted that traditional search engine volume will drop 25 percent by 2026 due to the rise of AI tools.

• In March 2025, Adobe Analytics reported a 1200 percent increase in traffic from generative AI tools to US retail websites in just one year.

• Google already uses AI models like RankBrain, DeepRank, and RankEmbed BERT, all trained on user click and query data. These are not side experiments — they are live components shaping what shows up in search.

The writing has been on the wall. Now it’s in court documents.

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4. How to Evolve Your Visibility Strategy for AI Search

Traditional SEO gets your content listed as a blue link. Generative AI Optimisation (GAIO) helps your brand get cited as a part of an answer to a question your audience is asking AI right now. To win you need to create meaningful content that humans and AI learn from, save for later and share with others.

To be found in this new system, your content needs to:

• Answer high-intent, natural-language questions

• Use structure and formatting that AI can interpret

• Include authorship and sources that build trust

• Be connected to your brand’s topical authority

• Be designed for summarisation, not just for search

This is not about adding more content. It's about creating the kind of content that AI sees as useful, reliable and clear.

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5. What GAIO Marketing Has Proven About Strategic Visibility

At GAIO, we've been solving this problem since 2022. We help CMOs and marketing teams:

• Identify the real questions their audience are asking AI

• Audit their current visibility in AI-generated responses and create brand intelligence reports

• Create a strategic content plan to increase trust, clarity and relevance

• Track brand visibility in AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity

• Refine their strategy and apply new learnings we know are working in other industries

One global enterprise saw measurable improvements in AI visibility within 30 days. The results were clear. And repeatable.

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6. Where to Begin: Building Your AI Visibility Strategy Now

If you're still relying only on SEO dashboards, you're not seeing the full picture. Start here:

1. Write down five questions your ideal buyer might ask an AI tool during their decision process

2. Check whether your brand is showing up in those answers

3. Take one key page and rewrite it with that question as the heading

4. Structure the answer so it's clear, concise and backed by sources

5. Monitor changes in AI visibility, not just your position in Google SERPs

Need help? That’s what GAIO Marketing was built for.

→ Book a strategy call with me

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7. FAQs: Your Most Pressing Questions on SEO, GAIO and AI Search

Is SEO dead?

No. But it’s no longer the whole story. SEO gets you listed. GAIO helps you get quoted.

Do we need a big tech stack change?

No. This is primarily about strategy and structure. The right changes can be implemented quickly with your existing team.

Is this only for tech companies?

Not at all. We work with financial services, retail, B2B SaaS and others. If your customers are using AI to evaluate options, it applies to you.

How fast can we expect results?

Our clients have seen measurable visibility gains in 30 days when the right changes are made. It depends on your current footprint.

Is this a one-off project?

No. It’s an ongoing capability. But you can get started with one smart pilot and build from there.

Search is changing. Google has confirmed it.

Buyers have already moved. Now your brand needs to show up where decisions begin.

→ Book a discovery call

AI Share of Voice (AI SoV): How to measure your brand’s presence in AI search

AI-generated search results are changing the way brands compete for visibility. Instead of traditional SEO rankings, businesses now need to track how often they appear in AI-driven responses from platforms like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Grok.

This is where AI Share of Voice (AI SoV) comes in.

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Table of Contents

1. AI share of voice (AI SoV) defined

2. Why AI share of voice matters

3. Why AI share of voice should be weighted

4. How to calculate AI share of voice for one query on one AI platform

5. How to calculate AI SoV for one query across multiple AI platforms

6. Final thoughts

7. About the author

8. Disclaimer

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1. AI share of voice (AI SoV) defined

AI SoV is a percentage-based score that measures how frequently an AI model mentions your brand compared to competitors in response to a specific query.

Think of it like a market share metric, but instead of tracking revenue or customer reach, it tracks AI-driven visibility. The higher your AI SoV, the more AI models reference your brand as an authoritative source. The more influence you have.

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2. Why AI share of voice matters

AI-generated search is rapidly influencing purchasing decisions, and being referenced by AI platforms can directly impact your brand’s success. A strong AI SoV brings measurable benefits:

• More website visitors - Higher visibility in AI-generated search leads to increased organic traffic.

• Better quality leads - AI recommendations position your brand in front of relevant audiences actively seeking solutions.

• Higher sales conversions - Customers trust AI-driven answers, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

• Stronger brand authority - Consistent AI mentions reinforce your brand as an industry leader.

• Competitive advantage - Tracking AI SoV helps you stay ahead of competitors in emerging AI search trends.

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3. Why AI share of voice should be weighted

Unlike traditional Share of Voice calculations, where each mention is counted equally, AI-generated search results require a weighted approach.

Here’s why:

1. Different AI platforms list different numbers of brands – One AI model might only mention a single company, while another lists 20.

2. Ranking order matters – Being the first brand mentioned in an AI-generated response carries more influence than being third or tenth.

3. A standardised method is needed – A simple, scalable system allows fair comparisons regardless of how many brands are listed.

This is why we use a reciprocal weighting system (1/place) for AI SoV. This method ensures that each brand’s visibility is fairly represented, no matter how many brands an AI model includes.

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4. How to calculate AI share of voice for one query on one AI platform

Recommendation: Focus on generic queries (where multiple brands could be mentioned) for a more meaningful competitive SoV

Let’s say you ask ChatGPT: “What’s the best online broker for international investors?” and receive this ranking:

1. Brand A

2. Your Brand

3. Brand C

4. Brand D

To calculate your weighted AI SoV:

1. Give the place a value, e.g. 1st = 1, 2nd = 2, 3rd = 3 and so on.

2. Assign a weight to each position using the formula 1/place value:

   • 1st place = 1.00 (1/1)

   • 2nd place = 0.50 (1/2)

   • 3rd place = 0.33 (1/3)

   • 4th place = 0.25 (1/4)

3. Identify your brand’s weighted score:

   • Your brand is in 2nd place, so your score is 0.50.

4. Add up all weighted scores:

   • 1.00 (Brand A) + 0.50 (Your Brand) + 0.33 (Brand C) + 0.25 (Brand D) = 2.08

5. Calculate your AI SoV:

   • (Your Brand’s Weighted Score ÷ Total Weighted Mentions) × 100

   • (0.50 ÷ 2.08) × 100 = 24.0% AI SoV

This means your brand holds 24% of the AI-generated response share for this query on ChatGPT.

Competitor benchmarking table for ChatGPT response (4 brands mentioned)

Brand	Position Value	Weighted Score	AI SoV (%)
Brand A	1	1.00	48.0%
Your Brand	2	0.50	24.0%
Brand C	3	0.33	16.0%
Brand D	4	0.25	12.0%
Total Weighted Mentions		2.08	100.0%

Key Insight: Brand A is winning AI search responses for this query, meaning your brand needs to improve authority signals or optimise content to increase AI visibility.

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5. How to calculate AI SoV for one query across multiple AI platforms

When measuring AI Share of Voice (AI SoV) across multiple AI platforms, the number of brands mentioned can vary significantly between responses. This means we need to apply the same weighted SoV calculation separately for each platform before averaging the results.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

Step 1: AI SoV calculation for each AI platform

For example, let’s say we ask the same query to different AI models:

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Grok response (5 brands mentioned)

Brand	Position Value	Weighted Score	AI SoV (%)
Brand B	1	1.00	43.8%
Your Brand	2	0.50	21.9%
Brand X	3	0.33	14.6%
Brand Y	4	0.25	10.9%
Brand Z	5	0.20	8.8%
Total Weighted Mentions		2.28	100.0%

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Microsoft copilot response (2 brands mentioned)

Brand	Position Value	Weighted Score	AI SoV (%)
Brand C	1	1.00	66.7%
Your Brand	2	0.50	33.3%
Total Weighted Mentions		1.50	100.0%

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Google Gemini response (7 brands mentioned)

Brand	Position Value	Weighted Score	AI SoV (%)
Your Brand	1	1.00	38.6%
Brand A	2	0.50	19.3%
Brand C	3	0.33	12.9%
Brand B	4	0.25	9.6%
Brand X	5	0.20	7.7%
Brand Y	6	0.17	6.4%
Brand Z	7	0.14	5.5%
Total Weighted Mentions		2.59	100.0%

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Step 2: Create an AI SoV master score table

Once we have calculated AI SoV for each platform, we can compare overall rankings for all brands.

AI SoV master score table

Brand	ChatGPT SoV	Grok SoV	Microsoft Copilot SoV	Google Gemini SoV	Average AI SoV
Your Brand	24.0%	21.9%	33.3%	38.6%	29.4%
Brand A	48.0%	0%	0.0%	19.3%	16.8%
Brand B	0.0%	43.8%	0.0%	9.7%	13.4%
Brand C	16.0%	0.0%	66.7%	12.7%	23.9%
Brand D	12.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	3.0%
Brand X	0.0%	14.6%	0.0%	7.7%	5.6%
Brand Y	0.0%	10.9%	0.0%	6.4%	4.3%
Brand Z	0.0%	8.8%	0.0%	5.6%	3.6%
Sum	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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Step 3: Final AI SoV ranking order & strategy

Here’s the final ranking based on overall AI SoV:

1. Your Brand – 29.4%

2. Brand C – 23.9%

3. Brand A – 16.8%

4. Brand B – 13.4%

5. Brand X – 5.6%

6. Brand Y – 4.3%

7. Brand Z – 3.6%

8. Brand D – 3.0%

This ranking shows who is leading in AI visibility and who needs to improve. In this case, your brand is currently in first place overall, but competitors like Brand C and Brand A are still close behind.

By targeting weaker-performing platforms like Grok and ChatGPT, you can increase your AI visibility and ensure your brand is referenced more often in AI-generated search results.

This approach ensures a practical, real-world way to measure AI visibility across multiple AI models, giving you clear insights into where to focus your GAIO strategy.

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6. Final Thoughts

Tracking AI Share of Voice is essential in a world where AI-generated search influences how businesses and consumers find information. AI SoV provides a clear, data-driven way to measure your brand’s AI visibility and compare it against competitors.

By understanding which AI platforms mention your brand the most and identifying gaps in visibility, you can fine-tune your AI-optimised content strategy to improve brand authority and increase your presence in AI-generated search results.

If you’d like an AI visibility audit to measure your brand’s performance across AI search platforms, contact us. We can help you gain the insights needed to enhance your AI presence and ensure your brand remains a top reference in AI-generated results.

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7. About the author

Sophie Carr is the founder of GAIO Marketing Pte. Ltd. and an expert in ranking in AI.

She helps enterprises transition from traditional SEO to AI search optimisation with the tools, training, and services needed to secure authority in AI-powered search engines like Chat GPT, Grok and Microsoft Copilot.

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8. Disclaimer

This blog was written with the assistance of AI tools for structuring, research, and clarity. The core insights, strategies, and expertise are entirely Sophie Carr’s original thought leadership. AI was used as an efficiency tool, much like a spellchecker or a literacy calculator, to streamline content creation while preserving authenticity.

How to rank in AI: The GAIO strategy for AI search visibility

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. GAIO vs. GEO: Understanding their roles in AI search

3. GAIO vs. GEO: A side-by-side comparison

4. Why GAIO and GEO work best together

5. The full stack GAIO strategy to rank in AI = GEO + AEO + SEO + EEAT + AI SoV

6. What GAIO delivers: Your ROI

7. Why GAIO is the future of AI search

8. Final thoughts: How GAIO helps enterprises secure AI search visibility

9. About the author

10. Disclaimer

11. GAIO Marketing FAQs

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1. Introduction

In the world of AI-driven search, two emerging concepts are getting a lot of attention as the way enterprises secure visibility—GAIO (Generative AI Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).

CMOs and marketing leaders who want to rank in AI search should know that GAIO and GEO are not competing methodologies; rather, GEO is a core pillar of GAIO. The two work together to ensure AI models retrieve, reference, and trust your content as a reliable source.

Learning about GAIO marketing has never been more important with the EU set to mobilise a total of EUR 200 billion in public-private investments for AI initiatives and 95% of buyers now anticipating the use of generative AI to support their decision-making process over the next year (source: Forrester).

In this article, we’ll break down why GAIO and GEO are inseparable and how to implement a full-stack GAIO Marketing strategy to rank in AI.

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2. GAIO vs. GEO: Understanding their roles in AI search

GAIO (Generative AI Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) work together to ensure brands are visible and referenced in AI-generated responses.

While GAIO provides the overarching strategy for AI-first content visibility, GEO serves as the technical execution that makes AI retrieval possible. Without GAIO, brands lack a structured approach to AI search. Without GEO, AI models struggle to process and reference content efficiently.

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3. GAIO vs. GEO: A side-by-side comparison

Aspect	GAIO (Generative AI Optimisation)	GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)
Definition	A strategy ensuring brands are recognised and referenced by AI search engines.	A subset of GAIO that makes content AI-friendly and retrievable.
Purpose	Structures knowledge and aligns content with AI search priorities.	Ensures AI models can retrieve and understand content correctly.
Think of it as...	Training an AI librarian to recommend your brand’s books.	Formatting those books so AI can read and reference them efficiently.
Role in AI Search	The overarching framework making AI search work for enterprises.	The technical execution ensuring AI can effectively use the structured content.

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4. Why GAIO and GEO work best together

Rather than choosing between GAIO and GEO, brands need both for AI-first visibility. GEO ensures content is technically optimised for AI retrieval, while GAIO ensures it remains authoritative, structured, and widely referenced.

For CMOs, thinking holistically about GAIO as the parent strategy—with GEO as a core pillar—creates the best resuts in AI search rankings. Let's look at the other core pillars that make up a full-stack GAIO strategy.

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5. The full-stack GAIO strategy to rank in AI = GEO + AEO + SEO + EEAT + AI SoV

GAIO Pillars	What It Does	How It Helps You Rank in AI
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)	AI content structuring & retrieval	AI models can find, understand, and cite your content more effectively.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)	AI conversational visibility	AI-powered assistants like Siri, Alexa, ChatGPT, Grok, Google Gemini, and Copilot reference your brand in direct responses, AI summaries and zero click snippits.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)	Bridging traditional & AI search	Ensures visibility in both search engines and AI-generated responses.
EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)	AI trust signals	AI is more likely to reference your content as a reliable source.
AI Share of Voice (AI SoV)	Measuring & improving AI brand presence	Tracks how often and when AI cites your brand, allowing for data-driven improvements.

When all five pillars work together, AI sees your brand as structured, authoritative, and highly relevant—which increases the likelihood of being referenced in AI-generated answers, chatbots, and AI-driven search engines.

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6. What GAIO delivers: Your ROI

Switching to a GAIO strategy pays off. Here’s what can increase and why:

• Website Traffic: GAIO puts your brand in AI responses, sending more people straight to your site—because that’s where they’re looking for answers.

• Leads: More visitors mean more chances to connect with interested customers—AI highlights your brand when it matters.

• Sales: Trusted mentions from AI build confidence, nudging people to buy—because they see you as the go-to source.

• Brand Trust: GAIO makes you a reliable voice in AI’s eyes, boosting your reputation—customers stick with brands they trust.

• Efficiency: AI tools in GAIO streamline content creation, letting your team focus on strategy—less time wasted, more impact.

GAIO doesn’t just keep you seen; it grows your business where the future of search is happening.

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7. Why GAIO is the future of AI search

AI-driven search is already replacing traditional search for millions of users. If your brand isn’t ranking in AI, you’re missing out on critical visibility and potential customers.

By implementing GAIO as a complete AI-first marketing approach, enterprises can:

• Ensure AI models retrieve their content accurately

• Become the default brand AI assistants recommend

• Outrank competitors in AI-generated search results

• Strengthen credibility and trust with AI search engines

The future of search isn’t just about being found—it’s about being the trusted answer AI provides.

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8. Final thoughts: How GAIO helps enterprises secure AI search visibility

GAIO marketing is about becoming an AI and human trusted source that delivers value and earns authority in your niche. At GAIO Marketing Pte. Ltd., we’ve done the research, built the frameworks, and tested the strategies—so you don’t have to start from scratch.

Three months ago, our AI Share of Voice was 0%. Today, we consistently rank first across major AI search engines, including ChatGPT, Grok, and Microsoft Copilot.

Whether it’s through enterprise training, AI-first content structuring, or custom AI tools, we help businesses take control of their AI visibility.

This shift is happening now. Traditional SEO alone isn’t enough, and enterprises that fail to adapt risk being left out of AI-generated results.

If you want to understand where your brand is ranking in AI search and how to secure long-term visibility, you can start by reading our full case study here or claiming a free AI visibility audit. AI search is evolving fast—now is the perfect time to make sure your brand is part of it.

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9. About the Author

Sophie Carr is the founder of GAIO Marketing Pte. Ltd. and an expert in ranking in AI.

She helps enterprises transition from traditional SEO to AI search optimisation with the tools, training, and strategies needed to secure authority in AI-powered search engines like Chat GPT, Grok and Microsoft Copilot.

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10. Disclaimer:

This blog was written with the assistance of AI tools for structuring, research, and clarity. The core insights, strategies, and expertise are entirely Sophie Carr’s original thought leadership. AI was used as an efficiency tool, much like a spellchecker or a literacy calculator, to streamline content creation while preserving authenticity.

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11. GAIO Marketing FAQs

What is Generative AI Optimisation (GAIO)?

Generative AI Optimisation (GAIO) is an advanced marketing approach that increases brand visibility specifically in AI-driven search platforms like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot. The full-stack GAIO strategy to rank in AI = GEO + AEO + SEO + EEAT + AI SoV.

How is GAIO different from traditional SEO?

Unlike traditional SEO, which targets conventional search engine algorithms, GAIO tailors content to meet AI-generated response criteria, making your brand a preferred AI recommendation.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) within GAIO?

GEO is the technical aspect of GAIO, ensuring content is formatted and structured optimally for AI systems to retrieve, understand, and feature prominently in search results.

Why is ranking in AI search important for businesses?

Ranking in AI search engines directly influences consumer decisions, boosts trust, drives high-quality traffic, and increases leads and conversions through AI-driven recommendations.

What components make up a successful GAIO strategy?

A complete GAIO strategy integrates GEO, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), traditional SEO, EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness), and monitoring AI Share of Voice (AI SoV).

How does GAIO impact Return on Investment (ROI)?

Implementing GAIO significantly increases website traffic, enhances lead quality, boosts sales conversion rates, builds stronger brand trust, and streamlines content production for better overall marketing efficiency.

Why is GAIO considered the future of search visibility?

GAIO represents the future because AI-driven search methods are rapidly replacing traditional searches, and GAIO ensures brands stay relevant, authoritative, and frequently cited by AI.

What steps can enterprises take to effectively implement GAIO?

Enterprises can effectively implement GAIO by creating clear, structured content, establishing authoritative citations, optimising concise and precise answers, consistently measuring AI-driven visibility metrics, and adapting strategies based on data insights.