Will Your Brand Be Found by ChatGPT, SGE & Other Generative AI Engines?

Something ALL businesses are worried about now!

As more and more people are turning to generative engines for answers, many marketers have started thinking about the future of online search and brand findability.

When people interact with generative AI engines, like ChatGPT or alternatives, how likely would your brand or product come up as a solution or answer to the question?

Well, guess what, now that AI engines are using traditional search, brand findability relies on how your site performs in search.

With that in mind, I asked a few major generative AI engines about my brand-new SEO agency. But before I start boasting about the results (and you potentially lose interest), here are a few crucial takeaways:

• Organic rankings are key (in both Google and Bing (surprise!) because ChatGPT defaults in Bing search (we’ve been cheering for you for years, Bing!)

• What you say about yourself and your brand online is fundamental. Generative AI engines will rely on what you say on your site and elsewhere (think social media channels)

• Being a brand (an entity) and/or associating yourself with one is crucial. Even though I was asking them about a new brand, most AI platforms quickly associated it with my name and expanded the answers bragging about me.

• Branded search is more important than ever. AI answers included summaries from several branded search results.

ChatGPT: I am NOT Blocking Its Bot After This Response :)

I promoted ChatGPT “What do you know about Smarty Marketing”, and ChatGPT drew such a pretty picture that I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here’s a snapshot:

Smarty Marketing is a digital marketing agency co-founded by Ann Smarty, a well-respected figure in the field of SEO and content marketing. The agency specializes in a variety of services such as SEO audits, topical authority building, infographic marketing, and social media management. They focus on creating digital assets that drive links and brand awareness, developing unique SEO strategies to get ahead of the competition, and crafting social media strategies centered on engaging content and interactions. Their approach is client-centric, with a commitment to delivering long-term results without relying on templated reports or generic tactics.

Ann Smarty, the founder, has a significant background in SEO, having started her career in this field in 2010. 

Overall, Smarty Marketing represents a modern approach to digital marketing, prioritizing long-term, quality-focused strategies, and client-specific solutions over generic tactics.

Here’s the screenshot if you need a proof. I highlighted in yellow the parts that ChatGPT added (not mentioned on our site). ChatGPT did get one thing wrong (I started my SEO career in 2005 but I don’t blame it. Even I have a hard time believing it was so long ago!).

Our branded Bing rankings are not as impressive, mind you. So ChatGPT was basing the response on a single top-ranking site and everything else it already knew about me.

Google’s SGE/Bard: More Diverse and Well-Balanced Responses

This is something I noticed about Google’s generated answers a long time ago: They try to diversify each response by giving different options, offering various content assets, and encouraging users to research further.

I found it interesting that it pulled information from our LinkedIn page instead of using the site (which ranks #1 for our branded search):

Perplexity.ai: Trying to Satisfy Different Intents

Perplexity.ai is being named Google’s biggest future threat because, evidently, it can search. Unlike the other two platforms, this one wasn’t sure my search was navigational, so it also included a quick blurb on “what SMART marketing is”, in case I misspelled smart.

I liked this additional insight into our expertise though:

Additionally, Smarty Marketing is known for its expertise in AI strategies and smart marketing decisions based on consumer insights

Overall, these results are all pretty impressive considering I would have hardly found anything if I had performed this exercise a few short months ago. It is all moving fast!

Further reading!

Also, I encourage you to read my article on how to prompt ChatGPT or other generative AI engines to understand where your brand is as compared to your competitors (and build your strategy around those findings). Here it is: Does ChatGPT Know Your Company?

Now, go search for your brand and share your findings!