There’s been a lot of effort being put into brands making sure they are being found in LLMs. Being found in an LLM is the new go-to when users search for information about a brand. Users will go to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to gather information about a particular product or the brand itself, to understand offerings, shopping-related use, researching and getting recommendations on particular products and services. This has now become the third most common application of GenAI, according to BCG.
Before a brand focus centers on being found in an LLM, there are some things a brand should take care of first.
The first is understanding your reputation in the digital space. That requires taking inventory of the sentiment about your brand, your product and your services. Bottom line you need to do an audit to find those things out. This audit should consist of:
- What do people like about your brand?
- What do they not like brand?
- Does your website offer a good UX experience?
- Is the information up to date and easily accessible?
- Does the site meet the American Disabilities Act standards?
- Do customers have to hunt for a phone number or email just to reach your customer service, like it’s hidden on purpose?
- How fast is your customer service response time?
These are just some of the things you need to take into consideration about how your brand reputation translates into the digital world.
These things matter, because if you rush to put yourself in an LLM and ignore them, then they will come back to haunt you. What comes with being in an LLM is visibility as well all information related to your brand; good and bad. That means if customers are rating you poorly for customer service, speaking negatively about you, that comes along for the ride, further tarnishing your reputation. Trustpilot did an analysis of over 800,000 AI responses found that brands with an active review presence get cited far more often and more favorably, than those without one. When people look for information about you in an LLM, there’s a specific reason they are searching. If that search also surfaces negative reviews about your customer service or communication, it works against you.
This extends internal communication too, because ratings, reviews from staff can pop up, grievances from former and current employees about your company. Make sure you are aware of all of these things before you venture into positioning yourself in an LLM.
This is about being proactive and understanding both the benefits of this technology and the risks it carries for your brand. Many brands are not factoring that in; at least if you are aware of these things you can prepare to counter them to make sure you control why appears when someone searches about your product or service.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is AEO and why does it matter for brands?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing a brand’s presence so it’s accurately and favorably surfaced when people search using AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It matters because researching brands through LLMs has become the third most common use of GenAI, according to BCG. - Should a brand audit its reputation before optimizing for LLM visibility?
Yes. Brands should conduct a reputation audit before pursuing LLM visibility, since AI search surfaces both positive and negative information. Rushing into AEO without addressing existing reputation issues can amplify those problems instead of hiding them. - What should a brand reputation audit include?
A brand reputation audit should evaluate customer sentiment, website UX, ADA accessibility compliance, how easy it is to find contact information like a phone number or email, and customer service response times. - Does customer service affect how a brand appears in AI search results?
Yes. Customer service reviews, complaints and response times can surface in LLM-generated answers about a brand. If customers struggle to reach support or report poor service, that negative sentiment can appear when people ask AI tools about the brand. - How do online reviews impact AI search visibility?
Reviews play a significant role. A Trustpilot analysis of over 800,000 AI responses found that brands with an active review presence are cited more often and more favorably than brands without one.
I am an executive communications strategist with experience in government, media and corporate organizations. I write about AI, the workforce and what responsible communication looks like when technology moves faster than people are ready for.