Searchlight is Aztek's marketing news roundup that brings together the week’s most relevant developments in marketing, search, AI, and digital strategy, all in one place. We update this article throughout the week with news we think is worth your time, along with context to help you understand what changed, why it matters, and what it could mean for your business.
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10/27: AI Search Can't Agree on Which Brands to Recommend
Getting your business recommended by ChatGPT or another AI platform sounds like a pretty good marketing win. As more people use these tools to research products and compare companies, businesses naturally want to show up in those conversations. The tricky part is figuring out how often that's actually happening.
A recent study from AI visibility platform Envoyra found that over a four-week period, AI tools changed which brands they recommended in 79% of the tests conducted, even when researchers asked the exact same questions each week.
For marketers, this revolving door of recommendations makes it harder to know whether their efforts to improve AI search visibility are actually working.
What the Research Found About AI Brand Recommendations
Envoyra analyzed 2,720 responses from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Researchers asked each platform questions about business software, including CRM systems and marketing automation tools, to see which brands they recommended.
For marketing automation, ChatGPT recommended HubSpot most frequently, while Claude favored Klaviyo. Gemini and Perplexity leaned toward ActiveCampaign. Even when researchers returned to the same platforms with the same questions, the recommendations sometimes changed.
Of the 680 question-and-platform combinations tested, only 144 returned the exact same list of brands across all four weeks. There was some consistency among the most frequently recommended brands, but results were less predictable beyond those leaders.
The study was limited to five software categories and specific AI models, so we shouldn't assume every industry will see the same results. Still, it offers a useful look at how much AI recommendations can vary.
Why AI Search Visibility Is Harder to Measure
Marketers are used to watching their Google rankings move around. It's frustrating when a keyword drops a few positions, but at least there's an established way to track where a website appears and how that affects traffic. AI search doesn't offer that same level of consistency.
Imagine checking ChatGPT on Monday and finding your company recommended alongside several competitors. You check again the following week, and your business is nowhere to be found. Did something change with your website? Did a competitor suddenly become more relevant? Or did the AI tool simply generate a different answer?
As more businesses start tracking AI brand recommendations, this uncertainty becomes a problem. A report showing that your company appeared in ChatGPT five times might sound encouraging, but the number doesn't tell you much without knowing how often you were tested or how those results compare over time.
What Should Businesses Do About AI Search Visibility?
AI search is worth watching, especially if your customers are using it to research potential vendors. Businesses just need to be realistic about what they can measure. For starters, checking your visibility once a month probably isn't enough to understand how often you're being recommended. Looking at the same relevant questions regularly can help you identify patterns, while monthly performance can help you track growth over time. It's also worth checking multiple AI platforms rather than assuming ChatGPT represents everyone's experience.
There are still plenty of reasons to invest in the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) fundamentals, too. SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO) work together to establish your business' identity and authority to make it easier for AI to cite your site. If your website does a poor job explaining your services or answering common customer questions, that's worth fixing regardless of what an AI tool recommends. AI mentions may eventually become a useful part of marketing reports, but they shouldn't take priority over the metrics that show whether your marketing efforts are delivering results.
Don't Get Too Caught Up in AI Rankings
AI search is changing how people research businesses, and marketers have good reason to understand how their brands appear in those results. This study suggests that measuring that visibility will require more patience than checking a traditional keyword ranking report.
Businesses should be cautious about putting too much weight on individual AI recommendations, especially when those recommendations can change without an obvious explanation. There's value in knowing whether AI tools are mentioning your brand. There's a lot more value in understanding whether your marketing is helping the right customers find you and eventually become leads.
