Google’s AI Overviews and generative AI models like GPT, Claude, and Gemini are playing two totally different games.
Only 7.2% of domains show up in both.
That means if your brand isn’t being seen by both systems, you’re basically shouting into the void.
And no, this isn’t about tweaking a few FAQs.
This is about where AI looks, who it trusts, and who gets remembered.
If you’re not already showing up in the right publisher networks, the models don’t even know you exist.
Let’s fix that before your brand becomes a ghost in GenAI.
7.2% Overlap: What the Data Actually Shows
Search Engine Land pulled data from 8,090 keywords across 25 verticals. They stacked up Google AI Overviews against answers from GPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Here’s what they found:
70.7% of the 22,410 domains only showed up in AI Overviews
22.1% were exclusive to LLMs
A sad little 7.2% made it into both
Wipes tears of lost SEO dreams.
Translation? DA alone ain’t saving you now. You need to be useful, structured, and everywhere the models hang out.
Which Sources LLMs Prefer and Why That Matters
Wanna get cited by AI? Here’s what matters:
Coverage – Can the AI legally get to your content?
Context – Are you showing up in its training sets and safety filters?
Credibility – Does the model trust you when it’s crunch time?
If a publisher is in the AI’s back pocket, it’s not just another source; it’s a freakin’ landmark in its internal map of the internet.
Over time, those landmarks get baked into every single answer the model spits out.
If you're not part of that memory bank? You're toast.
What This Means For Your SEO & PR Stack
SEO without PR? Weak. PR without structure? Useless. You need a two-pronged SEO strategy:
Bulletproof, structured content that machines can chew on.
Off-site authority from the publisher networks AI models drool over.
Let’s break it down.
Standardise Machine-Friendly Content
Make your content so clean, a model could eat off it:
Sharp definitions
Easy-as-hell how-tos
Comparison tables
Numbered lists
TL;DR (too long; didn't read) summaries
Crystal-clear headers, schema, FAQs
Give the bots what they want, then hit publish and let the citations roll.
Build Vertical Depth, Not Just Breadth
LLMs don’t care if you cover everything. They care if you own your niche.
Go deep with guides and explainers
Break subtopics into clusters and update them like clockwork
Slap expert names on every pillar page
Think: “When it’s about {your topic}, there’s only one brand to trust.”
Engineer Repetition and Syndication
You want visibility? Then you need volume.
Get picked up by Associated Press (AP) style syndication and let it snowball
Offer embeddable visuals and copy-paste stats
Push data stories built for re-use
More coverage = more AI exposure = more statistical gravity. Yes, that’s a thing.
Target the Right Publisher Networks
Stop blasting emails to everyone and start pitching the right people.
Build a hit list of AI-cited publishers in your niche
Prioritise the ones training and feeding the models
Update your list quarterly. AI changes fast
Earn Editorial Signals Models Trust
Not all backlinks are created equal. Models prefer:
Sites with strong editorial standards
Fact-checked content
Data-backed stories and expert takes
Make life easy for journalists and you’ll earn more than PR, you’ll earn memory in the machine.
Balance Reddit Reality With Provenance
Reddit gets love. So does GitHub. But they’re risky.
UGC (User-Generated Content) is noisy and messy
Models are starting to care more about where the info comes from
Keep your brand active in communities, but lock down citations in verified outlets that models won’t throw out later.
Refresh Cadence to Trigger Re-Crawls
Freshness = recrawls = visibility.
Update key content every 90 days
Refresh stats monthly
Add timestamps and change logs
Repitch your updates to top outlets
AI sees what’s new. Feed it regularly.
How to Win Brand Visibility in GenAI Answers
If your brand isn’t showing up in both AI Overviews and LLM answers, you’re losing visibility where it counts. Here's how to fix that, fast.
Audit your dual visibility. Grab your top 50 queries and run them through Google’s AI Overviews and the big LLMs. Take note of which domains are getting cited. If you’re missing from one or both, you’ve got work to do. Find the gaps and build a game plan to close each one. Simple.
Rebuild page architecture. Time to strip out the fluff. Your content should follow a predictable, machine-readable structure. Think clear definitions, logical steps, helpful tables, and TL; DRs (too long; didn't read). Layer in schema and FAQ blocks so AI can digest and resurface your stuff with zero friction. Bonus: track where it gets reused. If others are quoting your structure, the models will too.
Concentrate your expertise. Don’t spread thin across 100 topics. Pick 3 to 5 and go deep. Publish expert-backed content that covers every angle, buyer guides, troubleshooting, comparison matrices, all tied to real humans your audience (and AI) can trust. The goal? Become the brand for that subject. No substitutes.
Revamp PR targeting by AI influence. You need a sniper’s list. A tight group of publishers that AI actually listens to in your niche. Then? Get in there. Pitch features, drop expert Q&As, and serve up original data stories that make editors bite. This isn’t about backlinks anymore; you’re programming the next wave of AI to remember your brand.
Design for syndication. If you want to stick in the model’s memory, your content needs to reach. Package your work so it’s easy to reuse: charts with embed codes, stats with crystal-clear attributions, and stories that media outlets can pick up without rewriting a word. The more you repeat, the more weight you carry.
Operationalise freshness. AI loves fresh signals. Set real cadences, 90 days for your pillars, 30 for anything stats-heavy. Publish changelogs. Make your updates loud and obvious. Then take your refreshed content and repitch it like a brand-new piece. Freshness fuels recrawls, and recrawls boost relevance.
Measure what matters. Beyond traffic, track: Forget vanity metrics. You want proof that AI systems are recognising your brand. Track mentions from top-tier media, citation presence across AI Overviews and LLMs, and how fast your stories get picked up. If your wording is getting reused out in the wild, that’s your signal that the models are listening.
Why We Care
Because search has split, and most brands are sleepwalking through it.
Google’s AI Overviews want the establishment. LLMs want the nerds, the experts, the data freaks. And AI media partnerships? They’re tilting the playing field harder by the week.
If your brand’s not part of the model’s trusted memory, it’s just noise.
The fix?
Clean structure
Deep niche expertise
Cited by the right publishers
Start now while there’s still room to break in, before GenAI becomes gatekept by the brands who got in early.
Your brand deserves more than a cameo. Build a presence the models can’t ignore.
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