SEO is a complex puzzle, with many variables and unknowns. You might have the best content, the most backlinks, and the most authoritative domain, but if Google doesn\u2019t love you, you\u2019re not going to rank. AI optimization, on the other hand, is a different beast. It\u2019s a world where you can see exactly what AI thinks of you and your competitors. It\u2019s a world where you can ask the AI to make you a little buyer guide, showing you exactly where you\u2019re weak and your competitors are strong.<\/p>\n
But how do you ask the AI? How do you get it to show you the truth? Today, we\u2019re going to share a method for AI Search Competitive Audits that will show you how your brand measures up in AI responses. But first, let\u2019s make an important distinction\u2026<\/p>\n
While SEOs everywhere keep saying that \u201cAI visibility\u201d is the goal, we have to set our sights higher. Or rather, set our goals lower at the bottom of the funnel. Because that\u2019s where leads are born. We don\u2019t just want to be visible in AI, we want to be recommended by AI.<\/p>\n
When your future prospect does their research in an AI model, you want the AI to tell them that you\u2019re the best option. If the AI puts you last on the list of recommendations, that\u2019s AI visibility, but you won\u2019t win the lead.<\/p>\n
So visibility is the start, and good SEO is critical for that. If you\u2019re not present and prominent on the web, you won\u2019t even be listed as one of the options.<\/p>\n
But to get AI to recommend your brand as the best option, you need more than good search optimization. You need good conversion optimization. That means providing the AIs with the trust, proof, and the specific details that align with how your prospect does their research. In other words, conversion copywriting.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start with a prompt for a simple, quick competitive analysis. Then we\u2019ll go deeper and use AI to glimpse how our prospects prompt the AI, and get deeper insights.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll start with a high-level audit. This will give us a general sense of what AI thinks of our brands in the competitive context. This prompt will give you a quick snapshot of AI\u2019s perspective on your brand and your competitors.<\/p>\n
\nAnalyze how your training data portrays each brand in this list. Summarize perceived strengths and weaknesses based on reputation patterns, known capabilities, and common comparisons. Do not invent information. Keep every point brief and factual. Your output must be a table with the following:<\/p>\n
\u2022 One row for each brand
\n\u2022 A \u201cPros \/ Strengths\u201d column (7 short bullets)
\n\u2022 A \u201cCons \/ Weaknesses\u201d column (7 short bullets)<\/p>\nAfter the table, add a short section titled \u201cPatterns That Influence AI Recommendations\u201d that explains three things: What tends to raise a brand\u2019s standing, what tends to lower it, and the traits the model often favors when suggesting providers.<\/p>\n
Our brands: [Insert your brand]<\/strong>
\nCompetitor brands: [3-5 competitors]<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nNow you\u2019re looking at a mini buyer guide for your category. It\u2019s a peek into the AI training data. It shows where it thinks they\u2019re strong and you\u2019re weak. It\u2019s a good start for our quick audit.<\/p>\n
The prompt is also tuned to suggest why and when it recommends brands from your list, giving you a few quick ideas for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) improvements.<\/p>\n
Deep Dive: Understanding Prospects\u2019 AI Prompts<\/h2>\n
Now that we have a general sense of how AI views our brands, let\u2019s go deeper. Let\u2019s try to understand how our prospects are prompting the AI. This will give us a better understanding of what they\u2019re looking for and how we can optimize our content to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
Prospects\u2019 AI Prompt Analysis Prompt<\/h3>\n
\nAnalyze the common prompts used by prospects in your category. Summarize the key themes, questions, and concerns that prospects are asking the AI. Do not invent information. Keep every point brief and factual. Your output must be a list of the top 10 prompts, along with a brief explanation of why prospects are asking them.<\/p>\n
Category: [Insert your category]<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Now we have a list of the top 10 prompts that prospects are using in our category. This is a goldmine of information. It tells us what our prospects are looking for, what they\u2019re concerned about, and what they\u2019re asking the AI.<\/p>\n
Optimizing Content for Prospects\u2019 AI Prompts<\/h3>\n
Now that we know what our prospects are asking the AI, we can start optimizing our content to answer their questions. We can create content that addresses their key themes and concerns. We can create content that provides the specific details that align with how they do their research.<\/p>\n
This is where conversion copywriting comes into play. It\u2019s about creating content that not only answers the prospect\u2019s questions but also builds trust and provides proof. It\u2019s about creating content that the AI will recommend as the best option.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
AI optimization is a powerful tool. It\u2019s a world where you can see exactly what AI thinks of you and your competitors. It\u2019s a world where you can ask the AI to make you a little buyer guide, showing you exactly where you\u2019re weak and your competitors are strong.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just about visibility. It\u2019s about recommendations. It\u2019s about getting the AI to recommend your brand as the best option. And to do that, you need more than good search optimization. You need good conversion optimization. You need to understand how your prospects are prompting the AI and optimize your content to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
So, start with a basic AI-Search competitive analysis. Then, go deeper and understand how your prospects are prompting the AI. Finally, optimize your content to answer their questions and build trust. That\u2019s the key to AI optimization.<\/p>\n
FAQ<\/h2>\n
What is AI optimization?<\/h3>\n
AI optimization is the process of optimizing your content to get the best possible results from AI models. It\u2019s about understanding how AI views your brand and your competitors, and then optimizing your content to meet the needs of your prospects.<\/p>\n
How do I ask the AI to make a buyer guide for me?<\/h3>\n
You can use prompts like the ones we\u2019ve discussed in this article. You can ask the AI to analyze how it portrays your brand and your competitors, and then ask it to make a buyer guide based on that analysis.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the difference between AI visibility and AI recommendations?<\/h3>\n
AI visibility is about being present and prominent in AI responses. It\u2019s about being listed as one of the options. AI recommendations, on the other hand, are about being recommended as the best option. It\u2019s about getting the AI to tell your prospects that you\u2019re the best choice.<\/p>\n
How do I optimize my content for prospects\u2019 AI prompts?<\/h3>\n
First, understand what your prospects are asking the AI. Then, create content that addresses their key themes and concerns. Provide the specific details that align with how they do their research. And build trust and provide proof to make your content the best option.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the best way to measure the success of my AI optimization efforts?<\/h3>\n
You can measure the success of your AI optimization efforts by looking at the number of AI recommendations you\u2019re getting. You can also look at the quality of those recommendations. Are they high-quality, relevant recommendations? Or are they just generic, low-quality responses?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEO is a complex puzzle, with many variables and unknowns. You might have the best content, the most backlinks, and the most authoritative domain, but if Google doesn’t love you, you’re not going to rank.\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/influencerswiki.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}