brightonSEO: Influencing LLM-Driven Zero-Click User Experiences
Our CTO, Eoin O’Neill, returned to the brightonSEO main stage last week to discuss how brands can leverage LLMs and AI advocacy tools to ensure their web content is surfacing on AI mode and other generative search models.
With over a decade of industry experience, Eoin has seen the landscape of search change exponentially, both in terms of user interaction and machine learning. Now, with the introduction of generative search, not only have click-through rates seen a sharp decline, but the user journey has become increasingly fragmented with the introduction of more pathways to satisfy a search query in the browser without ever having to click through to a landing page.
Among these new ways to search are integrated AI experiences, such as OpenAI and Gemini, that gain trust by encouraging an open dialogue within the browser. At the heart of their success is the quality of their knowledge.
Brand AI Optimisation in a Zero-Click Era
When navigating a zero-click search strategy, the biggest questions for today’s brands are:
- Where are we appearing?
- Why aren’t we appearing?
- Are we prominent?
For brands that optimise their content for real people as well as LLMs, they’re rewarded by remaining visible in AI search. Using advocacy tools to help understand what product or brand is being advocated for and why. By measuring brand inclusion and advocacy, we can optimise brand communications to ensure that we surface more frequently.
Monitoring Positive Brand Advocacy
Strong brand advocacy relies on the quality and context of mentions in AI search. Having a strong portfolio of unique (seasonal and evergreen) content is likely to send strong signals to the LLMs; however, variables such as brand competition and the level of connection between the LLM training and your website also need to be factored in.
AI advocacy tools can aid in reviewing content against these four categories: brand positioning, target audience, key offerings and digital presence. Once areas of improvement have been identified and changes are implemented, it’s essential to audit brand inclusion for an increase in positive inclusion and a higher advocacy score, an uplift in branded search volume, and the impact on leads, market share and revenue, which is the ultimate goal for brands.
The Key Takeaways for Success in Today’s Search Landscape
The overall sentiment of Eoin’s talk at brightonSEO is simple: ‘drive actions, not just insights.’ What does this look like practically?
- Get a panel of consistent prompts instead of trying to measure it all.
- Get an understanding of the advocacy, not just inclusion.
- Ensure it’s repeatable and measurable.
Ready to take control of your brand’s visibility in AI search? Our team can help you audit, measure and optimise your brand’s inclusion across LLM-powered experiences. Chat with the Tug team today.
