Meanwhile, the rules of discovery are being rewritten.
We’re entering the AI Search era, and visibility on platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s quickly becoming a primary driver of traffic, trust, and transactions.
This is where the future is headed, and Avenue Z is already there.
Forget Traditional SEO. AI Search Has Different Rules.
In my recent conversation with the LA Examiner, I explained what I’ve seen firsthand: most brands are optimizing for search engines built for yesterday’s web, but AI search works differently. It’s not about keyword density. It’s about content structure, source authority, and intent mapping across platforms.
At Avenue Z, we break this down into three pillars that drive AI visibility:
- Earned media — trusted third-party validation
- SEO structure — clean, accessible, well-formed content
- Site traffic — volume signals that matter to the models
If your brand isn’t actively integrating all three, you’re not going to be surfaced in AI results. That means brands need to shift from stuffing blogs with keywords to creating clear, validated, and easily referenced content because that’s what AI models actually surface.
Traffic is Correlated With Trust
The old marketing funnel assumed customers would discover your brand, learn to trust it, and then convert. In 2025, discovery and trust happen simultaneously, often through a single AI-powered search.
When a user asks Perplexity for product recommendations, they’re not clicking five links and comparing brands. They’re trusting what shows up first, and what shows up first is determined by reputation, not just relevance.
AI doesn’t just analyze your website. It evaluates everything around you, including your press mentions, your reviews,and your visibility across the web.
Why Perplexity Is the Sleeper Platform of the Year
One of the biggest surprises from our AI Visibility Index for eCommerce Beauty was this: brands that perform well on Perplexity see up to 4x the shopping activity compared to ChatGPT, especially in eCommerce categories like beauty. Yet most marketing teams haven’t even heard of it.
That’s a massive advantage for early movers. Perplexity is rapidly becoming the go-to discovery engine for AI-native consumers, and it’s built for shopping.
Visibility Starts With Intent-Driven Content
AI doesn’t just “find” your content. It selects it based on how helpful it thinks it is to the end user.
That means content has to be:
- Clearly structured
- Human-readable
- Free from jargon
- Supported by external sources
- Aligned with actual questions people are asking
That last point is critical. Avenue Z has built proprietary tools to reverse-engineer AI prompt behavior, identifying what questions are trending and helping clients publish content that meets those needs.
What Brands Can Do Right Now
If you’re a brand leader, CMO, or founder reading this, here’s how you can capitalize on AI visibility today:
- Audit Your Current Content
Strip out the fluff. Simplify. Ask: Would an AI cite this?
- Invest in Earned Media
Press coverage and third-party mentions now fuel AI search performance.
- Track Visibility Across AI Engines
Stop measuring only organic search. Start tracking how you show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI snapshots.
- Use the Right Format
Short paragraphs. Clear takeaways. Links to credible sources. This isn’t just good UX — it’s AI-optimized content design.
The Bottom Line
AI search is reshaping how people find and trust brands.
Those who adapt now, building content with AI visibility in mind, will control the conversation, earn more clicks, and convert more customers.
Avenue Z is helping brands do just that: own the front page of the AI internet.
The revolution is here. We’re on the frontlines.
Read the full LA Examiner article here
Need help making your brand AI-visible? Reach out to the Avenue Z team today.
