Search is changing quickly, and AI is leading the charge.
Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT’s browsing capabilities, and other AI-driven tools are rewriting how people find information online. For marketers, that means the old SEO playbooks aren’t enough anymore. You now need to think about how your brand shows up in AI-generated search answers.
Semrush recently released an AI search visibility study covering five industries: finance, digital tech, business services, consumer electronics, and fashion. The results reveal how AI picks sources and which platforms dominate visibility. More importantly, they point to what marketers should be doing right now.
This article breaks down 4 big takeaways from the study and then shares 4 practical steps you can take to adapt.
Insight #1 — Community-generated content outranks official marketing in AI citations
The study shows that community-driven platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit consistently appear at the top of AI citations. Wikipedia is number one or two in nearly every industry reviewed.
Why does this happen? AI favors content that is neutral, factual, and widely referenced. A Wikipedia article summarizes information from multiple sources, while Reddit threads capture authentic user experiences and conversations.
Compared to a polished brand blog, these sources look more balanced and trustworthy to an AI system.
For marketers, the message is clear: if your brand isn’t present in these spaces, you risk disappearing from AI-powered answers, no matter how well your website ranks in Google.
Insight #2 — Reddit beats experts even in regulated fields
One of the most surprising findings is Reddit’s dominance in industries that demand accuracy. In finance, for example, Reddit was cited far more often than traditional financial experts.
This happens because AI doesn’t automatically prioritize professional credentials. Instead, it often pulls from where people are actively asking and answering questions.
On Reddit, that might mean retail investors swapping stock advice or homeowners discussing mortgages. To AI, these conversations look like real-world, relevant knowledge.
Even in regulated sectors, peer-to-peer conversations are shaping how AI interprets authority. Ignoring these platforms could mean missing a big part of the visibility puzzle.
Insight #3 — Brand diversity varies greatly by industry
Another insight is how uneven brand representation is across industries. In consumer electronics, a small group of giants — Apple, Samsung, Google — dominate nearly all citations. By contrast, in business services, many different brands show up, creating a wider playing field.
The implications are different depending on where you compete.
In a concentrated industry like electronics, you’ll need to carve out highly specific niches to stand a chance. In more open spaces like business services, there’s more opportunity to capture visibility if you publish the right kind of content.
In other words, the path to AI visibility looks very different depending on your sector. And you should research to identify what that path looks like in your industry.
Insight #4 — Being mentioned doesn’t mean being trusted as a source
The study found a gap between brands people talk about and those AI actually cites as sources. Only a small percentage of the most frequently mentioned brands also made it into the top cited sources.
That means buzz alone isn’t enough. Your brand could have plenty of mentions online but still fail to be trusted as a factual reference.
To succeed, you need to win on both fronts: spark conversations and also provide content that AI models view as authoritative.
Those are the 4 big insights that the Semrush AI Search Visibility study had. Now, let’s discuss the 4 actionable steps that you should take to ensure your brand stays relevant and competitive in AI search.
Action #1 — Build and maintain neutral, verifiable content
The first step is to ensure your content is easy for AI to treat as a reliable reference. That means more than producing promotional posts. You need factual, neutral material that stands on its own.
Practical moves include:
- Updating and maintaining your brand’s Wikipedia entry if one exists.
- Publishing clear, data-driven content such as product specifications, research-backed guides, and detailed case studies.
- Structuring pages with headings, lists, and references to make them easy for AI to parse.
This positions your content as a trusted resource rather than just marketing copy.
Action #2 — Engage authentically in community platforms
With Reddit and other forums playing such a big role, your brand needs to be present where real conversations are happening. The key is authenticity, not promotion.
Ways to approach this include:
- Monitoring Reddit threads and niche forums where your industry is being discussed.
- Answering questions with genuine, practical advice that showcases expertise.
- Using recurring topics in these communities to inspire new content ideas.
By being visible and helpful in these spaces, you increase the chances that your brand’s perspective makes its way into the community-driven content AI is pulling from.
Action #3 — Tailor strategy to your industry’s brand diversity
Your industry’s level of brand diversity should shape your visibility strategy.
- Low-diversity industries (e.g., consumer electronics): Focus narrowly. Target specific niches where dominant players aren’t as strong. Instead of broad terms like “smartphones,” build content around specialized use cases or emerging products.
- High-diversity industries (e.g., business services): Go broad. Publish content across multiple topics, answer a variety of questions, and aim to show up in as many contexts as possible.
Matching your effort to the competitive landscape helps you spend resources where they’ll have the most impact.
Action #4 — Pursue a dual strategy for mentions and sources
Finally, treat mentions and citations as separate goals. Both are important, but they require different approaches.
- Mentions: Encourage people to talk about your brand in forums, reviews, and social platforms. This builds awareness and trust in conversations.
- Sources: Create fact-based, reference-style, citable content that AI can cite with confidence. This means original data, structured explanations, and clear references.
Mentions show conversation. Citations show trust.
Tracking both will give you a better picture of how your brand is represented in AI search.
Conclusion
The Semrush AI visibility study highlights a major shift: AI favors community-driven, neutral, and factual sources over polished marketing content. The level of brand diversity varies by industry, and being mentioned often doesn’t guarantee that AI will trust you as a source.
The steps forward are clear:
- Publish verifiable content,
- Participate authentically in community discussions,
- Shape your strategy around your industry’s brand diversity, and
- Focus on both mentions and authoritative sources.
Marketers who adapt to this new reality now will be far better positioned as AI search becomes the norm. Those who don’t may find themselves invisible in the channels where tomorrow’s customers are looking for answers.
