As consumers increasingly turn to AI platforms for answers and recommendations, brands face a critical visibility problem: appearing in search results no longer guarantees they'll be recommended by artificial intelligence. A new category of marketing practice, called AI Signaling, is emerging to help companies navigate this shift. Unlike traditional search engine optimization (SEO), which earns a ranking on a page of links, AI Signaling focuses on earning the recommendation itself when an AI platform answers a customer's question.

How Does AI Actually Choose Which Brands to Recommend?

When someone asks an AI platform like ChatGPT or Perplexity a question, the system doesn't simply search the web once. Instead, it quietly splits a single prompt into roughly five hidden research queries behind the scenes, then composes an answer from the sources it trusts most. Critically, those trusted sources are overwhelmingly built through third-party endorsements and earned media, not a brand's own website.

This distinction matters enormously. An AI doesn't rank websites the way Google does. It evaluates credibility based on independent coverage, mentions in reputable publications, and how often neutral third parties cite a brand. This means a company with a polished homepage but minimal press coverage may never appear in an AI's answer, even if it ranks well in traditional search results.

"SEO is about being the answer. AI Signaling is about being the recommendation," explained Erika Hanafin Austria, who leads the AI Signaling practice at GCW, a strategic public relations agency. "When someone asks an answer engine who or what brand is best, the platform runs its own research behind the scenes and names the brands it trusts. That trust lives in earned media, not on a brand's homepage."

Erika Hanafin Austria, AI Signaling Practice Lead at GCW

What Makes AI Signaling Different From Answer Engine Optimization?

The emerging AI visibility landscape includes three distinct layers, each serving a different purpose:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Earns a ranking on a page of links by optimizing website content and building backlinks.
• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): Earns the snippet that an AI reads back by structuring content in ways AI systems can easily extract and cite.
• AI Signaling: Earns the recommendation itself by building third-party credibility and earned media that AI platforms weight heavily when composing answers.

GCW, a public relations firm with nearly four decades of earned media expertise, recently launched SignlLabs, a proprietary AI Signaling practice built from the ground up rather than adapted from existing SEO tactics. The practice pairs earned media strategy with a dedicated AI recommendation framework, measuring performance across five platforms most consumers now turn to for answers: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity AI.

"For nearly 40 years, GCW has built our clients' reputations one relationship, one story, and one placement at a time. SignlLabs is the natural next chapter," said Suzy Ginsburg, Founder and CEO of GCW. "Consumers no longer stop at a search engine. They are asking AI platforms for recommendations and answers, and brands need a real strategy to show up there, not a retrofit of old SEO tactics."

Suzy Ginsburg, Founder and CEO of GCW

How to Build Your Brand's AI Visibility Strategy

For businesses looking to improve how they appear in AI-generated answers, experts recommend a layered approach that treats AI Signaling as an extension of broader brand authority, not an isolated tactic:

• Audit Your Current AI Visibility: Examine whether your brand currently appears for commercially relevant questions, how accurately AI platforms describe your business, and which competitors receive more frequent citations or recommendations.
• Strengthen Third-Party Coverage: Invest in digital public relations to earn mentions in reputable publications, trade outlets, and news sources that AI systems trust and cite when constructing answers.
• Restructure Website Content for AI Extraction: Reorganize existing pages so important answers are easier for AI systems to identify, including comparison pages, FAQs, and answer-focused content that directly addresses customer questions.
• Maintain Traditional SEO Fundamentals: Continue optimizing for search rankings, building backlinks, and improving technical performance, since AI platforms still rely on accessible websites and credible sources when composing answers.
• Monitor Performance Across Platforms: Track brand mentions and citations across different AI platforms, connecting visibility improvements to meaningful business outcomes like website traffic, leads, and conversions.

The strongest approach treats AI Signaling as complementary to, not a replacement for, traditional SEO and brand authority work. If an agency promises AI visibility while ignoring website quality, subject expertise, and external credibility, its strategy is probably incomplete.

Why Small Businesses Are Turning to Press Release Distribution

Local service businesses, including home cleaning companies and residential contractors, are increasingly using press release distribution to build AI visibility alongside traditional search authority. According to TS Newswire, a press release distribution platform serving more than 1,240 verified newsrooms and Google News-eligible outlets, search demand from cleaning company owners researching "press release distribution for cleaning companies" and "how to announce a new cleaning franchise location" has grown steadily over the past two quarters.

The reasoning is straightforward: when consumers ask AI tools for "best cleaning company near me" or "trustworthy maid service in [city]," the AI platform searches for verified, dated sources tied to a brand name and service area. A press release announcing a new location, a leadership hire, or an industry certification provides exactly that kind of third-party-validated content.

However, experts caution that press releases alone won't solve visibility problems. A strong Google Business Profile, real service pages, customer reviews, and a blog that answers customer questions remain foundational. Press release distribution works best as one layer in a broader strategy, not as a standalone tactic.

The Emerging GEO Agency Market: What to Watch

As AI search becomes mainstream, a new category of service providers called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) agencies is emerging to help businesses improve visibility in AI-generated answers. However, the GEO market is still developing, and providers don't all deliver the same service. One agency may offer original research, technical optimization, and digital PR, while another may have simply added "GEO" to an existing SEO package.

Before hiring a GEO agency, businesses should request a precise statement of work identifying which pages will be created or improved, how external authority will be developed, which platforms will be monitored, and how performance will connect to meaningful business outcomes. No responsible agency can guarantee a specific ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity recommendation because AI-generated answers change over time based on the platform, prompt wording, location, account history, and model updates.

The shift toward AI Signaling represents a fundamental change in how brands build visibility. As consumers increasingly ask AI platforms for recommendations rather than scrolling through search results, companies that invest in earned media, third-party credibility, and AI-aware content strategy will likely see the greatest returns on their marketing investments.