How Brands Get Discovered in the AI Search Era | Digiday - April 2026

AI search is collapsing complex customer journeys into single, highly-nuanced prompts. Because Large Language Models synthesize consensus from trusted sources, "earned proof trumps owned claims". This presentation walks actionable strategies for adapting to this shift, including how to use digital PR to fuel AI recommendations, optimising product feeds for conversational search, and leveraging the third-party platforms, like Reddit and YouTube, that dictate your brand's visibility.

Transcript

1. How Brands Get Discovered in the AI Search Era
2. Paul Norris | Journey Further 16 years in Organic Media, leading AI Search Strategy for Global Brands Global Director of Organic Media #EngagePMX @bethnunnington Paul Aaron Norris
3. DESIGNED TO BE FOUND. How growth really happens when algorithms sit between you and your customer. BRAND CUSTOMER
4. EASIER TO FIND. HARDER TO MISINTERPRET. IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE.
5. How search is evolving
6. AI powered search is collapsing complex user journeys into single prompts. CUSTOMER CONVERSION CUSTOMER CONVERSION EXPLORATIO N EVALUATIO N
7. SHORTER QUERIES Broad Intent AI SEARCH TRADITIONAL SEARCH VOLUME & COMPETITIVENESS maxi dress dresses best summer dresses for under $50 wedding guest dresses reversible & sustainable brand dresses next day delivery blue cocktail dress size 14
8. ∞ LONGER QUERIES Higher intent + nuanced TRADITIONAL SEARCH SHORTER QUERIES Broad Intent AI SEARCH Iʼm looking for a sustainable midi dress for a beach wedding in Italy this June. I prefer linen or silk, a floral print, and my budget is under $200. Help me find a dress for a black-tie gala. Iʼm 5'4" and prefer an A-line silhouette that hides the midsection. Suggest three designer brands and three high-street alternatives Iʼm going on a 10-day beach vacation- not taking big luggage. Suggest 3 versatile dresses that can be dressed down for walking tours with sneakers but styled with jewelry for upscale dinners. I wonʼt have an iron! maxi dress dresses best summer dresses for under $50 wedding guest dresses reversible & sustainable brand dresses next day delivery blue cocktail dress size 14 VOLUME & COMPETITIVENESS
9. People are searching in longer, more complex ways - this is becoming habit Source: Journey Further, Global Search Demand Analysis - 2026 YTD vs 2025 (same period)
10. Source: Journey Further, Global Search Demand Analysis - 2026 YTD vs 2025 (same period) People are searching in longer, more complex ways - this is becoming habit
11. How brands are found is changing too.
12. still powers AI discovery. LLMS STILL DEPEND ON GOOGLE, SINCE IT …DISCOVERS THE WEB …SUPPLIES REALTIME INFORMATION …DEFINES WHAT COUNTS AS CREDIBLE …SHAPES ENTITY UNDERSTANDIN G …FILTERS THE PUBLISHERS AI RELIES ON
13. In AI Search, your brandʼs reputation precedes you
14. LLMs surface & synthesize general consensus from trusted sources
15. Earned proof trumps owned claims
16. Search journeys in AI Search results in fewer clicks but there is still more opportunity than ever before for brands to influence along the way
17. Brand credibility is earned & more visible than ever 93% MOST CITED Reddit is your audienceʼs most visible source when deciding on a supplier. 82% A multi-modal, cross-platform approach is required to grow discoverability in organic spaces, which are fast becoming earned, not owned. …of AI Search citations are from third parties - not your owned media. …searchers watch video content as part of their journey Source: ChatGPT Most Cited Domains, Top 10 Commercial Sectors, Top 2000 PAA Questions/Queries
18. Use digital PR to keep your brand top of mind and easy to find.
19. PR fuels ‘trust signalsʼ not only in the media…
20. It ensures your brand is either THE source of influence…
21. …OR is within the source of influence (coverage) in LLM search.
22. Tried & tested PR tactics that fuel LLMs Info on where to get the best products (listicles & reviews) 1.
24. Info on where to get the best products (listicles & reviews) Tried & tested PR tactics that fuel LLMs 1. Reliable, data-backed research (studies & white papers) 2.
25. ONSITE CONTENT COVERAGE AI OVERVIEW
26. Trusted expertise to inform decisions (thought leadership)* Arguably the easiest & most important! Tried & tested PR tactics that fuel LLMs Info on where to get the best products (listicles & reviews) Reliable, data-backed research (studies & white papers) 1. 2. 3.
27. Source: 4,000 most recently acquired DA40 links to top sites, analysed by Salient™
29. What does good look like?
30. Is your content backed by REAL experts?
31. Is your content backed by REAL experts? Are you cited in places your audience trusts ?
32. Is your content backed by REAL experts? Are you cited in places your audience trusts ? Would Google (or an LLM) summarizing your niche consider you an authority ?
33. THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS TO SEARCH FOR THE SAME THING.
34. womens navy blue rugby shirt preppy striped sweatshirt oversized jumper with collar two-tone blue rugby jersey with contrast collar preppy navy loose fitting jumper boxy fit rugby top navy and blue old money aesthetic womens top boxy fit rugby shirt navy and blue preppy sweatshirt trendy large top
35. Find your brandʼs sweet spot Search Volume Product Filters + Facets Sweet spot This is where weʼre going to find opportunities to open up additional filters
36. Improving the discoverability of your range is key
37. Explore product facets in minutes (not hours) Keyword Product Count mens green quilted jackets 79 mens green t-shirts 77 mens green waxed jackets 73 mens navy t-shirts 68 mens blue waxed jackets 56 mens green tailored shirts 56 mens navy waxed jackets 56 mens green crew neck jumpers 55 mens green polo shirts 53 mens grey t-shirts 52 mens blue t-shirts 50 mens green showerproof jackets 49 mens green regular shirts 48 mens navy tailored shirts 46 Colour 19K Category 453 Gender Grouping 4
38. Identify incremental opportunity + map seasonality
39. ©2025 Journey Further. All rights reserved. All related logos, assets messaging are trademarks of Journey Further Ltd CASE STUDY CHALLENGE Non-brand visibility plateaued during a period when market demand was decreasing - as a result of this organic performance was on the slide. SOLUTION • Set a commercial first performance strategy • Continual optimisation of highest value PLPs, opening up facets with the biggest growth opportunity • Increasing relevant internal linking • Improved site speed and passed Core Web Vitals ⬆55 NEW INDEXABLE FACETS ⬆22% PAGE 1 VISIBILITY ⬆$1.2M REVENUE YOY FINDING REVENUE DRIVING FACETS Technical SEO ECommerce Content
40. If your product data isnʼt readable by an LLM… Your brand wonʼt be in contention for the sale.
41. WEBSITES HAVE BEEN OPTIMISED FOR GOOGLE Google can render JS libraries & other cool dynamic stuff
42. How Google sees Sephoraʼs PDPs… DETAILS HIGHLIGHTS HOW TO Q&A
43. DETAILS HIGHLIGHTS HOW TO Q&A How LLMs sees Sephoraʼs PDPs…
44. ENSURE ALL CONTENT CAN BE FOUND AT & IN THE SOURCE. Server Side Rendering SSR) is your friend.
45. Build commonly asked phrases and common use cases into your feeds & PDPs
46. New attribute in the product data which will cover conversational terms matching user searches attribute 'product_qaʼ
47. DISCOVERY IS EVERYBODYʼS BUSINESS In the AI-era brand reputation precedes you
48. PPC & feed management impact your brandʼs organic presence
49. Sales & customer support impact your brandʼs organic presence
50. Logistics & ops impact your brandʼs organic presence
51. Brand teams & buyers impact your brandʼs organic presence
52. Use fan out queries to understand what LLM models favor
53. CUSTOMER CONVERSION EXPLORATIO N EVALUATIO N What is the best SPF moisturizer?
55. best SPF moisturizer brands US 2026 dermatologists recommendations high end SPF moisturizers US 2026 High end vs drug store moisturizers 2026 best SPF moisturizer for dry skin US 2026 best SPF moisturizer for sensitive skin US 2026 best facial moisturizers with SPF 2026 reviews Allure Harper's Bazaar What are the Best SPF moisturizer brands? SOURCES Answers in contention QUERY FAN OUT Sub-query searches USER PROMPT Sources Sources Sources Sources Sources Sources Answer SYNTHESIZED ANSWER
56. Fan out queries hone in on recency, comparison, price & trust
57. Build out a prompt bank based on your audienceʼs real wants & needs
58. What is the best CRM for a small company? What is the best CRM for lead generation? What is the best sales tracker? What is the best CRM software for a small business? What is the best CRM for manufacturing companies? Which CRM is best for sales? What is the best rated CRM software? What is the best lead management software? What is the best sales management software? Which software is best for customer management? Which CRM software is the best? Which is the best CRM tool? REDDIT Audience Discussions GOOGLE + People Also Ask AI SEARCH Prompts, Questions & Queries Question & prompt list from most commonly asked questions, “fan-outˮ style queries & real discussions = +
59. Prompt bank built on 2,000 questions covering key intents spanning the funnel. Multi-model visibility analysis & measurement across all major AI Search/LLM models. Citation analysis across all Sources of Influence; including owned, earned & community media. THE PROMPT BANK MODELS ANALYZED PROCESS Prompts tracked ▼ Responses captured ▼ Cited URLs extracted ▼ Categorised ▼ Analysed This methodology ensures our analysis of the citation landscape is robust & representative, providing a reliable foundation for data-driven strategic decisions. PAAs PAAs Review sources Forum conversations Review sources Review sources PAAs FAQs
60. Finally, track first-party AI Search data
61. Track AI bot requests & correlate this with performance metrics
62. Key takeaways
63. EARNED PROOF TRUMPS OWNED CLAIMS Shift your focus to building a strong reputation through third-party validation and reviews. Key takeaways
64. EARNED PROOF TRUMPS OWNED CLAIMS Shift your focus to building a strong reputation through third-party validation and reviews. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCEʼS SOURCES OF INFLUENCE Find out what resonates & why - key for identifying the publishers that matter, the topics, the emotional levers and the formats. Key takeaways
65. EARNED PROOF TRUMPS OWNED CLAIMS Shift your focus to building a strong reputation through third-party validation and reviews. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCEʼS SOURCES OF INFLUENCE Find out what resonates & why - key for identifying the publishers that matter, the topics, the emotional levers and the formats. INFINITE LONGTAIL  MORE OPPORTUNITY IF youʼre relevant. Ensure your facets, content & digital PR activity is relevant, frequent & optimized Key takeaways
66. EARNED PROOF TRUMPS OWNED CLAIMS Shift your focus to building a strong reputation through third-party validation and reviews. MEASURE & CORRELATE FIRST PARTY METRICS Constantly changing space - track your first party AI metrics & correlate it with AI tracking tools. Use this as a base to then test & learn what works. IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCEʼS SOURCES OF INFLUENCE Find out what resonates & why - key for identifying the publishers that matter, the topics, the emotional levers and the formats. INFINITE LONGTAIL  MORE OPPORTUNITY IF youʼre relevant. Ensure your facets, content & digital PR activity is relevant, frequent & optimized Key takeaways
67. Sign up for a AI Search Starter Pack & Organic Media Audit
68. Thank you!