How to win in AI Search with Ahrefs

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Win in AI search and beyond — with Ahrefs Andrei Țiț Head of Product Marketing @ahrefs

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Organic search is harder than ever

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Zero click content

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June 2024 August 2024 August 2024 November 2024 December 2024 December 2024 March 2025 June 2025 August 2025 — Spam Update — Core Update — Google Search Ranking Bug — Core Update — Core Update — Spam Update — Core Update — Core Update — Spam Update Frequent Google algorithm updates

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1,900 out of 3,000 sites in the study. 63% of sites receive AI traffic

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0.13% Reddit 0.12% ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini 0.15% 0.10% 0.5% 0% About as much as Reddit

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0.13% Reddit 0.24% ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini 0.25% 0.20% 0.15% 0.10% 0.5% 0% September 2025 About as much as Reddit

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Q. The moat to these changes?

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Q. The moat to these changes? A. Brand awareness

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Brand awareness metrics  Make your brand discoverable in AI search  GEO, AEO, LLMO...it's all SEO 1. 2. 3. Three topics:

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Brand awareness metrics 1.

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Brand keywords Brand mentions Website clicks Google Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/ US9031929B1/en Google assigns sites a “site quality” score based on brand metrics

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Organic Share of Voice (SOV)

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Shows how much organic traffic your brand owns as a % of the total search market. Definition: Organic SOV Total organic traffic in your market * 100 Your organic traffic Formula: Organic Share of Voice (SOV)

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1 2 3 SE /Overview /SOV

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Branded keywords search volume

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Branded keywords search volume

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KE /Matching terms /Global SV

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Branded keywords traffic

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SE /Overview /Branded vs. non-branded keywords

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Make your brand discoverable in AI search 2.

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*GOOGLE* RELEASES AI MODE BECAUSE MARKET  SHARE DOWN, RIGHT? BECAUSE MARKET  SHARE DOWN, RIGHT?

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Google sends than Top 3 AI chatbots 196x more traffic chatgpt-vs-google.com

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Increase brand mentions across the web  Write content AI loves to cite  Structure for AI comprehension Dominate Reddit and YouTube Close AI visibility gaps Step #1 Step #2 Step #3 Step #4 Step #5 Make your brand discoverable in AI search

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How to track brand mentions in AI search in the first place?

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Brand Radar

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Step #1: Increase brand mentions across the web

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Most brand mentions will come from other websites (not yours )

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Most brand mentions will come from other websites (not yours )

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Based on a study of ~75K brands.   Source: Ahrefs Brand Radar and Ahrefs Site Explorer. Factors that correlate with brand appearance in AI overviews

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Industry “best of” lists PR and media coverage outlets Customer reviews and case studies Get featured on:

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1 2 3 Example: find “best” listicles for the SEO niche

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Step #2: Structure content for AI comprehension

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News trends Tutorials Hards facts from data studies Solution? Cast a wide net

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Solution? Cast a wide net

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Tip: keep your content fresh

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Step #3: Structure content for AI comprehension

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“Chunk” optimization is overrated

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Write atomic content “Chunk” optimization is overrated

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Apply “BLUF” (Bottom Line, Up Front)

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Is related information grouped logically? Is each section clear and easy to follow? Does this paragraph fully answer the intent of a query? Check for Completeness

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AI Content Helper: /Highlight topics

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Organize your content with headings Use bullet points for list items Add FAQ and product info Formatting best practices

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Step #4: Dominate YouTube and Reddit

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Create tutorials and product demos with clear timestamps Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions Add detailed video descriptions AI can parse Dominate YouTube

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Create tutorials and product demos with clear timestamps Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions Add detailed video descriptions AI can parse Dominate YouTube

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Find Reddit threads already ranking on Google Add thoughtful answers to relevant subreddits Dominate Reddit

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BR /Cited Pages /Domain contains “reddit.com”

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Step #5: Close AI visibility gaps

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AI mention gap: Brand Radar /Add competitors /Others only

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AI mention gap: Brand Radar /Cited Pages

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AI citation gap: Brand Radar /Cited Pages /Filters

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SEO vs AI search 3.

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Ensure AI tools accurately mention and represent your brand, even if the user gets all the information they need without visiting your site Bring users to your website Content goal Focuses on increasing your brand’s visibility in AI-generated answers — making sure you’re part of the conversation, even if users never click through your site Focuses on helping websites rank higher in traditional search engines Objective AI mentions, AI citations, fresh content Backlinks or how long your domain has been around Authority signals AI search Traditional search