Why PR is the power behind AI Search strategy
Through every era we’ve seen countless evolutions in how brands connect with audiences, and we must not forget that tech and tactics will always drive change. But what we’re witnessing right now, the impact of AI on search and how people discover and evaluate brands is shaping up to be the most significant factor in futureproofing your marketing strategy. We’re hearing a lot about the ‘resurgence of PR’, but it never left, great PR is just getting more and more critical – here’s why…
AI Overviews and generative search features are reshaping the way people discover content online and the results are already showing a significant shift.
- Discover is overtaking Search: Google Discover is already responsible for two-thirds of Google-sourced news traffic, overtaking traditional search as the main gateway to content.
- Referral traffic is falling: Across publishers in the UK search referral traffic has dropped by up to 25% year-on-year, with some outlets seeing losses as high as 55%. In extreme cases, when AI summaries replace top-ranking pages, traffic can fall by almost 80%.
- Zero-click searches are rising: Nearly 69% of news-related searches now end without a single click-through, because AI delivers answers directly in the results page.
- Misinformation is driving us back to traditional sources: Alongside high DA sites and reputable media, users are actively seeking verified sources. Reputation and community-driven signals are more important in ranking and discovery.
- GEO Search is exploding: Geo search is transforming discoverability by making it contextual, real-time, and location-aware, shifting search from broad queries to “what’s best for me, here and now.”
For brands, the implications are huge. If your reputable brand story or thought leading content doesn’t make it into the AI overview, if you’re not recognised as credible, trusted, relevant and authoritative – the real risk? You might just become invisible.
FROM KEYWORDS TO CREDIBILITY
The good news in the PR world? Quality PR is showing its colours again as not just important, but essential. Search is no longer about optimising for keywords but feeding AI engines with the content they need to prioritise authority, reputation and validation from trusted third parties.
PR isn’t the “amplifier” at the end of a campaign it is sometimes perceived to be – it is the infrastructure of discoverability. Without it, even the best content risks being filtered out.
As AI fills the internet with synthetic, generic “filler” content, audiences are craving originality and human perspective more than ever. Algorithms are learning that quickly too, and what makes it to the AI overview is the content that is cited and engaged, the content that cut through the noise in the real world.
PR-led storytelling, unique thought leadership and opinion delivers that cut-through. It provides narratives with intelligence, emotion, and cultural resonance. The kind of stories AI can’t generate, but that AI engines will surface because real people value them. And guess what else, it doesn’t like content that was originally written by AI.
REPUTATION IN THE AGE OF AI
Search engines and AI don’t just process facts; they process signals of trust, cultural relevance, and authority. A brand’s stance, what you stand for, who you align with, and how you contribute to bigger conversations is now directly linked to visibility.
PR ensures those signals are clear, consistent, and influential. It’s how brands move from transactional players to cultural leaders.
THE O METHODOLOGY: BUILDING BRANDS FIT FOR THE DIGITAL & THE REAL WORLD
At O.agency, we’ve been earned media champions for decades, helping brands to tell stories that grab attention on organic and earned channels, start new conversations, map unique data stories or win hearts and minds with emotional connection – but that doesn’t mean we aren’t constantly evolving our approach for an AI-driven search environment.
Our O Methodologies align every layer of strategy with how people and algorithms discover and engage with brands:
- Observatory: Uncovering the insights, behaviours, and cultural codes that both AI and audiences respond to.
- Original: Crafting brand stances and narratives that stand out in a boring and saturated AI marketplace.
- Orbit: Building ecosystems of advocates, partnerships and communities that feed authority signals to algorithms while fostering real-world loyalty.
- Outreach: Delivering digitally aware PR strategies that go beyond clicks, to build long-term reputations and relationships.
This is traditional earned PR strategies reimagined for modern consumers. It’s PR as the backbone of brand visibility in an AI-first world.
THE STRATEGIC IMPACT
When done right, PR is more than a communications tactic. It is brand infrastructure: the foundation of discoverability, credibility, and influence. It shapes how algorithms categorise you, how decision-makers perceive you and how communities champion you.
The future of marketing will belong to the brands that own their stories, invest in their reputations and embed themselves in culture. In an era where AI decides what’s seen, PR ensures your brand doesn’t just get noticed, but that it’s remembered.
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