Some of you still think AI search is something you’ll “deal with later.”
That assumption is risky because AI systems aren’t waiting for you to be ready.
Right now, tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are:
summarizing your and your competitor’s brand
recommending vendors
excluding companies
shaping buyer perception
And they’re doing it without your input.
Whether you’ve thought about AI optimization or not, these systems are forming an opinion about your business based on what’s online.
Your site.
Your content.
Your brand signals.
Your old messaging.
Your inconsistencies.
That interpretation exists today.
Most companies just don’t know where it is or what it is.
That’s the real risk.
Not that AI search is coming…but that decisions are made using incomplete or outdated information about your brand.
And the longer that information stays unexamined, the more it hardens into “truth.”
This is where most teams get stuck.
They assume waiting preserves the status quo.
It doesn’t.
Waiting allows AI systems to reinforce whatever signals exist: good, bad, or misaligned.
That’s why the first step for most organizations isn’t a massive replatform or content overhaul.
It’s visibility.
You need to know:
How AI tools describe your brand
Where their understanding breaks down
Which signals are helping you, and which are working against you
That’s what an AI-Search Readiness Audit is designed to surface.
For some teams, the audit alone is enough to reset direction.
For others, it becomes clear that a strategic consult or ongoing support makes more sense.
Either way, clarity comes first.
If you don’t know how AI systems see you, you’re operating blind in a market that’s moving.
If this feels relevant, start with visibility.
Next week, I’ll explain why even strong SEO teams are struggling with AI visibility and why this isn’t a skill gap so much as a structural one.
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(And if you suspect the issues run deeper, a consult or retainer may be the better path — we can determine that together.)