PR and reputation management in the AI age

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For a long time, the digital playbook for businesses was relatively straightforward. Invest in SEO, rank on Google, drive traffic to your website and convert that traffic into customers. That model still holds value, but it is no longer the full picture.

The way people search has shifted in a way that is subtle but significant. Instead of working through multiple links, comparing sources and forming their own view, users are increasingly asking a question and relying on AI tools to generate a single, consolidated answer. In many cases, they are not clicking through to a website at all.

We have started to see this play out in practice. In our work with a long-standing client, we develop a monthly cadence of thought leadership articles supported by a consistent LinkedIn presence. Over time, this combination has translated into something quite tangible – they are now being surfaced by AI search tools as a credible provider in their space. It is not driven by one piece of content, but by a pattern of visibility and consistency.

Research from Bain & Company suggests that around 80% of consumers now rely on AI-generated summaries for a meaningful portion of their searches. At the same time, organic traffic is beginning to decline, with estimates pointing to a 15% to 25% drop as more searches end without a click. While these numbers will continue to evolve, the direction of travel is clear.

This creates a different kind of visibility challenge. If fewer users are landing on your website, then being “found” is no longer just about rankings. It is about whether your brand is present in the answer itself.

From search to synthesis

Traditional search was built around choice. Users were presented with a list of options…

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