Digital PR in the age of AI: From links to LLMs

PR has always been about shaping perception. For decades, that meant influencing how people discover and understand brands through media coverage, thought leadership and strategic storytelling. But the way people find information is changing.

As AI-powered search and conversational tools become an increasingly important part of discovery, PR has a broader role to play: helping ensure brands are not only visible, but accurately understood and represented across these emerging channels.

PR and Large Language Models (LLMs)

Large language models (LLMs), such as those powering ChatGPT and Claude, learn patterns from vast amounts of data. Depending on the platform, AI-generated answers may also draw on live web searches, indexed content and other retrieved sources. Different systems use different methods to find, interpret and present information.

This creates new opportunities for Digital PR. Credible media coverage, expert commentary and consistent brand information can contribute to the wider body of evidence available to search engines and AI systems. However, no single signal guarantees that a brand will appear in an AI-generated answer.

Visibility is therefore evolving. It is no longer just about ranking in Google Search or securing coverage in influential publications, it's also about whether your brand is discovered, accurately described and cited when people ask AI tools relevant questions.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) encompasses efforts to improve a brand's visibility and representation across AI-powered search and discovery experiences.

Rather than replacing Digital PR, GEO builds on its established principles: credibility, relevance, authority and clear communication. These work alongside strong website content, technical accessibility and accurate information across the web.

The shift matters because traditional search visibility does not always translate into website visits. Ahrefs' February 2026 study, analysing 300,000 keywords, reported that the presence of Google's AI Overviews was associated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the number-one organic result. This finding relates to the study's specific dataset and methodology, rather than every search or industry.

As AI-generated answers provide more information directly within search experiences, brands need to consider how they are represented within those answers, alongside conventional rankings, traffic and conversions.

What does this mean for PR professionals?

Success should not be measured solely by the number of coverage placements, backlinks or immediate referral visits a campaign generates. These remain valuable, but they tell only part of the story.

A clear, consistent brand narrative helps people and information systems establish what a business does, whom it serves and what differentiates it. However, repetition alone does not establish authority. The credibility, relevance and independence of supporting sources matter.

Digital PR can help strengthen this wider evidence base through authoritative editorial coverage, expert contributions, original research and stories that provide genuinely useful information. It also supports reputation management by helping brands communicate accurate, well-substantiated messages.

Crucially, AI visibility is not a single universal ranking. Different platforms retrieve and cite information differently, so brands should assess their presence across the AI experiences most relevant to their audiences.

The opportunity for brands

Brands looking to adapt their Digital PR strategies should focus on five priorities:

• Build credible third-party authority. Earn relevant editorial coverage, expert commentary and mentions supported by evidence.

• Strengthen brand consistency. Ensure websites, company profiles, leadership biographies and product information accurately reflect the business.

• Create information worth citing. Original research, proprietary data and expert insight provide more value than generic commentary.

• Maintain discoverability. Invest in helpful website content, sound technical SEO, clear page structures and accessible, up-to-date information.

• Measure beyond clicks. Monitor AI-generated brand mentions, citation sources, factual accuracy, referral traffic and downstream business outcomes. Treat these as complementary measures, recognising that a mention does not necessarily generate a visit or recommendation.

The aim is not to engineer a particular AI response, but to build a credible, well-documented brand presence that can be discovered and represented accurately across an evolving range of channels.

Digital PR is expanding rather than abandoning its foundations. Credibility, authority, relevance and storytelling remain essential; what is changing is the environment in which they operate.

The question is no longer simply: “Are we visible?”

It is: “Are we being found, accurately represented and cited in the AI-powered experiences our audiences use?”

If you'd like to understand how your brand is appearing across AI-powered search and discovery, and how Digital PR can strengthen your visibility, credibility and reputation, get in touch with our team.