The value of visibility for your business is undeniable. The basics on how PR can help your digital presence are well established, whether that’s through having a strong social media presence, or your media coverage popping up at the top of search engine results. By making sure you can be easily found online, you open your business to more opportunities for growth.
Paid media such as ads and owned media such as LinkedIn are often the ‘go-to’ channels when it comes to visibility, however, when it comes to getting found through organic search, the process is not quite as straightforward.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) and online PR have become increasingly common for companies looking to grow their brand presence online. In 2025, Ahrefs published research in the US which revealed that a staggering 97% of search clicks came from sites featured within the top 10 results. This highlights the critical value of optimising your online presence to align with search engine algorithms. However, the way in which search engines are presenting results is changing, thanks to AI. For example, Google are AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of some search results, designed to provide users with an immediate answer. These ‘Overviews’ are now available for over 1 in 5 searches, and Ahrefs found that there is a 58% lower average clickthrough rate for the top-ranking webpages in 2025 versus 2023.
The role of GEO
While engaging in SEO is important, the shift towards generative engine optimisation (GEO) is unavoidable. So what is GEO and how can PR help with it? GEO is concerned with how your brand, product or content appears in answers from AI systems. In 2025, of those who used ChatGPT in the US, As AI adoption continues to grow, this shift is also becoming increasingly relevant for businesses in Ireland. Therefore, it’s becoming more important to understand how AI tools source information for their answers.
This leads to the role of PR in navigating this complex environment. Six independent studies recently found that PR activities and earned media were responsible for 82-95% of AI citations, with organisations’ own websites accounting for only 5-10% of response generation. Relying on paid and owned media will simply not yield strong GEO results for your business where AI platforms are concerned. Overall, buyer behaviour has shifted to AI first, and deploying PR effectively to get your company featured in Irish media will help your organisation grow and stand out amongst competitors.
Why earned media?
Credibility weighting takes on a significant role when it comes to AI sourcing information for generated responses. The algorithms involved operate very differently from traditional search algorithms, with AI being trained independently of SEO ranking to favour earned editorial pieces. The ‘self-interest’ nature of owned media is not of huge importance to these models, whereas third-party ‘confirmation’ of a brand’s reputation counts for much more, highlighting how AI platforms prioritise content that is seen to have more credibility.
PR plays a key role in this area. Securing media coverage through knowledge of the media landscape, compelling storytelling and creating newsworthy hooks is part and parcel of a PR agency’s work. The resulting coverage – including general news coverage, executive commentary, industry publications, thought leadership and independent third-party sources – is the essential element to winning the battle to feature in AI answers and this is where your PR agency is your best friend.
How PR targets B2B buyers
Studies show that brands that are consistently placed within the media on a monthly basis will be cited within AI responses more often than those who appear only on an annual basis. Over half of ChatGPT’s journalism sources reference articles published within the last 12 months, with the highest citation rate occurring within 7 days of publication. Stories with an element of time sensitivity – “recent”, “latest”, “current” – make up half of the total AI citations within responses. Consistent PR activity is therefore more valuable for businesses in terms of GEO rather than the occasional media hit.
To highlight this further, press release citations are also becoming more important for GEO. Despite press release citations only making up 1% of total AI citations, they are the fastest-growing format in the AI dataset.
The bottom line
SEO is far from obsolete. As highlighted earlier, the vast majority of search clicks occur within the top 10 results on a search, so optimising your brand for search engines remains a key technique for organisational visibility online. AI, however, has added another dimension to business visibility, and with the ever-increasing relevance of GEO, businesses should consider it as part of their wider communications strategies. The hidden cost of not involving PR is evident. By investing in generating credible and consistent earned media for your organisation, the visibility of your business will grow, leading to new opportunities.
If you want to find out how Comit can increase your visibility online and deliver the best results for your company, get in touch with Comit today!
FAQs
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the process of improving how often and how accurately your brand appears in answers generated by AI platforms such as ChatGPT. While SEO focuses on visibility within traditional search engine results, GEO focuses on making your organisation visible, credible and relevant within AI-generated responses.
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO aims to improve where your website appears in search engine results, while GEO is concerned with whether your business and expertise are referenced by AI tools when answering users’ questions. The two strategies complement each other: SEO supports traditional search visibility, while GEO helps businesses build visibility as more buyers use AI platforms for research and purchasing decisions.
How can PR improve a company’s visibility in AI search?
PR creates credible third-party coverage about a business through news articles, industry publications, thought leadership and expert commentary. These independent sources can provide AI platforms with external evidence of a company’s expertise, reputation and relevance, increasing the likelihood of a brand being referenced in AI-generated answers.
Why is earned media important for B2B companies using GEO?
Earned media provides independent validation that a company’s own website or social media channels cannot provide in the same way. For B2B organisations, appearing regularly in respected media and industry publications can strengthen authority around key topics and give AI platforms more credible sources from which to understand and reference the business.
How often should businesses generate media coverage for GEO?
Consistency is key. Rather than relying on occasional media coverage, businesses should aim to maintain an ongoing PR presence through relevant news stories, expert commentary, thought leadership and other timely content. Fresh coverage can be particularly valuable when AI users are searching for the latest information, trends or recommendations within an industry.