Marketers and brand journalists could be about to experience the upside of the AI shift.
For years, brand building and authority-led content have had to justify themselves against faster, easier-to-measure marketing activities. But AI search is changing what gets surfaced, cited, and trusted. The brand-building work good marketers have long championed has become more important than ever.
The recent acquisition of Sydney startup Hall by Tracksuit is a useful marker of that shift. Tracksuit’s move to bring Hall’s AI visibility capability into its brand-tracking platform reflects a broader change in how brand health is being viewed, including the increasing importance of how brands are represented inside AI-generated answers and recommendations.
That shift matters. AI visibility is about being cited and referenced. It is about being a brand that AI systems view as a credible authority when someone asks a question.
What drives AI citation?
The mechanics are still evolving, and there is no single verified formula for how AI systems decide which brands to cite. But the direction for marketers is clear.
AI systems appear to favour brands that are easy to recognise and easy to trust. That means clear entity signals, credible third-party references, earned media, expert commentary, and content that is genuinely useful rather than mechanically optimised.
As Hall founder Kai Forsyth observed:
“Building Hall showed us that short-term tactics can spike a brand’s AI visibility, but what actually moves the needle is the brand-building work that makes people already know and trust you.”
This is where long-term brand building earns its keep. Brands that have invested in reputation, subject expertise, and high-quality content are likely to be the ones now best positioned for AI visibility. What once looked like slow, hard work with unclear ROI is now highly strategic.
Google is still rewarding the fundamentals
There is another reason marketers should take heart: this is not a complete reset.
Google’s recent guidance on generative AI search (2026) reinforces a familiar truth. Helpful, original, people-first content still matters. So does a strong page experience and a site structure that helps both humans and machines understand what you do. Google has also pushed back on several AI-search myths, including the idea that special chunking or AI-specific rewrites are the key to visibility in Google AI search results.
Still important: E-E-A-T. Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness have long been central to good search content. Now, these attributes are equally important in AI-driven discovery.
What marketers should keep doing
Keep building the assets that earn attention and trust:
- Original research and unique-to-you data — AI systems love primary sources to cite.
- First-hand expert commentary — demonstrates experience and expertise (E-E-A-T).
- Earned media and third-party references — when credible sites and individuals vouch for you, AI systems notice.
- Case studies with real numbers — proof points unique to you.
How to check your brand’s AI visibility
Start free: ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity the questions your customers actually ask. Note whether you’re mentioned, how you’re described, and who gets cited instead.
If you’re ready to track it systematically, dedicated tools have emerged at every budget. There’s Otterly.ai for entry level, Peec AI for mid-market teams, and Profound at the enterprise end.
Alternatively, Semrush and Ahrefs have added AI visibility modules to their existing suites. And following its acquisition of Hall, Tracksuit will begin rolling AI visibility into its brand-tracking platform later this year.
A better moment for marketers
AI may be changing the mechanics of discovery, but it could also bring good marketing back into vogue: the kind that sees the bigger brand picture.
For experienced strategic marketers who think their days might be numbered, it’s great to have a Plan B, but banking on an AI-generated redundancy payment might be premature.
If you want to build brand authority and create content that supports visibility in both search and AI-generated answers, Article Writers Australia can help. We create premium, insight-led articles that strengthen trust and help you keep your brand visible where it matters most.
Leonie Seysan is the Director of Article Writers Australia, and manages the team of professional writers and editors. She holds a Bachelor of Communications Degree (Media Studies) and has been writing professionally for over 15 years. Leonie is also the podcast host of "Content with Humans" and author of "Turning Insight to Influence: A Guide to Building a Thought Leadership Program".
