In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, Resonance has officially launched its innovative tool named GEO Search, specifically designed for B2B technology brands. Masquerading as an AI visibility engine, this tool aims to provide companies insights into how generative AI models perceive their offerings during the buyer's journey. The importance of Generative AI (GAI) in vendor research cannot be understated, as research indicates that a staggering 89% of B2B buyers now rely on GAI during their decision-making processes. This shift signals a notable transformation in how brands must approach visibility and marketing.
The GEO Search tool emerges from the largest AI search research initiative ever undertaken, focusing exclusively on B2B technology marketing. Through a rigorous process involving over 100,000 buyer-intent prompts fed into advanced large language models (LLMs), the tool examines a vast array of information—results that yield 946,000 brand mentions collected from 34,000 companies across 113 distinct tech sectors.
The findings are revealing: public relations and earned media are now pivotal factors influencing whether a brand is mentioned in GAI-driven vendor recommendations. Traditional search engine optimization (SEO) has taken a backseat, highlighting a new arena of competition for brands to fight for visibility. Claire Williamson, the Founder and CEO of Resonance, underscored this reality, stating, "If you are not visible in AI answers, you are invisible to the buyer."
Key Findings from GEO Search
The research study conducted through GEO Search has dominated discussions across marketing teams, offering four crucial insights:
1.
Earned Media Dominates: Publications are the primary sources LLMs rely on when shortlisting vendors.
2.
Influence of Analysts: Analyst reports and peer review platforms such as G2, Gartner, IDC, or TrustRadius play a crucial role during the consideration phase.
3.
Category Variability: Visibility differs significantly by sector, meaning the sources that appeal to Cybersecurity buyers vary distinctly from those attracting DevOps or Cloud Infrastructure buyers. Understanding these patterns is essential for brands seeking to optimize visibility in their specific domain.
4.
Patterns in AI Search: Contrary to common belief, AI searches are not random; there are specific patterns that LLMs follow, which can be strategically influenced. Understanding which sources are regarded highly in a given category enables brands to mold their visibility accordingly.
Introducing a New Search Category
GEO Search positions itself as a groundbreaking search engine, shifting away from web results. This tool provides a unique glimpse into the questions potential buyers ask within LLMs, alongside real-time answers generated by these models. Users can enter their brand or category to gauge how AI interprets their offerings, allowing brands to identify their AI 'shortlist'—a crucial tool for modern marketing strategies.
Resonance has generously made GEO Search available at no cost, placing this powerful functionality into the hands of brands eager to comprehend their presence in AI-driven buyer research. This is a pivotal moment where brands can enhance their understanding and strategy regarding AI visibility.
The AI Visibility Challenge
Many companies mistakenly believe that ranking well on Google automatically translates into being visible in generative AI responses. GEO Search findings reveal significant shifts in this paradigm:
- - New AI competitors are emerging, altering the competitive landscape.
- - Some previously established brands may be framed inaccurately.
- - A surprising number of brands may not be appearing at all in this new search format.
Through its comprehensive analysis, Resonance aims to empower brands in navigating this uncharted territory of AI positioning, assisting them in mastering the nuances of buyer narratives and content that Large Language Models (LLMs) find credible.
By analyzing the responses stemming from 500 buyer-intent queries across 113 tech segments—ranging from cybersecurity to orchestration platforms—GEO Search grants companies the opportunity to observe vital metrics including brand mentions in AI-generated answers and the types of sources being cited. With this tool, brands now possess the means to illuminate their path forward in the competitive B2B technology sector.