How AI Search Is Changing How Customers Find Agencies and Brands

More people now ask AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity, and AI features in search engines, which agency, product or event to choose. These assistants build answers from what they can find and read across the web, and they favour sources they can describe with confidence. For brands and agencies, that means clear and consistent facts, genuinely useful content and mentions on other trusted sites matter more than ever.

For organisations in Ghana, this is an opportunity: many competitors have thin websites and inconsistent information, so organisations that get the basics right can stand out.

How assistants answer

When someone asks a question, an assistant typically searches the web, reads several pages and writes an answer, sometimes citing sources. It also draws on what it learned during training from the open web. Pages it cannot read, or facts that contradict each other, make it less likely to recommend you.

What helps you get recommended

Be readable

Make sure your website's important information is visible in the page itself, loads reliably and is open to search engines and AI crawlers.

Be unambiguous

Describe your organisation in one consistent sentence everywhere: website, social profiles, directories and Google Business Profile. See how to write a company boilerplate and description. A dedicated facts page helps too; PR369 publishes one at pr369.com/facts.

Answer the questions people ask

Pages that answer real questions clearly, with the answer near the top, are more likely to be quoted. Use headings that match questions, plain language and specific facts.

Be talked about

Assistants trust what others say about you. Media coverage, reviews, partner pages, directory listings and recommendations on other sites all help. See earned, owned, paid and shared media explained.

Keep information current

Out-of-date prices, services or contact details lead assistants to give wrong answers. Review your key pages regularly.

What to stop doing

• Keyword stuffing, which makes content worse for people and machines
• Inconsistent descriptions across platforms
• Claims you cannot support, which can be repeated back to customers and damage trust

How to check where you stand

Ask several assistants the questions your customers would ask, such as "best event agency in Accra for a product launch", and note whether you appear, who appears instead and which sources are cited. Repeat every few weeks.

Reputation still matters most

AI does not replace reputation; it reflects it. Doing good work, earning coverage and reviews and communicating consistently remain the foundation. See reputation management explained and generative AI in PR: what changes and what doesn't.

PR369's Strategic Communications and PR service helps organisations communicate clearly and consistently across every channel. Email info@pr369.com with your organisation and goals. We will begin with a strategy conversation.