AI search is the new front door. Is your brand on the guest list?

When a buyer asks an AI assistant “who are the best agencies for X”, the answer is drawn from a mix of training data, live search and the structure of your own site. You can influence all three.

The practical checklist

1. Make your site crawlable and fast. AI crawlers give up quickly.
2. Publish structured data and an llms.txt so machines can read what you do.
3. Write plainly about who you serve and what you are best at. Vague copy does not get cited.
4. Earn mentions on pages the models trust: directories, press, partner sites.
5. Benchmark monthly. Ask the same twenty questions and track where you appear.