Instead of ten blue links, AI-powered assistants and shopping agents are increasingly providing specific recommendations: “Choose provider X.” This is convenient for customers, but tough for providers: there are fewer “slots” and even small advantages can make the difference.
When people (or AI agents) are unsure, they rely on what they know. The brand serves as a mark of trust and is the deciding factor when in doubt, especially when services are comparable. Those who are asked by name (“Ask <your brand>”) bypass individual selection and competition.
Nevertheless, the brand alone is no guarantee of success. Agents also consider hard facts: price, delivery time, returns, reviews, warranty, compliance, support response time, etc.
A strong brand and visibly better facts therefore ensure a high probability of being recommended by both humans and AI agents.
Strategic importance
- A winner-takes-most moment emerges: those who are recommended win disproportionately.
- Direct demand (people specifically asking for you) becomes more valuable than generic reach.
- The machine readability of your offers is a deciding factor: anything that is not clearly documented practically does not exist for agents.
Division of tasks
How to solve the challenge for your company.
Management
- Clarify relevance: In which 3–5 areas should we be recommended?
- Quality promise Define and adhere to delivery times, support response times, and returns
- Bundle budgets: Less dispersion, more focus on direct demand & trust-building content
Marketing/Sales
- Comprehensible content: Prepare lists of typical questions from your customers as pages or posts, e.g., “Best solution for … at …?”
- Prominently communicate comparison tables and customer testimonials
- Activate local or industry-specific touchpoints such as cooperation partners, events, and newsletters
Management
- Collect and present service metrics: availability, success rate, average shipping time, etc.
- Strengthen competitive advantages, simplify processes, and establish clear internal responsibilities
Web & IT
- Maintain content in a clear and structured manner: each service/product with the same fields such as price or price range, delivery time, warranty, reviews, contact, etc.
- Minimize special technical requests: simplicity helps with maintenance and prevents errors.
Other levers
- How often are you recommended by major AI assistants for typical customer questions? Simply test and document this once a quarter.
- Internal value: How many of your sales-relevant pages contain all the core information such as price/service, delivery time, returns, reviews, contact details? Target: +90%
- Ask your customers about their preferences, e.g., sustainable shipping, great packaging, fast processing, and then consistently mention these preferences in your offers. Agents recognize patterns and value consistency
Summary
Brands win because AI agents shorten the selection process. Therefore, brands that build direct demand and communicate their advantages so clearly, consistently, and comprehensibly that people and machines recognize them as the best option will win.
Roadmap for SMEs
- Brand check & findability
Uniform name, clear spelling (also easy to pronounce). Entry in relevant directories (Google business profile, industry directories, Wikidata if applicable)
- Make trust factors visible
Delivery times, return policy, warranty, service availability, genuine customer testimonials
- Basic measurement
– Proportion of direct or brand-dependent traffic
– Return rate, support resolution rate, delivery time, etc.
– Test 10 typical customer questions in major AI assistants. Are you or your company mentioned? - Reviews & references
Current, verifiable examples (results in figures, e.g., “-23% implementation time”)
- Communicate general conditions
Returns, warranty, data protection, etc. Easy to understand, easy to find, with date of last update
FAQ
No. Start with clear content and processes. Technology can be refined later.
This makes sense defensively, but it does not replace the work of building trust and recommendability. Those who only offer will lose in the long run.
Yes, if you reduce risk (better warranty, clear return policy, fast support) and prove results (case studies). Agents weigh benefit-to-risk, not just price.
Absolutely. Here in particular, verifiability (references, SLAs) and reliability (response times, expertise) are important.
Ensure clear pronunciation (including in audio/video), show spelling variations on your website (“we are often spelled this way…”) and consistently use the same claim.
Yes. Local providers benefit greatly: clear opening hours, quick accessibility, genuine local reviews, and reliable delivery/pickup information are particularly important.
