As a marketer, one in every of your greatest fears is dropping management.

Management of the message. Management of the dialog. Management of your individual model identification.

That’s what makes the rise of generative AI as a pivotal pressure within the B2B purchaser’s journey so ominous. Whereas we by no means have full management over how our content material is found and consumed, our means to have any management in any respect is at stake as decision-makers more and more flip towards automated, algorithmic messengers for evaluating options and evaluating distributors. You may need observed, however these generative engines — slick as they could be — are vulnerable to getting the details flawed!

Welcome to the misinformation disaster. We’re solely getting began.

Prepared or not, right here AI comes

A current report from Responsive discovered that 80% of global B2B tech buyers use generative AI as a lot as conventional search when researching distributors, with practically 1 / 4 (22%) saying they use it extra.

On the similar time, over 90% of US consumers specific concern over AI spreading misinformation. And in response to Forrester’s Consumers’ Journey Survey 2025, 19% of business buyers mentioned the wrong or deceptive outcomes from AI techniques made them much less assured of their buy choices.

Alas, regardless of recognizing the pitfalls, decision-makers aren’t turning away from LLMs anytime quickly: Forrester’s knowledge found that “95% of B2B patrons plan to make use of generative AI in at the least one space of a future buy, and over half say it led them to think about extra or totally different distributors whereas saving them time of their buy course of.”

B2B entrepreneurs can’t cease the insatiable adoption of AI instruments like those used to create the picture for this weblog put up. However we are able to play a task in serving to these instruments present higher info, in addition to equipping patrons with sources past what AI can generate to make choices extra confidently.

Taking management of your model story within the age of AI search

Is AI mendacity about your model? After I ask the query, I don’t imply it nefariously — the robots don’t know any higher. When requested a query, LLMs will shortly retrieve no matter info they’re able to discover and quickly vet.

If they’ll’t discover the information from you, they could pull it from a third-party website or (gulp) competitor. If they’ll’t discover the information in any respect, they could hallucinate it. Studies show that fashionable generative AI platforms hallucinate between 2.5% and eight.5% of the time, and for some fashions the speed exceeds 15%.

This misinformation disaster calls for that B2B entrepreneurs concentrate on three issues:

  • Understanding your present AI footprint and alternatives
  • Optimizing for visibility and accuracy in LLMs
  • Providing magnetic experiences and sources exterior of AI platforms

Perceive your present AI footprint and alternatives

Earlier than you’ll be able to enhance how your model seems in generative AI engines, it’s important to perceive the place you’re at the moment.

Proper now, most entrepreneurs lack visibility into how their model, merchandise and rivals present up in AI overviews and conversational search. Generative techniques like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity are drawing on a always altering mixture of sources — typically together with your owned content material, typically not. With out an audit, you’re primarily guessing how these fashions understand and symbolize your corporation.

New instruments and evaluation strategies are rising that give advertising and marketing groups a clearer, data-backed image of their AI footprint: which fashions are surfacing your model, what narratives are connected to it, and the place misinformation or visibility gaps exist.

[CTA: Get started with [TopRank Marketing’s AI Overview Audit and Consultation], designed to assist manufacturers assess their presence throughout generative engines and uncover fast optimization alternatives.]

Optimize for visibility and accuracy in LLMs

As soon as you know the way AI sees your model, the subsequent step is studying the way to enhance what it sees and exhibits. Generative engine optimization (GEO) is an evolving apply, distinct from conventional search engine optimization. As our shoppers and pals at StackAdapt recently wrote at MarketingProfs:

“Not like search algorithms, LLMs are closed techniques with totally different coaching units and behaviors. Meaning you’ll be able to’t totally ‘optimize’ for them — it’s important to experiment.”

That experimentation wants construction. Good entrepreneurs are creating data-driven frameworks that take a look at prompts, monitor AI output accuracy and join insights again to owned content material and schema enhancements. You’re not making an attempt to hack or trick the mannequin, however relatively making your model’s knowledge and experience extra accessible, verifiable and helpful to the techniques that energy it.

Consider GEO as iterative studying. The extra you measure and refine your indicators — from well-sourced content material and structured markup to constant model language — the extra possible these engines are to reference you appropriately, and confidently.

“It’s not sufficient to rank for key phrases; your content material must reply the questions patrons are asking with credible, context-rich, intent-driven solutions and present up within the sourcing and citations included for transparency. Leverage intent mapping, subject clusters, and structured knowledge to assist form and reinforce AI mannequin reasoning.” – Jessie Johnson, Forrester

Supply magnetic experiences and sources exterior of AI platforms

Regardless of how a lot you analyze or optimize, there’ll all the time be limits to what you’ll be able to management inside massive language fashions. That’s why the final word benefit lies exterior them.

Your owned platforms — your web site, social media, thought leadership hub, influencer ecosystem and analysis library — should develop into compelling locations. When patrons do encounter you thru AI search or overview summaries, these experiences ought to pull them in and make it clear why your model provides greater than a generic reply ever might.

Meaning doubling down on unique analysis, distinctive experience and human voices that algorithms can’t replicate. It means cultivating relationships with trade influencers and communities that validate your credibility past machine-generated outcomes.

Briefly, make your model the Best Answer, not simply the one an AI occurs to spit out. That’s the way you reclaim management: not by preventing the fashions, however by giving audiences one thing so helpful, so genuine, that they select to step past the overview and into your world.

Avert the misinformation disaster with professional assist

B2B entrepreneurs and types have to take management earlier than they lose it with proactive measures to adapt within the age of AI search. Partnering with an professional who understands this evolving panorama and the way to finest place your model inside it’s a vital step towards staying seen in your purchaser’s journey.

Able to rise above because the Greatest Reply? Grab our playbook to get began, and reach out in case you’re able to put it into motion.

In regards to the creator

Nick Nelson is our pleasant neighborhood writer-man. Because the Affiliate Content material Director at TopRank Advertising and marketing, he’s on a mission to energise model narratives with sensible, enjoyable, sharp wordplay. In his free time, Nick enjoys basking within the distress of Minnesota sports activities fandom, making cringeworthy puns, and smothering all forms of meals in buffalo sauce.


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