Earning visibility in AI search as a busy solopreneur

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How you get discovered in search as a one-person business is similar to how it worked before, but with a greater emphasis on signals of your credibility from a variety of third-party sources.

AI-powered search values your activity on external websites over your own and what others say about your expertise over what you’re publishing about yourself. That leads to better results for everyone.

Most advice on AEO and GEO (no more acronyms plz!) is focused on what companies should do for discoverability, which doesn’t always apply to a one-person business. Here’s how to reasonably adapt your approach to gain visibility in AI search as a busy solopreneur.

What changed: Aim for mentions and citations

The goal of earning quality links to your website for SEO has shifted to gaining mentions of your brand from different sources, so you’re included in responses from the LLMs.

Studies have shown that the number of links to a website matters significantly less for AI visibility. Your website is still your hub online where you should publish content and detail your services, but what’s shared there has less of an impact on your AI discoverability.

We’re now looking for mentions, which is when you’re brought up by name in the content of others, like being featured in a YouTube video, called out in a podcast, cited in an industry publication, or tagged by a TikTok creator. Publishing your own content on different channels counts too, like publishing an article on LinkedIn or answering questions on Quora.

The context in which you’re mentioned or how you’re being described is taken into consideration, so it’s not simply the number of times your name is listed but what sources are mentioning you and the topical relevance of each call-out.

You’re aiming to be mentioned consistently in connection with the subject matter you’re an expert in. These mentions signal to the LLMs how you should be categorized.

And confusingly, when you’re part of an answer in an AI-powered search that’s also referred to as a mention, and when there’s a link included crediting your content, that’s a citation.

Most of the time, you’re not getting traffic from these interactions, more so association as an expert on the subject being searched. That’ll ideally lead to client outreach down the line as you continue to show up as an authority on the topic and build trust.

The LLMs are answering these questions by analyzing their training data from multiple sources, aligning on who the credible experts are on a topic likely to provide the most qualified answer.

That’s you! And you can positively influence these responses by consistently publishing your POV on third-party websites, getting mentioned by others, and sharing on your own website too.

More weight is put towards what you’re sharing on third-party websites and what others say about you, as the LLMs can more confidently assess your expertise through the wisdom of the crowd, not just what you’re putting out there about what you know.

Confidence is the keyword here as you want your efforts to position you as the undeniable expert in what you do, whether you’re the queen of semiconductors or a leading HR consultant.

AI platforms like Perplexity, Claude, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini are generating a response by “sampling from a probability distribution shaped by: What the model knows. How confidently it knows it. What it retrieved at the moment of the query,” according to Search Engine Land.

How you show up online and how others reference you has always mattered when it came to your footprint in search. It’s the emphasis on third-party sources that’s increased, requiring a consistent presence on external websites and earning favorable coverage from others.

How to sensibly adapt: Lead with your POV

To show up in AI search without overburdening yourself, get clear on your POV, commit to a doable marketing routine, and maintain relationships with other voices in your industry.

So, what is your point of view? That’s one of those questions that throws everyone off.

It isn’t made up out of thin air as you genuinely need at least a few years of experience in a given sector(s), hands-on immersion, and credentials in your field to land on your expertise, let alone come up with your take on your craft.

Your POV comes from what you already know and going beyond the best practices and broad descriptions of what you do. Think about subtopics within your expertise wheelhouse you wish to be known for, something that fits within the overarching category, and you’re excited by.

That’s often where there’s space to better own the conversation and uniquely explain what you do with the intention of AI describing your work using your own words. The naming job, as marketing pro Andrew Garberson calls it, is articulating what you do as a solopreneur in distinct but recognizable terms to assert control over your narrative and how you show up.

For instance, you shouldn’t position yourself as simply a sales expert, as that’s too vague and high-level for humans and the AI platforms. With more intention and reflection, you might position yourself as a challenger sales consultant, a sales trainer for the honest salesman, or an AgTech sales and strategy consultant.

Each option is focused on a more granular aspect of the larger category, and where there’s more room to lead the conversation on the sub-topic.

You narrow in on this by thinking through the patterns in your contributions at work, like the problems you solve, who you support, and what you find yourself continually explaining. And most of all, selecting a focus you’re interested in so all your marketing is more energizing.

Create a routine: Share your POV widely

“Publish your original point of view on platforms you don’t own. Your own website is the floor; AI discounts brand-controlled content because you control the narrative,” says Kaleigh Moore, a LinkedIn creator and AEO strategist for B2B SaaS companies.

It’s not enough to be found on one destination anymore (unfortunately), as that doesn’t provide enough credibility and context for the LLMs. But you don’t have to be everywhere.

“What actually moves the needle is showing up independently across multiple surfaces: a guest podcast appearance, a LinkedIn article under your name, a quote in a trade publication, a detailed answer in a Reddit thread or niche forum. The data behind it: brands (and people) mentioned across four or more non-affiliated platforms are 2.8x more likely to appear in ChatGPT responses,” shares Moore.

She suggests taking a strong opinion you already have related to your overall POV and sharing it in three to four different contexts. That sounds like a lot, but it’s not as complicated as it seems.

One example of this was sharing my take on starting a consulting practice first in an Inc article, then covering the same concept from the piece in a TikTok video, and finally as a LinkedIn post.

A majority of the work went into drafting the article, fleshing out my point of view on the topic. Once it was published, I recorded a video summarizing the key points from the piece and wrote a caption detailing one of the stickier arguments, as that would likely capture attention on social.

“AI doesn’t cite you because your content is formatted well. It cites you because it finds corroboration—evidence from multiple independent sources that you actually know what you’re talking about,” adds Moore.

To show up in multiple places in a meaningful way, develop a routine for creating and distributing content that you can reasonably commit to on a regular basis. Like this:

• Publishing your thinking consistently in one format, like a video, article, or podcast.

• Identify a channel where this content will first be shared to reach your ideal customers.

• Choose a doable publishing frequency you can sustain for the long-term, whether that’s sharing several days a week, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Adjust as you go.

• Repurpose the perspective shared in the original content into two other formats, like turning the transcript of a podcast episode into a LinkedIn post and a YouTube video.

• Schedule this on your calendar as a recurring task to ensure it is a priority.

One example of a viable marketing routine comes from Ann Smarty, an SEO and AI visibility expert with 20+ years in the industry, who shares a weekly livestream on multiple platforms.

“Here’s how I roll: I do the bare minimum of being out there, but make sure I do it every week. I cannot afford the time for polished videos, podcast host management, etc.

I make sure that every week, on Wednesdays, I go live to discuss my topic of expertise for 30 minutes. It is on my calendar, so I never miss it. It streams to X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, so it is cross-channel.

It has created a nice workflow that my followers got used to and look forward to. I get citations because I make sure to discuss the recent trends with my expert commentary. I cannot afford the time to do more, but this is the bare minimum I can consistently deliver.”

From one weekly effort of 30 minutes discussing her POV on marketing, Smarty creates content for four different channels at once. For some destinations, she shares the full livestream as is, and for others, shorter, edited clips are published from the longer recording.

“The bottom line here: Find the system that’s doable, and stick to it. It is different for everyone,” says Smarty.

Partner with others: Get recognized by trusted voices

To further solidify your standing in AI search and gain exposure with new audiences, get covered in content created by others in your industry.

This materializes by building genuine relationships with other solopreneurs and industry practitioners, covering them in your own work, and occasionally pitching yourself.

Aim to be mentioned in the content of others two to three times a month.

Some of these mentions will be easier to come by, like being referenced in a LinkedIn post, while others take more effort and intention to land, like being interviewed in an industry publication. You’re aiming for a mix of coverage from different voices across sources.

What works is building a routine around partnering with others. Usually, this requires you being proactive with introducing yourself, leaving thoughtful comments, and mentioning others first. It can’t be transactional. You have to show up for others as the starting point.

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