ChatGPT, Perplexity & AI Mode Search: What B2B Marketers Must Do to Boost Visibility

AI is changing how buyers find answers, and your content needs to catch up.

Your buyers aren’t just Googling anymore - they’re asking ChatGPT. Or scanning answers in Perplexity. Or they’re flipping Google into AI Mode and expecting a decision-ready summary instead of ten blue links. So if your content isn’t built to be part of that summary, it’s not part of the conversation.

The issue is, these tools don’t index pages the way Google does. That’s where AI search optimisation for B2B marketers comes in. If you want to stay visible - not just in search engines, but in AI-generated answers too - you need to rethink how your content is built, how authority is signaled, and how tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity decide what to include.

This article breaks it down: what’s actually happening under the hood of tools like Perplexity, why AI Mode Search is fundamentally different from traditional discovery, and what steps to take if you want your brand showing up where buying decisions now begin.

The New AI Search Landscape

Why AI Search Matters for B2B Brands

More and more decision-makers are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini as their first stop for research because they generate answers instead of just a list of links. And that means the rules for earning visibility are completely different.

You’re no longer just optimising for search engines - you’re trying to be cited by large language models. That shift has massive implications for everything from content structure to how authority is established. Tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT are now considered genuine traffic sources and no longer just research assistants. And data backs it up: a recent survey found that 61% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials (the future buyers) already use AI tools instead of Google. 

It’s not just a generational shift, either. TrustRadius also found that 72% of B2B buyers now come across AI-generated overviews during their research process. These overviews often summarize key vendor options and surface core insights, so if your brand isn’t in that mix, you’ve already lost the narrative.

Image source: DataRadius

This is why AI Mode matters. When users flip Google into AI mode or use a tool like Perplexity to query a problem, the content they see isn’t chosen based only on backlinks or domain authority. Those signals still matter, especially if you’re already ranking well,  but they’re no longer the whole picture. Clarity, structure, and how closely your content aligns with intent now carry more weight in how answers are generated and which sources are cited.

Traditional SEO still lays the foundation. But to stay visible in AI-driven search, marketers need to go further. That means evolving your content for AI-powered search engines, not just for crawlers. It means applying AI search optimization practices that help your content show up in answers and not just search results. And it means understanding things like how to rank in Perplexity AI as a must-have, not a nice-to-have part of your B2B marketing strategy.

See also: 7 Content Formats AI Tools Love (and Rank Highly)

How AI Search Engines Work

Search used to be about indexing. Now it’s about synthesis.

When someone asks a question in ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity, the model doesn’t just retrieve a list of relevant pages but breaks the query down into smaller, contextual sub-questions and builds an answer from what it understands. This process isn’t based on keyword matches or backlink volume. It’s based on how clearly and directly your content aligns with the user’s intent.

This is one of the biggest shifts marketers need to wrap their heads around. AI tools for marketing are trained to prioritize clarity, structure, and citability. If your content doesn’t make it easy for them to lift a clean, self-contained explanation, you’re out.

Image source: TripleDart

TripleDart calls this the new “answer-first” model. That means concise definitions, bullet points, Q&A formats, and tight subheadings are more valuable than long-form SEO fluff.

And it’s not just about structure, either, but also about how these tools operate. Google crawls and indexes. ChatGPT and Perplexity synthesize answers in real time, often citing sources they’ve scraped or linked via APIs. Gemini’s AI Mode, for example, doesn’t even show traditional blue links by default - it shows a summary. That summary, or AI Overview, is where decisions happen.

This is what makes AI Mode Search fundamentally different. It’s not search-plus-AI — it’s a completely new layer of discovery. And to be discoverable, your content needs to speak the model’s language.

So if you’re wondering why your best-performing content isn’t showing up in Perplexity or being referenced by ChatGPT, it’s probably not a quality issue. It’s a format issue. And it’s time to fix that with the right SEO strategies for AI search engines; ones built for context, not just keywords.

Challenges B2B Marketers Face

Declining SERP Visibility

The traditional search experience is disappearing, and with it, the old rules for organic traffic.

Thanks to AI-generated answers, summaries, and citations, we’re deep into a zero-click search environment. Google’s AI Overviews are already reducing the need to scroll through results, while Perplexity serves full answers with citations embedded, removing any incentive to visit the original source unless absolutely necessary.

As Andrea Cruz points out, this shift means fewer clicks, even if your site is technically being mentioned. Visibility no longer guarantees traffic. And in many cases, your most valuable content is being paraphrased or abstracted into someone else’s summary.

Here’s what’s happening:

• AI tools are answering, not directing.
• Users are relying less on blue links, search snippets, or meta descriptions.
• Even a “top result” isn’t necessarily visible if it’s not cited in the model’s response.

For B2B brands, this erodes the value of traditional rankings and forces a shift toward smarter AI-powered search engine optimisation, where discoverability is based on being the source of truth, not just showing up in position one.

Lack of Control Over AI Citations

And here’s the real kicker: you can’t force an AI to cite you.

AI tools decide which sources to reference based on how useful, structured, and contextually relevant the content is. You can’t buy your way in with links. You can’t trick your way in with keywords. This is algorithmic trust, not traditional authority.

According to TripleDart, the key factors influencing AI citations include:

• Clarity: Short, direct, well-formatted content is easier to pull from.
• Structure: Strong headers, lists, and logical flow increase “extractability.”
• Topical authority: Covering a subject in-depth across multiple pieces builds trust.
• Semantic precision: Content needs to align closely with the user’s intent and language.

This means traditional SEO tactics alone, like optimizing title tags, chasing backlinks, or updating content for freshness, are no longer enough. In the context of B2B marketing in the age of AI search, it’s not about playing to Google’s crawler.

If your brand wants to improve B2B content visibility in ChatGPT or create a solid Perplexity AI ranking strategy, you need a new content framework - one that’s focused on being the answer, not just being found.

Strategic Actions to Stay Visible in AI Search

Optimise Content Structure for AI

When it comes to visibility in AI-generated results, structure isn’t a nice-to-have: it’s the entry point. In fact, if your content isn’t scannable by a language model, it’s invisible.

To align with how these tools parse and cite information, your content needs to be structured around how questions are asked and how answers are used.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Q&A formatting: Perplexity favors direct, question-led content blocks. Use H2s and H3s to mirror real queries and follow up with tight, self-contained answers.
• Logical heading hierarchy: Make your H2s and H3s meaningful. AI parsing depends on clear, predictable sectioning and not vague or creative headers that confuse the model.
• Front-loaded answers: Don’t bury the value. Answer the core question in the first sentence, then provide supporting context. This improves your chances of being cited in both summary-level and long-form AI responses.
• Use of lists and bullets: AI tools love structure. Lists help models extract cleanly and increase the odds that your phrasing will be used word-for-word.

Build Topical Authority with Content Clusters

Image source: Hubspot

If you want to show up in AI answers, publishing one strong piece isn’t enough. You need to own the topic - and prove it.

That’s where content clustering comes in. Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity assess depth across your domain, so the more connected, well-structured content you have around a subject, the more likely you are to be seen as a reliable source.

Topical authority is one of the strongest signals you can send to AI engines. It shows you’re not just answering a question; you understand the ecosystem around it.

What to focus on:

• Create clusters: Build multiple interlinked articles that cover a niche from every angle like FAQs, how-tos, frameworks, comparisons, and strategy breakdowns.
• Use descriptive anchor text: When linking between posts, avoid generic phrases like “read more.” Use natural language that reinforces semantic relationships,  e.g., “AI Mode search content strategy” or “optimising content for AI tools like ChatGPT.”
• Connect to a hub: Group your cluster around one central pillar page to give the model a clear entry point. This also supports crawlability for traditional SEO.
• Don’t skip long-tail: Smaller, specific queries (e.g., “how to structure B2B blog content for ChatGPT SEO”) are more likely to be picked up in AI-generated responses. Clusters help you target both broad and narrow variations.

Prioritise Semantic Clarity & Directness

If a language model can’t instantly understand what your content is saying, it’s not going to use it. It’s that simple.

Semantic clarity means writing in a way that’s unambiguous, structured, and easy for AI to extract. Remember: you’re not just writing for humans anymore, but also for models trained to scan and summarise.

Here’s how to make your content AI-readable without dumbing it down:

• Lead with the answer: Start with the outcome, insight, or definition. Don’t build up to it - start there, then layer in the context.
• Use short, direct sentences: LLMs handle concise statements better than long, clause-heavy paragraphs. Think: “AI Mode Search prioritises clarity over keyword density.”
• Avoid burying key points: If the most valuable idea in your paragraph is in the final sentence, it’s already lost. Surface it early.
• Stay consistent with terminology: Repeating phrases like “AI Mode search content strategy” or “optimising content for AI tools like ChatGPT” where relevant helps signal topical focus, just don’t overdo it.

Strengthen Credibility and Citability

Being well-written isn't enough. If an AI model doesn’t trust your source, it won’t cite it, no matter how good the content is.

Visibility in ChatGPT SEO for B2B brands and tools like Perplexity depends heavily on perceived authority. And that means treating trust signals as part of your core AI search content strategy.

Here’s how to boost your credibility in ways that AI models recognize:

• Add real author bios - Include full names, job titles, and domain expertise. Generic “Team” labels won’t cut it as Perplexity is more likely to cite content with a named expert behind it.
• Cite trusted external sources - Models weigh the sources you reference. Link out to government data, original research, and academic studies when possible, not just blog chains.
• Cover technical trust basics - Use HTTPS, display clear ownership (team bios, About pages, physical address), and avoid aggressive CTAs and spammy design cues.

Expand Multi-Channel Visibility

If your content only lives on your website, you’re limiting its reach and reducing its chances of being cited.

Tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity increasingly surface insights from LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, and other high-signal platforms. In other words, the same idea published in multiple formats gives you more paths to visibility.

This is especially critical when optimising content for AI search, which tends to blend authoritative content from varied sources and not just the highest-ranking webpage.

Ways to extend your reach across channels:

• Turn blog content into LinkedIn carousels or thought-leadership posts. These often get picked up in summaries and conversational responses, especially in B2B contexts.
• Summarise key takeaways into X (Twitter) threads or Reddit answers. Useful for driving citations from models scanning open platforms.
• Repurpose articles into short-form video explainers or webinar clips. YouTube transcripts are often crawled and quoted in Perplexity.
• Use AI tools to turn written content into podcast episodes. Audio formats are increasingly indexed, and transcripts can boost your surface area across platforms.
• Post regular updates to your Google Business Profile. These can reinforce topical authority and expand your presence in both traditional and AI-enhanced search.
• Embed social content back into your blog. Strengthens the semantic connection across platforms and keeps your domain central

See also: How to Create a Winning Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy for 2025

Real-World Examples & Case Studies

Expand Multi-Channel Visibility

TripleDart worked with a B2B client sitting on solid SEO foundations, but their visibility in AI tools was nearly nonexistent. Over six months, by restructuring existing content and focusing on AI-first optimisation, they increased LLM-driven sessions from 90 to 664.

Image source: LinkedIn

Key moves that drove results:

• Q&A formatting and content restructuring. Around 20 high-potential blog posts were reworked using question-led headings, bullet lists, and concise definitions, all aligned to how LLMs like Perplexity parse content.
• Topical depth through clustering. Instead of chasing standalone rankings, the team doubled down on building tightly themed clusters, particularly around high-intent bottom-funnel content.
• Technical enhancements. Improvements included structured data (FAQ and Article schema), semantic HTML, and clearer internal hierarchies,  all key for AI content optimisation

Takeaway: The biggest lift came from well-structured, long-form content, especially in categories where the brand demonstrated clear topical authority.

Tools & KPIs to Track AI Search Performance

Getting your content into AI-generated answers is only half the battle; tracking it is where most B2B marketers hit a wall. Why? Most analytics setups weren’t designed to track traffic from AI interfaces like ChatGPT or Perplexity, but this can be overcome with a few tweaks.

Tracking Perplexity, Gemini & ChatGPT Traffic in GA4

While AI referrals aren’t always clearly labeled, you can track LLM-driven sessions by filtering for known referrers and custom UTM tags. TripleDart recommends creating dedicated reports in GA4 using Regex filters to isolate AI traffic.

How to do it:

1. Open GA4 > Reports > Traffic Acquisition
2. Create a new filter for Session Source / Medium
3. Use Regex like:
   perplexity|chatgpt|you.com|bard|gemini|phind

Image source: SUSO Digital

Tip: Pair this with UTM tagging on social posts and videos that AI tools might crawl.

Recommended AI Search Monitoring Tools

For more advanced tracking, these tools can help surface AI mentions and citations across platforms:

• Profound – Tracks brand and keyword mentions in AI summaries
• Brandlight – Monitors visibility across AI interfaces and search agents
• Evertune – Provides LLM-specific performance dashboards and tracking

KPIs for AI Search Success

You won’t always see a click, but that doesn’t mean your content isn’t influencing decisions. So focus on tracking a mix of direct and indirect signals:

• Referral traffic from AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc.)
• Mentions and citations across AI interfaces and responses
• Engagement metrics: time on page, scroll depth, bounce rate from AI sessions
• Conversion rates from sessions tagged with AI sources or campaigns

Final Takeaway

If your content isn’t showing up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini, it’s not reaching the people who matter. They surface answers, and right now, those answers are coming from competitors who’ve already restructured their content around clarity, structure, and actual expertise.

If your strategy still looks like it did two years ago, this is the point where visibility starts to drop off. Search has changed. The way people find and trust information has changed. And the brands that adapt early are the ones that will stay in front.

FAQs

Do I need to create separate content for AI tools like ChatGPT and for Google?
No, but you do need to adapt how you structure and present content. AI tools and search engines both reward clarity, depth, and relevance. The difference is in formatting and intent. Where Google ranks, AI summarises. So instead of creating separate content, focus on making existing pieces more structured, scannable, and answer-friendly to serve both.

What role does content freshness play in being cited by AI models?
It depends on the tool. Some models like Perplexity and Gemini actively pull real-time or recent content via APIs, which makes freshness a stronger signal. Others, like ChatGPT (depending on the model version), operate on a static training cutoff and don’t access live content. 

Can gated content or PDFs be cited by AI tools?
Rarely. AI tools rely on accessible, crawlable content, and gated assets or PDFs typically don’t qualify. 

What’s the risk of AI models misquoting or misrepresenting my content?
It’s a real risk, and one of the harder ones to control. AI tools generate responses by synthesising multiple sources, and even when they cite you, the context can be distorted. Over-summarising, paraphrasing out of context, or blending your input with someone else’s are all common. The best way to reduce that risk? Write with precision. Use explicit statements. Avoid vague or overly nuanced phrasing when making key points. And where possible, monitor how your brand is being referenced.

How do I balance human readability with AI-friendly formatting?
You don’t have to choose. Good formatting, such as clear subheadings, short paragraphs, and bulleted summaries, benefits both human readers and AI parsing. The key is to front-load answers, structure your content around real questions or intent, and avoid burying insights under marketing fluff.