Should PR own AI search visibility in the LLM era?
With both PR and digital teams claiming ownership, where should GEO really sit?
Our Associate PR Director, Kate O’Donnell, attended PRMoment’s GEO Masterclass to identify PR’s role in AI search visibility for B2B tech brands.
AI search has reshaped how B2B brands are discovered, evaluated, and remembered, with 94% of B2B buyers now using large language models (LLMs) to support purchase decisions.
Despite its critical influence in the buyer journey, many B2B tech brands are still trying to decide who should own GEO and AI search visibility internally.
The reason is simple: GEO sits at the intersection of PR, SEO, content, and digital infrastructure. No single team has historically owned all the capabilities required. And pigeon-holing it with one marketing function also risks rendering efforts ineffective.
I recently attended PRMoment’s GEO Masterclass to better understand the role PR leaders should play in shaping visibility across LLMs. Here are my key takeaways:
1. Should PR be involved in GEO?
AI search visibility requires brands to appear in the answer of both branded and non-branded prompts. PR already plays a critical role because the signals LLMs rely on are largely reputation and authority signals.
Working alongside SEO teams, PR leaders should map out the branded and non-branded prompts that matter for key audiences and audit this monthly to see which vendors appear. If your B2B tech brand doesn’t appear in the prompt answer, your PR team must rethink how it works with wider marketing disciplines to influence authority signals.
2. What media formats generate LLM citations?
LLMs don’t prioritise what’s most famous; they prioritise what’s most structured, factual, and easy to extract from and summarise.
A standalone tier-one feature is less ‘citable’ than cumulative credibility across multiple authoritative sources. Text-heavy, structured content from Reddit, Wikipedia, trade publications and niche websites frequently surface because they provide clear, opinion-led and community-driven information.
The most influential and extractable media formats now include:
- Structured press releases and clearly segmented blog posts
- FAQ-style “answer hub” pages
- LinkedIn long-form articles and authoritative profiles
- Trade and institutional endorsements
- Community conversations, including Reddit
For PR teams, your prompt analysis will identify a shortlist of publications that are regularly cited in the searches that matter to your key audiences. Once identified, consistency is key.
3. How can I improve what LLMs say about my company?
Boards are increasingly asking: “What is AI saying about us?” And it’s a fair question when you consider that LLMs infer narratives from thousands of structural, authority and consistency signals.
LLMs don’t forget; they surface and layer information such as old litigation cases, outdated financial reports, hiring signals, and inconsistencies between employer branding and Glassdoor reviews.
A drumbeat of consistent messaging and thought leadership is essential to correct outdated narratives, leveraging the structured content formats mentioned above to strengthen expert authority signals.
4. How can I measure GEO progress over time?
AI outputs fluctuate constantly. Annual LLM audits are emerging as best practice, supported by monthly or quarterly monitoring.
PR leaders should work in tandem with digital marketing teams to measure share of AI brand mentions, repeat mentions, share of answers and citation frequency, as well as sentiment and tone. Visibility gains may be gradual, with increases of 2% over several months common.
PR leaders should also work with customer success teams to link AI visibility to pipeline and lead generation improvements, which is measurable through CRM platforms.
So, should PR own GEO and AI visibility?
Many PR agencies position GEO as a PR discipline, but the PR leaders that succeed will be those who take a unified media approach to building consistent credibility and authority signals.
At Fox Agency, we help leading B2B tech brands build unified media campaigns to improve efficiency, reputation and conversion overtime.