What do AI agents, third-party brand mentions, and new AI search analytics tools have in common? At first glance, they may seem like separate topics. But at SERP Conf Rome 2026, they all came up in response to one question: Is AI Visibility just a trend, or is it becoming a business necessity?
We asked five search industry professionals this question and received five different perspectives on why being present in AI-generated answers is becoming increasingly important for businesses.
1. AI Is Changing More Than Search — It’s Changing Who Visits Websites
Mike Moriarty — Chief Strategy Officer, WordLift
Mike Moriarty doesn’t see AI Visibility as just another marketing trend.
“I’d call it a business revolution.”
According to Mike, automated agents are already visiting websites more often than humans — and that trend is only accelerating.
At the same time, he disagrees with the idea that SEO is dying. Quite the opposite: in his view, search activity is higher today than ever before.
The way people interact with information is changing as well. Instead of visiting websites and searching for answers themselves, users are increasingly getting the information they need directly through AI.
AI agents can access web sources, retrieve relevant information, and surface it in experiences such as AI Overviews.
For businesses, this means the traditional journey — search results → website visit → brand discovery — is no longer the only way a potential customer may encounter a brand.
2. AI Visibility Builds on SEO — but Takes a More Holistic Approach.
Bogdan Muntean — Customer Support Specialist, Advanced Web Ranking
Bogdan Muntean sees AI Visibility as a business necessity, but not as a replacement for SEO. Instead, he views it as the next step in how search optimisation is evolving.
“It’s SEO, but with a more holistic approach.”
In his view, simply being discoverable in search is no longer enough. What increasingly matters is whether a brand is actually mentioned in AI-generated answers.
Bogdan pointed to an example discussed at a previous conference: Google may cite content from one company’s website while mentioning its competitors in the generated answer. In other words, being the source does not necessarily mean being the brand that gets visibility.
This highlights an important distinction: a website can be used as a source without the brand itself being featured in the answer.
At the same time, a brand mention can still create value even when there is no direct link to the company’s website. A user may discover the brand through an AI-generated response and then search for it independently.
Bogdan believes this type of visibility will become increasingly valuable as AI Mode and other AI-powered search experiences continue to expand.
3. Your Website Tells Your Story — but the Rest of the Web Shapes Your Reputation.
Patrick Schmid — Co-Founder & CMO, Rankscale
Patrick Schmid highlighted the growing role of third-party sources in shaping how a brand is perceived online.
Google remains an important source of traffic, but as large language models become more widely used, businesses also need to pay attention to what is being said about them beyond their own websites.
AI systems can compare information across multiple sources, which makes consistency increasingly important. If a company is described differently across its website, directories, media mentions, reviews, and other external sources, that can affect how clearly and reliably the brand is understood.
That is why Patrick emphasises the importance of third-party mentions and of deliberately shaping a consistent brand narrative.
The goal is not simply to publish content on your own website, but to build a clear and credible picture of the company across multiple external sources. The more consistent that picture is, the easier it becomes for language models to understand the brand accurately — and potentially cite or recommend it in their responses.
4. The Rise of AI Visibility Tools at Industry Conferences Speaks for Itself.
Mike Shcherbachov — Co-Founder & CMO, Collaborator.pro
Mike Shcherbachev suggested looking at the growth of the industry itself as a sign of where AI Visibility is heading.
In his view, one of the clearest indicators is the number of tools focused on AI visibility that are now appearing at search and marketing conferences.
For Mike, that is a strong sign that AI Visibility is more than a short-lived trend — it is becoming a lasting part of the industry.
5. SEO Has Always Evolved. AI Visibility Is the Next Step
Evgeni Yordanov — Chief Executive Officer, Trackian
Evgeni Yordanov sees AI Visibility as a clear business necessity, and he explains his view through the evolution of SEO itself.
Over the past 25 years, search optimisation has gone through several major shifts - from meta tags and keyword-focused tactics to more sophisticated systems such as RankBrain and entirely new approaches to content.
In Evgeni’s view, AI is simply the next stage of that evolution, not a passing trend.
Businesses now need to think about how their content is understood not only by people, but also by AI systems, which are becoming a new type of website visitor.
And, as Evgeni points out, the time to prepare for that shift is now.
What Does This Mean for Businesses? Three Takeaways from Mentio
Taken together, these expert perspectives point to three key areas businesses should focus on when building their AI visibility.
1. Make AI Visibility Part of Your Search Strategy
Traditional SEO still matters, but strong Google rankings do not automatically translate into visibility in AI-generated answers.
Alongside search rankings, businesses should also track whether they appear in AI responses for relevant queries — and which competitors are being mentioned alongside them.
2. Build Your Presence Beyond Your Own Website
How a brand is represented in industry publications, independent reviews, and other trusted third-party sources can influence how it appears in AI search.
That makes high-quality external mentions and consistent brand positioning an important part of any AI Visibility strategy.
3. Take a Systematic Approach to AI Visibility
Different AI platforms may rely on different sources and produce different answers, so AI Visibility needs to be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Businesses should regularly track where their brand appears, analyse the results, and adjust their strategy accordingly. That means looking beyond website citations to include brand mentions and whether the company is being surfaced in AI-generated recommendations.
Where Will Your Brand Stand in AI Search?
The five experts approached AI Visibility from different angles, but their views point in the same direction: this is not a short-term trend. Its importance for businesses is only likely to grow.
That means SEO alone is no longer enough. Companies also need to think about how their brand is represented in AI-generated answers - and whether it appears when potential customers ask for relevant recommendations.
At Mentio, we help businesses improve their AI Visibility across the full journey - from citations and brand mentions to inclusion in relevant AI-generated recommendations.
Because when a potential customer turns to AI for a recommendation, your brand should be one of the options they see.
We’d like to thank Patrick Schmid (Rankscale), Bogdan Muntean (Advanced Web Ranking), Mike Moriarty (WordLift), Evgeni Yordanov (Trackian), and Mykhailo Shcherbachov (Collaborator.pro) for sharing their perspectives with us at SERP Conf Rome 2026.
