AI engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — don’t produce a ranking of results. They decide whether or not to cite a brand. This difference changes everything: a SERP position is climbed, an AI mention is earned in a completely different way.
The real problem for Italian SMEs is that most companies don't yet have any tools to know if AI systems mention them, how often, and especially in what tone. Without this measurement, you can't take action.
The article explains what's happening in the industry, why AI visibility metrics have become a priority, and what initial concrete actions can be taken this week to avoid starting from scratch.
Ranking no longer exists: citation exists
For twenty years, SEO work revolved around one question: “What position are we in on Google?”. It was an imperfect metric, but at least it was measurable. With AI engines, the question changes form: “When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity something related to our industry, is our brand mentioned?”.
It's not a nuance. It's a structural break. A traditional search engine shows ten results and the user chooses. A generative AI system — that is, a system that constructs answers in natural language rather than listing links — produces a single answer, and in that answer, your brand is either there or it isn't. There is no third option.
According to reports by Digiday , marketers are starting to understand this difference — and the industry is moving to find adequate tools to measure it.
Why traditional metrics are no longer enough
Organic traffic, CTR (click-through rate on search results), keyword positions: these metrics remain useful, but they only tell part of the story. The part concerning classic Google Search.
AI systems operate differently:
- They don't show a list of links, but summarize an answer
- They draw on sources that the user doesn't see directly
- They can mention a brand without generating traffic to the site
- They can describe a brand incorrectly without the company knowing
This last point is often underestimated. The risk of conflicting information about the brand spread by AI Search is real and difficult to detect without active monitoring. A company can have an optimized website and at the same time be inaccurately described by ChatGPT every time a potential customer asks a relevant question.
What those who are already ahead are measuring
The industry is talking about AEO — Answer Engine Optimization, meaning optimization for engines that produce answers instead of lists of links — as the natural evolution of SEO. But optimization presupposes measurement, and the market is still under construction here.
The first metrics emerging are:
- Mention rate : how many times the brand is cited in response to questions relevant to the sector
- AI Share of Voice : comparison between the frequency of citation of one's own brand compared to competitors in the same queries
- Sentiment of citations : the brand is mentioned positively, neutrally, or negatively
- Accuracy of information : the information AI provides about the brand is correct
Those who have already dealt with how to get mentions and measure AI visibility knows that none of these metrics can be read in Google Analytics. Specific tools or manual audit processes are needed, at least at this stage.
The concrete situation for those managing an SME
If you manage the marketing for an Italian SME, the practical question is: should I worry now, or can I wait?
It depends on two factors: how much your typical customer already uses AI systems to get informed before buying, and how competitive your sector is in terms of digital presence.
Those operating in sectors where informational queries precede a purchase — professional services, software, training, technical products — are more pressed for time. Those selling low-decision-complexity products have more time. But “more time” doesn’t mean “no problem”.
A concrete starting point: understand what ChatGPT and Perplexity say today about your brand and your direct competitors. It only takes twenty minutes and no paid tools. Ask the questions a potential customer would ask and read the answers. This rough audit doesn't replace systematic monitoring, but it gives a first snapshot.
For those who want to go further, the a practical guide to local visibility in AI Search for SMEs covers the next steps with more operational detail.
The connection with the SEO you already do
The good news is that AI visibility and traditional SEO are not in conflict. AI systems often draw on content indexed by Google, so a well-structured site with authoritative content has an advantage from the start, even in the race for AI mentions.
The bad news is that this isn't enough. AI systems favor sources that directly answer specific questions, cite verifiable data, and are mentioned by other authoritative sources. A content strategy designed solely for traditional ranking may not be sufficient.
It's worth keeping an eye on structural changes in SERPs too: Google's AI Overviews auto-expansion is already changing organic click-through rates, and what's new on SERPs, Business Profile, and product feeds add further variables to monitor.
The overall picture on SEO and AI visibility it moves fast. There's no need to chase every update, but you need a baseline to start from. Without data, any budget or content decision remains a hypothesis.
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