Businesses now need to optimize for both traditional search engines and emerging platforms powered by artificial intelligence. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are being used to deliver information and recommendations. The methods used by these platforms to recognize and cite businesses have changed. Growing Search is an SEO agency that specializes in helping businesses appear in search results and obtain citations from AI-generated content. This overview explains the approach, technology, and outcomes involved in their work.
The Changing Search Environment
Search engines now often return answers generated through artificial intelligence. In late June 2025, digital marketing sources reported that Google provides AI-generated overviews on about 40 to 50 percent of search queries. This trend is strongest for commercial, informational, and how-to queries. Platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity are now sources of information for users looking for detailed and referenced answers.
These AI tools select and cite an average of two to four sources per response, using their own criteria to determine the most relevant and reliable information. The selection depends on clear and structured content, aligned with the algorithm’s data intake requirements.
Structured Data and Content Organization
In traditional search optimization, prominence was often driven by incoming links and keyword matching. The new AI-driven approaches prefer content that is marked up with schema and is well-organized. Industry reporting has shown that websites using schema-rich markup, such as FAQ, HowTo, and Product schemas, are more likely to be referenced by AI overviews. Recent case studies measured the increase at up to three times compared to sites without such structured data.
Topic clustering has also become important. Content grouped by subject area and mapped to user queries is easier for machine learning models to process. AI-driven search tools use this structure to decide which sources to cite.
Growing Search Service Overview
Growing Search has developed processes and owned technology for both search engines and AI-driven tools. The agency provides audits, keyword research, content planning, and link building. The team manages how brands are mentioned and presented in platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews.
All work is handled by the agency’s staff. Growing Search monitors brand citations, sentiment, and visibility in AI contexts, then revises content and authority signals as needed. Their decisions are based on in-house data and real-time analytics.
StakeView
StakeView is a proprietary tool from Growing Search. This platform shows a client’s organic market share in search results and compares it to competitors. StakeView provides daily updates about brand mentions, fluctuations in organic traffic, and the share of voice in industry queries. The insights are used to adjust strategies and address emerging gaps or new content requirements.
BrandLens
BrandLens is another proprietary tool from Growing Search. BrandLens tracks how often a business is cited by AI tools and measures the sentiment of those mentions. This includes data from ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and related platforms. BrandLens delivers client-specific reports with context about referencing frequency and the language used by AI tools.
Approach to AI Citations
Optimizing content for AI citation requires close attention to detail. The process begins with a content audit to find issues with semantic relevance and structure. Keyword research now extends into identifying search entities and mapping common user intents. Growing Search prioritizes content updates that clarify organization and improve semantic links to main topics.
Continuous monitoring is part of the process. By tracking brand mentions and citation sentiment over time, Growing Search can adjust campaigns if AI-driven platforms show different referencing preferences. All adjustments are implemented by the agency’s in-house team. This includes regular updates to schema, restructuring of information, and improvements to clarity and factual precision.
The agency focuses on these content features:
- Schema markup to let AI tools extract information more easily
- Topic clusters to help models understand subject coverage
- Regular content reviews and updates for ongoing accuracy
- Monitoring and reporting on brand citation across platforms
Measured Results and Industry Data
Recent market research supports the value of a methodical approach to AI-driven SEO. Digital marketers report that brands that track and optimize for AI citation achieve about a 35 percent average increase in referral traffic from these platforms after applying focused strategies for three months. The best results are noted with content that is updated, formatted with schema, and treated as authoritative by industry sources.
One recent example described by marketing analysts involved a Growing Search client who updated content for semantic relevance and entity optimization. After these changes, referral traffic coming from AI-driven platforms increased by 42 percent. This client’s results were measured over a ninety-day period and attributed to content structure and ongoing monitoring with proprietary analytics.
Further data from June 2025 shows AI-driven platforms contribute up to 20 percent of total website traffic for businesses that are consistently cited. Analysts expect this figure to double as more users rely on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and similar tools over the next eighteen months.
Advanced analytics and content audits have been identified as the basis for surpassing competitors in both traditional and AI search contexts. Businesses using these techniques, as in the Growing Search methodology, perform 25 to 30 percent better in rankings and AI citation rates, according to recent business technology reports.
Expert Recommendations
Industry experts recommend several actions for companies wishing to increase citations from AI tools:
- Apply comprehensive schema markup to all applicable content types
- Use topic clusters that address search intent comprehensively
- Maintain regular schedules for updating and refining content
- Monitor frequently for new brand mentions, sentiment trends, and citation counts in both traditional and AI platforms
Growing Search’s service is designed to match each of these points. The technology and workflows in place allow for detailed tracking, frequent adjustment, and measurable results.
The Value of In-House Expertise
All services at Growing Search are performed by their own team. No outsourcing occurs. Full control over research, planning, execution, and reporting helps the agency maintain high accuracy and performance. Each process is standardized to deliver factual, up-to-date content that meets both search engine and AI criteria.
Current Trends and Future Projections
Google’s AI Overviews, according to recent updates, will soon be included in over half of all results for queries deemed relevant. Similar trends are identified in usage data for ChatGPT and Perplexity as discovery and recommendation platforms.
The combination of StakeView and BrandLens allows Growing Search to address both legacy and new challenges. StakeView covers competitive positioning and behavioral trends. BrandLens delivers feedback on how AI tools describe and cite the brand. The use of both tools aligns with the current industry push for measurable, data-driven marketing.
Projections suggest reliance on AI-driven referrals will increase. Growth in data points coming from these tools, regular review of best practices, and structured feedback are all needed for ongoing performance.
Conclusion
As artificial intelligence becomes part of search, the process of being found online has changed. Businesses now need to plan for both traditional search rankings and references in AI-generated answers. Growing Search is an agency built to address both aspects using owned tools, routine audits, and continuous improvement cycles. The agency’s approach is based on factual accuracy, technical precision, and structured analytics.
Recent data and case examples show that Growing Search’s model leads to higher rates of citation and referral traffic from both AI and classic search engines. By keeping all work in-house and using specialized analytics, Growing Search offers a structured path for any business seeking to improve its presence in AI-driven search. The methods explained here are drawn from current industry standards, verified results, and routine data monitoring.
