AI Visibility Awards: who's winning the AI answer box
AI chatbots now influence trip plans, product shortlists, and brand choices. The question every marketer asks: how do you make sure your brand shows up in those answers?
Semrush believes it has a signal worth watching. Its new AI Visibility Awards highlight brands most cited and recommended in AI-generated responses, based on the Semrush AI Visibility Index - a dataset built from 2,500+ real prompts run through ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode.
"This year marks a turning point in how brands earn visibility," said Andrew Warden, CMO at Semrush. "It's not about submissions or panels - it's about real user behavior. These awards recognize the marketers cracking the AI code and earning trust where it counts: inside the answers".
What the awards measure
The program spotlights three types of performers across four verticals: Business & Professional Services, Consumer Electronics, Digital Tech & Software, and Fashion & Apparel.
- Category Leaders: Brands with the largest footprint in AI search
- Growth Engines: Fastest gainers in visibility
- Challengers: Up-and-comers gaining traction
Standout brands
- Business & Professional Services: Google (Category Leader); Rippling (Challenger)
- Consumer Electronics: Samsung (Category Leader); Logitech (Growth Engine); Nothing Technology (Challenger)
- Digital Tech & Software: Microsoft (Category Leader); Anthropic (Challenger)
- Fashion & Apparel: UNIQLO (Growth Engine)
What the data says about AI-driven discovery
- Leaders are durable: Top brands showed under 20% monthly volatility in AI share-of-voice. AI engines seem to "lock in" trusted names.
- Niches break through: Clear topical relevance helps. Patagonia in ethical fashion and Logitech in gaming accessories punch above their weight.
- Challengers can compete: Newer players like Nuuly and Anthropic gain ground with sharp positioning and momentum.
- Verticals vary: Some (like Business & Professional Services) are highly competitive. Others reward consistency and focus.
What marketers should do next
Shift your thinking from ranking pages to being cited in answers. That means clarity, authority, and structured proof.
- Map real prompts: Build a set of buyer prompts (comparisons, "best for," pricing, alternatives, troubleshooting). Test your brand's presence monthly in ChatGPT and Google's AI experiences.
- Own your entities: Standardize brand, product, and category names. Use Organization, Product, Review, and FAQ schema. Ensure About and Contact pages are complete and consistent across the web.
- Be recommendable: Publish comparison pages, buyer's guides, specs, and "best for X" statements. Aggregate third-party reviews and ratings.
- Build topical depth: Cluster content around key problems and use cases. Cover definitions, how-tos, checklists, templates, and pitfalls - not just features.
- Win credible citations: Earn links and mentions from reputable sites and expert communities. PR and partnerships still move the needle.
- Keep it fresh: Update key pages with new data, examples, and FAQs. Stale content gets skipped.
- Match your vertical: If your category is volatile, publish faster and broaden coverage. If it rewards consistency, double down on clarity and evergreen assets.
How to track progress
Monitor AI share-of-voice and volatility over time. Watch your brand's presence across prompts and categories, then tie movements to content updates and PR pushes.
To benchmark, review the Semrush AI Visibility Awards and Index. Create a monthly prompt set, log AI answers, and track mentions, citations, and recommendations - by product line and by use case.
Bottom line
AI answers are becoming a new distribution channel. Brands that are clear, consistent, and quotable will keep showing up - and getting picked.
If you want structured training on prompt strategy and AI search for marketing teams, explore the AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
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