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Digital Visibility
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GEO Explained: How AI Search Is Changing Visibility for Design Firms
GEO Explained: How AI Search Is Changing Visibility for Design Firms
GEO Explained: How AI Search Is Changing Visibility for Design Firms
AI-generated answers are changing how people find, understand and evaluate a firm. Here's what that means for yours.
AI-generated answers are changing how people find, understand and evaluate a firm. Here's what that means for yours.
by
Zavia team
3
min read
A developer is planning a boutique hotel and needs an architect. Instead of typing "hospitality architects" into a search bar and opening ten tabs, they ask a full question: Which studios have experience designing boutique hotels in coastal destinations, and how do their approaches differ?
In AI-powered search, the answer arrives as a short, synthesized explanation built from several sources, with a handful of links for anyone who wants to dig deeper. Google, for example, describes its AI Mode as a way to explore complex questions and compare options, with responses that link out to supporting websites. [1]
That changes the visibility conversation. Being found on a results page is still important. But now someone may also get to know your firm, or not, through the summary an AI system builds from everything it can find about you. The question for every firm becomes: what will that summary say?
Search is already changing
This isn't a distant scenario. A 2025 Pew Research Center analysis of the browsing data of 900 U.S. adults found that around one in five Google searches in March 2025 produced an AI-generated summary. [3]
The more striking finding is what people did next. When an AI summary appeared, users clicked on a traditional search result in 8% of visits, compared with 15% when there was no summary. Clicks on the sources cited inside the summary itself happened in just 1% of visits. And people were more likely to end their browsing session entirely after seeing one. [3]
In other words, for a growing share of searches, the summary is the experience. Many people will form a first impression of your firm without ever visiting your website.
SEO and GEO, explained simply
SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of making it easier for search engines to find and understand what's on your website.
GEO (generative engine optimization) is a newer term for improving visibility in AI-powered answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI features. The term was popularized by a 2023 research paper that tested ways content could be made more visible in AI-generated responses. The researchers found some strategies boosted visibility by up to 40%, and that what worked varied considerably from one subject area to another. [4]
Google's own position is worth knowing: for its generative features, it says optimizing for AI search is still essentially SEO, because those features are rooted in its core ranking and quality systems. [2] Its guidance recommends:
Content with a unique point of view. First-hand experience and expert perspective, not a rehash of what's already online.
"Non-commodity" content. Insight that goes beyond common knowledge. For a design firm, a generic "5 interior trends for 2027" post is commodity content; a candid look at how your team solved a difficult heritage restoration is not.
Clear structure. Well-organized pages with headings and sections that are easy for people to follow.
High-quality images and video. Something built-environment firms usually have in abundance.
Accurate business details. For local visibility, keeping profiles such as Google Business Profile up to date.
Google also lists a few things you don't need to do for its search, including special AI text files, breaking content into tiny chunks, rewriting everything for machines, or chasing inauthentic mentions across the web. And it's clear that following best practices doesn't guarantee appearing in any result. [2] Other AI platforms have their own systems, and answers can vary from one to the next.
Your reputation now has a digital dimension
Here's where it gets really interesting for PR. A 2025 study published on arXiv compared how several AI search services and traditional Google search source their information, across different industries, languages and ways of phrasing a question. In the systems and queries it analyzed, AI search showed a strong preference for earned media, meaning independent, third-party sources such as press coverage and expert reviews, over content published by brands themselves or on social media. Google's traditional results drew on a more balanced mix. [5]
The same study found that AI services differ noticeably from one another, and that smaller, niche players face a built-in "big brand bias." [5] It's exploratory research, so it shouldn't be treated as a universal rule for every assistant. But it's a signal worth watching.
For architecture, design, real estate and hospitality firms, the implication is easy to picture. When someone asks an AI about the best studios for adaptive reuse in their city, the answer is likely to lean on what others have published: a feature in a design magazine, an award citation, an interview with your founder, a project review in a trade publication. Your own website matters, but it may not be the main voice in the room.
Our reading, from a communications perspective, is that firms should care about two things at once: what they publish themselves, and the quality of the information that exists about them elsewhere. Substantive interviews, original research, project case studies and expert commentary all add verifiable context. And their value to real people stands on its own, whether or not an AI ever cites them.
Where to start
You don't need a complicated plan to begin. A few practical steps go a long way:
Ask the AI yourself. Try the questions a client would ask in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Mode. Does your firm appear? Is the description accurate? Which sources does the answer rely on?
Make your website crystal clear. Can a stranger quickly understand what you do, who you work for, where you work and what evidence backs your claims?
Tell the story behind your projects. Go beyond beautiful photos: the brief, the constraints, the decisions and the results.
Keep the basics up to date. Business profiles, team bios, project credits, awards and contact details, everywhere they appear.
Invest in independent voices. Media coverage, awards, rankings and speaking opportunities are the kind of third-party sources AI systems appear to lean on.
Work hand in hand with your SEO team. Communication and technical SEO are most effective when they're aligned.
This is where PR and communication add real value: crafting messages people can understand, building trustworthy sources and nurturing relationships that allow relevant knowledge to be shared. The new visibility comes down to one question: when someone looks for information about your firm, what will they find, and will it help them decide with confidence?
Sources
[1] Google Search Central. AI features and your website.
[2] Google Search Central. Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search.
[3] Pew Research Center. Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, July 22, 2025.
[4] Aggarwal, P. et al. GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. arXiv preprint, 2023.
[5] Chen, M. et al. Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search. arXiv preprint, September 10, 2025.
A developer is planning a boutique hotel and needs an architect. Instead of typing "hospitality architects" into a search bar and opening ten tabs, they ask a full question: Which studios have experience designing boutique hotels in coastal destinations, and how do their approaches differ?
In AI-powered search, the answer arrives as a short, synthesized explanation built from several sources, with a handful of links for anyone who wants to dig deeper. Google, for example, describes its AI Mode as a way to explore complex questions and compare options, with responses that link out to supporting websites. [1]
That changes the visibility conversation. Being found on a results page is still important. But now someone may also get to know your firm, or not, through the summary an AI system builds from everything it can find about you. The question for every firm becomes: what will that summary say?
Search is already changing
This isn't a distant scenario. A 2025 Pew Research Center analysis of the browsing data of 900 U.S. adults found that around one in five Google searches in March 2025 produced an AI-generated summary. [3]
The more striking finding is what people did next. When an AI summary appeared, users clicked on a traditional search result in 8% of visits, compared with 15% when there was no summary. Clicks on the sources cited inside the summary itself happened in just 1% of visits. And people were more likely to end their browsing session entirely after seeing one. [3]
In other words, for a growing share of searches, the summary is the experience. Many people will form a first impression of your firm without ever visiting your website.
SEO and GEO, explained simply
SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of making it easier for search engines to find and understand what's on your website.
GEO (generative engine optimization) is a newer term for improving visibility in AI-powered answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI features. The term was popularized by a 2023 research paper that tested ways content could be made more visible in AI-generated responses. The researchers found some strategies boosted visibility by up to 40%, and that what worked varied considerably from one subject area to another. [4]
Google's own position is worth knowing: for its generative features, it says optimizing for AI search is still essentially SEO, because those features are rooted in its core ranking and quality systems. [2] Its guidance recommends:
Content with a unique point of view. First-hand experience and expert perspective, not a rehash of what's already online.
"Non-commodity" content. Insight that goes beyond common knowledge. For a design firm, a generic "5 interior trends for 2027" post is commodity content; a candid look at how your team solved a difficult heritage restoration is not.
Clear structure. Well-organized pages with headings and sections that are easy for people to follow.
High-quality images and video. Something built-environment firms usually have in abundance.
Accurate business details. For local visibility, keeping profiles such as Google Business Profile up to date.
Google also lists a few things you don't need to do for its search, including special AI text files, breaking content into tiny chunks, rewriting everything for machines, or chasing inauthentic mentions across the web. And it's clear that following best practices doesn't guarantee appearing in any result. [2] Other AI platforms have their own systems, and answers can vary from one to the next.
Your reputation now has a digital dimension
Here's where it gets really interesting for PR. A 2025 study published on arXiv compared how several AI search services and traditional Google search source their information, across different industries, languages and ways of phrasing a question. In the systems and queries it analyzed, AI search showed a strong preference for earned media, meaning independent, third-party sources such as press coverage and expert reviews, over content published by brands themselves or on social media. Google's traditional results drew on a more balanced mix. [5]
The same study found that AI services differ noticeably from one another, and that smaller, niche players face a built-in "big brand bias." [5] It's exploratory research, so it shouldn't be treated as a universal rule for every assistant. But it's a signal worth watching.
For architecture, design, real estate and hospitality firms, the implication is easy to picture. When someone asks an AI about the best studios for adaptive reuse in their city, the answer is likely to lean on what others have published: a feature in a design magazine, an award citation, an interview with your founder, a project review in a trade publication. Your own website matters, but it may not be the main voice in the room.
Our reading, from a communications perspective, is that firms should care about two things at once: what they publish themselves, and the quality of the information that exists about them elsewhere. Substantive interviews, original research, project case studies and expert commentary all add verifiable context. And their value to real people stands on its own, whether or not an AI ever cites them.
Where to start
You don't need a complicated plan to begin. A few practical steps go a long way:
Ask the AI yourself. Try the questions a client would ask in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Mode. Does your firm appear? Is the description accurate? Which sources does the answer rely on?
Make your website crystal clear. Can a stranger quickly understand what you do, who you work for, where you work and what evidence backs your claims?
Tell the story behind your projects. Go beyond beautiful photos: the brief, the constraints, the decisions and the results.
Keep the basics up to date. Business profiles, team bios, project credits, awards and contact details, everywhere they appear.
Invest in independent voices. Media coverage, awards, rankings and speaking opportunities are the kind of third-party sources AI systems appear to lean on.
Work hand in hand with your SEO team. Communication and technical SEO are most effective when they're aligned.
This is where PR and communication add real value: crafting messages people can understand, building trustworthy sources and nurturing relationships that allow relevant knowledge to be shared. The new visibility comes down to one question: when someone looks for information about your firm, what will they find, and will it help them decide with confidence?
Sources
[1] Google Search Central. AI features and your website.
[2] Google Search Central. Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search.
[3] Pew Research Center. Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears in the results, July 22, 2025.
[4] Aggarwal, P. et al. GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. arXiv preprint, 2023.
[5] Chen, M. et al. Generative Engine Optimization: How to Dominate AI Search. arXiv preprint, September 10, 2025.
