How to Report on Digital Marketing Efforts in the AI Era
Just as our tactics need to evolve in response to AI, our understanding of reporting metrics should also shift to ensure that we are analyzing and strategizing the correct components.
AI is no longer just a tool, but rather, a core component shaping how we optimize, report, and drive marketing strategy. This evolution demands a rethink: What metrics matter now? How are search impressions defined? Which tactics are rising in importance?
But First, Let’s Go Over Some Acronyms
In the last few months, there have been a lot of new acronyms and phrases thrown around. Before we dive into your digital marketing reporting metrics, we thought it would be helpful to better understand the terminology that is being used in this new landscape.
AIO
Artificial Intelligence Optimization is a general term referring to a few different practices. Across all of these practices, however, it means improving systems, processes, and practices with or for AI. AIO helps AI to better understand and better serve users.
SGE
Search Generative Experience is specific to Google’s AI-powered engine that provides summaries and overviews to search prompts.
AEO
Answer Engine Optimization is optimizing content specifically to show up in direct answers from search engines (like AI overviews) or AI tools.
LLMO
Large Language Model Optimization means optimizing your content to specifically show up in LLM outputs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, etc.).
GEO
Generative Engine Optimization is more of an industry term, but it encompasses both AEO and LLMO and refers to optimizing content for all generative AI engines.
These terms are important because they describe the new rules of visibility on the internet where search engines and AI assistants increasingly act as gatekeepers between businesses and customers.
How Has Visibility Shifted In The AI Era?
Speaking of gatekeepers, search engines and AI assistants are changing how visibility is measured. Traditionally, your site’s visibility could be tied to search impressions, which count the number of times your page or site appears on a user’s screen regardless if it is clicked.
In the AI era, however, impressions aren’t just how many times your page showed up in search results, but they are also signals of visibility within AI-generated summaries and chat responses. So measuring presence in AI outputs, even without clicks, becomes vital.
What Metrics Should I Be Measuring?
Previous SEO KPIs were impressions, clicks, and rankings. In this AI-influenced landscape, performance measurement needs new metrics:
Direct traffic trends: A rise in direct visits may reflect people searching for your brand after encountering it via AI responses.
Monitor Generative Traffic: Watch for referrals from AI-driven platforms in Analytics.
Branded search volume: As AI elevates brand visibility, you’ll see upticks in searches for your brand. Monitor this via Google Trends, Search Console, or Ahrefs/SEMrush.
Monitor Keyphrases: What long-term keyphrases or terms is your site showing up for? You can monitor this within Google Search Console (and make sure you connect this to your GA account as well).
Signal-based tracking: Spot-check AI tools (ChatGPT, AI assistants) monthly. Ask consistent brand-related questions and log where and how your brand appears. It’s not precise, but it offers directional insight.
Emerging AI Signals: Metrics such as inclusion in AI summaries, visibility within chat-based answers, or citations in assistant prompts, though hard to quantify, are increasingly meaningful.
As this shift is still evolving, monitoring tools are still being developed. For large brands/sites, SEMrush offers an AI Tool that can track your brand and mentions. At this point, it isn’t appropriate for all businesses, but this space is sure to grow. There are multiple other emerging paid tools that you can look into as well. If you want to DIY with the free tracking tools available, you can utilize Google Looker Studio.
What Tactics Are Becoming Increasingly Important?
Now that you know what to measure, it is important to understand how to stay relevant in this new landscape. In response to AI, certain digital marketing approaches are proving successful:
GEO/LLMO: Make your content structured, clear, and conversational to be easily surfaced by AI assistants like ChatGPT or SGE. You can learn more about bringing this into your marketing strategy here.
Content Excellence: AI prioritizes clarity and factual depth. Well-structured summaries, schema data, and concise answers outperform generic posts. This has been the gold standard for some time, but the importance continues to rise. Keep in mind, we are optimizing for AI, but humans need to be the intended audience.
Multi-Channel + AI-Aware Distribution: Be visible where AI is drawing answers from (web, social media, news articles, industry forums, etc). Build out your content distribution plan to increase citation likelihood.
Paid Search + Paid Social: Not only do these channels help exposure to your potential audience, but they are also used in AI training data. Focus on top-of-funnel problem-solving content and brand awareness.
Real-Time Monitoring: As AI models update rapidly, regular testing of brand visibility and answer positioning becomes key. Make sure you are reporting on the correct metrics and frequently determining what is working and what isn’t.
Data-Driven Adaptation: Utilize the AI tools that are already built into many of the systems you are using to ensure you are optimizing your efforts to the fullest.
While this list may seem daunting, many of these practices have been recommended for some time. The urgency is in the fact that AI is developing at a breathtaking pace, so if you aren’t adapting, you are falling behind.
TL;DR
The AI era redefines success metrics. It’s not only about clicks and rankings anymore. While they are still an indicator of performance, they are proving to be incomplete. Visibility in AI-generated content, brand positioning within answer engines, and signal-driven patterns are critical new dimensions. Assessing these data points will be crucial in developing and growing your updated marketing strategy.
Knowing what to track and why it matters allows you to optimize for AI understanding, while providing human-value. Creating content with clear answers, trusted structure, and real-time adaptability should be your foundation. Distribution of this content will be your gateway to visibility.
Need a jumpstart on your strategy shift? Schedule a chat.