A new study published by Fractl has revealed that some brands with robust SEO infrastructures are almost entirely absent from AI-powered search engines, while other brands with lower traditional search volumes are consistently recommended. Although traditional search authority largely overlaps with AI visibility (by over 90%), significant deviations and "default brand" trends that standard SEO metrics fail to predict are reshaping industry dynamics.
Why Traditional SEO Success Doesn't Guarantee AI Visibility
According to the research data, many brands boasting high domain ratings, extensive keyword portfolios, and millions of monthly organic visits often get sidelined in AI responses within their respective categories. Conversely, some companies with more modest traditional search footprints are continuously referenced by the models. These "default brands," which AI engines highlight repeatedly across various sectors regardless of the prompt wording, are not always the largest companies in the market or the players with the highest traffic.
Sectoral Distribution and Prominent Trends
AI models' brand preference habits show distinct variations across different industries:
- Travel Industry: Emerging as one of the most concentrated sectors, three major players—Booking.com (285), Airbnb (227), and Expedia (215)—hold approximately 20% of the industry's total mention volume.
- HealthTech: Teladoc (275) demonstrates clear leadership, outperforming its closest competitor, Amwell (220), by a margin of roughly 25%.
- Wellness: This sector features a deep pool not dominated by a single giant, with multiple brands such as Peloton, Headspace, Calm, Whoop, and Oura sharing the competition.
Industry Implications and Strategic Takeaways
This selective approach by AI search engines in brand selection demonstrates that digital marketing and SEO strategies can no longer be executed solely with a focus on backlinks and keywords. Factors such as digital PR, entity optimization, and cross-platform data consistency are expected to play a critical role in how AI models encode brands as "defaults." To maintain search visibility in the future, brands must move beyond traditional search engine optimization and analyze how they are positioned within the data sources of large language models (LLMs).
Frequently Asked Questions
What signals influence AI engines in choosing a brand as a "default"?
The research shows that traditional search traffic alone is not enough; overall brand resonance within the datasets used to train the models, a consistent presence across platforms, and authority signals throughout the digital ecosystem are decisive in this process.
What strategies should SEO specialists follow to close this gap between traditional search and AI visibility?
Instead of focusing solely on keyword rankings, specialists need to analyze the contexts in which brands are recommended in AI responses and place greater emphasis on entity optimization.
*This news report has been prepared based on data published by Search Engine Land.
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