"If AI can’t recognize your brand, it can’t recommend it,” said Charles Taylor, Founder of Charles Taylor Online and former SEO lead at Verizon.
In Designity’s virtual-reality webinar How to Stop Getting Ghosted by AI, held on October 9 2025, Charles joined Sara Taher, SEO Analyst at CBC, to unpack a growing challenge:
Brands are losing visibility as AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini reshape how people discover information.
So the question is: how do you train these large language models (LLMs) to identify and prioritize your brand?
If you’d rather watch the experts break it down, catch the full on-demand webinar below before diving into the recap.
In this post, we’ll walk through the key insights and strategies Charles and Sara shared, so you can stop getting ghosted by AI.
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So, Are You Being Ghosted by AI?
As Charles put it, "being ghosted by AI” means large language models like ChatGPT or Gemini know your competitors, but not you."
It’s not that your SEO is failing; it’s that AI-driven tools have changed how people discover brands.
Additionally, Sara Taher noted that this happens when brands lack consistent digital signals or structured entity data. In short, AI isn’t ignoring you, it just doesn’t recognize you yet.
The Shift from Search Engines to Answer Engines
As Sara explained during the session, the days of chasing blue links are long gone.
Search has already evolved into AI-driven discovery, where users don’t scroll for options, they expect a single, trusted answer.
Instead of focusing solely on keyword optimization, brands now need to teach AI systems who they are and why they matter.
This shift requires a new mindset:
Moving from trying to rank on Google to being recognized and referenced by LLMs shaping modern search.
How to Train LLMs to Recognize Your Brand: 5 Key Strategies
Here are five strategies to help train LLMs to recognize, represent, and recommend your brand accurately:
1. Strengthen Your Brand Entity Everywhere
To get recognized by AI, your brand needs to be unmistakable.
So how do you make that happen?
As Sara explained: “You need to start branding your content… and you need to make sure you have a consistent message and the three questions that the LLMs and the bots and Google want to know about you — who you are, what you do, and where you do it.”
So keep your name, description, and value proposition consistent across every digital touchpoint — your website, LinkedIn, directories, and social profiles.
Consistency builds authority and trust, helping both users and algorithms connect the dots.
2. Use Schema and Structured Data to Define Your Identity
Search engines and LLMs rely on structured data to verify who you are and what you offer.
Here’s how to make your brand crystal clear to AI:
- Add schema markup for key elements like your organization, products, FAQs, and authors.
- Use “sameAs” attributes to link your website to trusted external profiles like LinkedIn, YouTube, or Wikidata.
- Maintain consistent metadata across all pages so your brand is represented accurately everywhere it appears.
During the session, Sara Taher emphasized the importance of technical consistency:
“Make sure you have a robust schema throughout your website. You need to identify your organization, your pages, make sure they tie together, and make sure everything agrees.”
By standardizing metadata and connections, you help AI see your brand as a reliable, unified entity — not just isolated text floating around the web.
3. Expand Beyond Your Website
AI doesn’t just crawl your website — it learns from the entire internet.
So, if your brand only lives on your domain, you’re basically whispering in an empty room.
Here’s how to fix that:
- Share your expertise where the algorithms hang out, including YouTube, Reddit, Medium, LinkedIn.
- Repurpose blog posts into short videos, carousels, or discussions that spark engagement.
As Charles said: “Don’t just keep it on your website. Put that same stuff everywhere.” The more places your ideas live, the more likely LLMs will pull your voice into the conversation.
4. Monitor AI Mentions and Crawl Behavior
Visibility isn’t a “set it and forget it” project — it’s an ongoing game of brand awareness in the age of AI.
To make real progress, someone has to own it.
Assign a dedicated point person to track where your brand appears in AI-generated answers and monitor server logs for AI crawler activity.
Keep a close eye on traffic from emerging AI tools and run regular visibility audits. Because if you’re not tracking how models perceive your brand, you’re flying blind.
Charles nailed it when he said: “If everyone’s responsible, nobody’s responsible.”
5. Align AI SEO with Business Goals and Testing
Not every AI optimization effort delivers equal value.
Focus on initiatives tied to key business metrics — the queries, content types, and audiences that drive growth.
Sara and Charles both emphasized the importance of experimentation: “Trust nothing, test everything.”
Continuous testing helps you identify which tactics improve recognition and which are noise.
In other words:
AI-driven visibility is iterative, so it’s crucial to align efforts with measurable outcomes and evolve alongside the algorithms shaping discovery.
Why Human-Led SEO Still Matters in the Age of AI
Sure, AI can write, analyze, and optimize faster than any of us, but it still can’t feel.
As Charles Taylor pointed out, “AI doesn’t understand intent the way people do.”
Great SEO isn’t just data; it’s empathy, creativity, and timing.
Machines can surface answers, but humans craft meaning. The future of SEO isn’t replacing us — it’s amplifying what we do best.
So, treat AI as your co-pilot and let it crunch the numbers while you bring the story, strategy, and personality that no machine can replicate.
5 Common AI SEO Mistakes (& How to Avoid Them)
Training AI to recognize your brand isn’t just about what you do; it’s also about what you don’t do:
- Fail to brand consistently: Failing to clearly state who you are, what you do, and where you operate leaves AI uncertain about your identity. Keep your brand message consistent everywhere.
- Ignore off-site signals: Optimizing only your website means missing key AI data sources. Repurpose your content across YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn to strengthen brand signals.
- Skip structured data and linking: Without schema and sameAs connections, LLMs can’t confidently associate your brand. Implement organization and webpage markup to connect the dots.
- Chase AI mentions without intent: Don’t obsess over being cited by AI if it doesn’t align with business goals. Focus on visibility that drives measurable impact.
- Automate without ownership: Tools can’t replace accountability. Assign a point person to monitor AI visibility, logs, and performance, and adopt a “test everything” mindset.
About Our Speakers: Charles Taylor & Sara Taher
Here’s a closer look at the experts who led the discussion:
1. Charles Taylor
Founder of Charles Taylor Online and former SEO Lead at Verizon, Charles is a recognized voice in AI-driven marketing and enterprise SEO.
His work focuses on helping brands future-proof their visibility strategies for the age of generative AI.
2. Sara Taher
As an SEO Analyst at CBC, Sara Taher is known for her data-led approach to search strategy and her insights on the intersection of AI, content, and digital visibility.
She regularly speaks at international conferences and mentors marketers on adapting to AI’s impact on search.
From Getting Ghosted to Getting Noticed — with Designity
AI may be rewriting the rules of visibility, but great brands don’t just adapt — they design their way forward.
That’s where Designity comes in.
With our Creative-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, you get a dedicated Creative Director and top 3% creative talent to elevate your SEO, content strategy, and brand storytelling.
From keyword planning to conversion-driven design, we help your brand stay visible and memorable in the age of intelligent search.
And if you’re ready to bring these AI SEO strategies to life, book a demo call with Designity to start your two-week free trial, no upfront payment needed.
