TLDR: Semrush has introduced its AI Visibility Index, a groundbreaking tool designed to measure brand performance and discovery within AI search environments like ChatGPT and Google AI Mode. This index addresses the profound shift in information discovery driven by generative AI, which is rendering traditional SEO metrics incomplete and necessitating new strategies for marketers to ensure their brands are not only cited but also drive engagement in AI-generated responses.
BOSTON, September 26, 2025 – In a significant development for the digital marketing landscape, Semrush (NYSE: SEMR) has unveiled its AI Visibility Index, a definitive benchmark aimed at helping enterprises navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI-driven search. The launch comes as generative artificial intelligence fundamentally reshapes how consumers discover information, posing unprecedented challenges and opportunities for brands.
The new index provides a transparent and actionable view of brand visibility within AI search results, drawing data from Semrush Enterprise’s AI Optimization tool. It operates by analyzing brand performance across platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, utilizing over 2,500 real-world prompts across five critical industries: Finance, Digital Tech, Business, Fashion, and Consumer Electronics.
Andrew Warden, CMO of Semrush, emphasized the magnitude of this shift, stating, “AI search is likely the biggest shift in digital marketing since Google’s founding in 1998. The rules of visibility, brand discovery, and traffic were rewritten overnight.” He further elaborated that the new era demands more than just content scale and quality; it requires reinforcing trust and authority to succeed.
The AI Visibility Index aims to provide marketers with insights into which brands are excelling in AI discovery and, crucially, why. It helps identify brand mentions in LLM-generated answers, co-occurrence patterns with competitors, and the cited sources that AI models pull from. This granular data is vital as AI-generated results are projected to overtake organic search traffic by 2028, and users who search with LLMs are reportedly 4.4 times more likely to convert than those using traditional search engines, with ChatGPT alone receiving 2.5 billion prompts daily from over 190 million users.
Marketers now face what Semrush describes as ‘two distinct battles’ in AI discovery: being cited as a trusted source and, separately, winning a click or conversation. The index helps brands understand their ‘share of voice’ across various AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and Gemini. This holistic view is essential because, as the industry has observed, being cited as a trusted source does not automatically guarantee a click or direct engagement.
Traditional SEO metrics, which primarily focused on organic rankings and website traffic, are proving insufficient in this new paradigm. The AI Visibility Index offers a more comprehensive approach by tracking emerging AI visibility metrics such as brand mentions, sentiment analysis, and the diversity of sources used by AI models. This allows companies to adapt their strategies, focusing on high-quality, user-centric, and authoritative content that positions them as experts, thereby increasing their chances of being cited and trusted by AI systems.
Also Read:
- Optimizing for AI Search: Adapting Strategies, Measuring Impact, and Prioritizing User Needs in 2025
- Search.com Proclaims Generative AI’s Ascendancy, Signaling the End of Traditional Keyword Search for Consumers
In essence, Semrush’s AI Visibility Index provides a much-needed playbook for enterprise marketers to not only understand but also dominate the evolving AI search landscape, ensuring their brands remain discoverable and influential in an increasingly AI-driven world.
