The power of thought leadership in the age of LLMs

LLMs are rapidly reshaping search. Even when we use Google, AI overviews are now far more common. According to SEMRush, 13.14% of all queries triggered AI overviews in March this year, up from 6.49% in January.

Visibility is moving inside the SERP (Search Engine Results Pages), inside the model and inside the feed. It’s a pattern that’s seen by many brands, who report an increase in search impressions, but a decrease in clicks. While it’s too early to know whether we’re on the path to a ‘zero click’ future, what is clear is this is a major detour to the user journey to which marketers had become accustomed.

AI in Search is driving more queries and higher quality clicks (Liz Reid, VP, Head of Google Search, August 2025)

The question then isn’t whether your audience or clients use GenAI tools like ChatGPT to find advice or providers – it’s what your brand is going to do about it.

Lead with intelligence

The rise of LLM optimisation has spawned a tangle of terms – GEO, AIO, GAIO – leaving even seasoned SEO marketers scratching their heads at the growing complexity.

Instead of endlessly crawling and ranking pages – where backlinks define authority – LLMs are periodically trained on vast datasets and prioritise the most authoritative content.

LLMs define authority using a variety of signals (ranking in Google among them). But unlike traditional SEO algorithms, LLMs judge authority by conversation gravity: how often you’re talked about and in what context, not just by who links to you.

That changes the game. It places more emphasis on a brand’s association with a particular topic or subject, and less focus on simply securing a credible backlink.

So what could increase your chance of winning? LLMs are not particularly interested in paid ads, but they are in what’s authoritative and useful – the very definition of genuine, well-crafted thought leadership.

Thought leadership is one of the strongest ways to shape how your brand is perceived beyond its products, but only if you’re selective about where you focus, and you have a strong rationale for the topics you’re targeting. This puts an increased onus on getting your strategy right to ensure you focus on areas of brand authority.

Why news hooks matter

Early indications show that the weighting of authority has changed. Social plays an important role. Search rankings impact LLM visibility. But as with traditional SEO, tier one media remains a critical target. Coverage in the right titles helps build trust, among humans and machines.

Top 20 most commonly cited domains in AI Overviews (SEMRush, 21 July 2025)

Research on the most commonly cited sources by LLMs also underlines the importance of forums, namely Reddit. Original, valuable research contextualised by experts is a powerful way to get noticed. 

Net sentiment around S&P 500 companies has dropped on two of the most critical trust signals for LLMs (FT Longitude, August 2025)

That’s why we don’t just produce content, but work with brands to create campaigns that:

• Shape and frame industry conversations
• Make brand voices discoverable in LLMs and search
• Secure coverage among leading media through original data
• Generate tangible commercial impact

It is also why we design thought leadership that resonates emotionally and performs technically. That means creating authentic, human content to spark engagement, build awareness, and fuel forum discussion – while structuring digital experiences to be easily read by LLMs.

As GenAI reshapes marketing, proven strategies remain that make brands more visible and more memorable. The game may have changed, but the need for high-quality data and expert analysis stays the same.