94% of Florida Businesses Lack Visibility in AI Searches

Evoke Strategy, a Tampa-based public relations and digital marketing agency, has released findings from a comprehensive study on artificial intelligence (AI) search visibility in Florida.

The results revealed a significant gap in AI search visibility, with 94% of the businesses studied not appearing in any of the AI searches tested. Among those that did appear, visibility was often inconsistent. Nearly two-thirds of the businesses surfaced in only one or two of the 12 searches conducted for their industry and city.

Devon Vocke, co-founder of Evoke Strategy, explained, "We studied Florida because it's where we're based, but we don't believe this is just a Florida issue. AI search is still new and evolving incredibly quickly, so it's not surprising that businesses have gaps in how and where they appear. But the way people discover businesses is changing just as quickly. Companies need to understand where they're showing up now, where they're missing, and what they can do to become more consistently discoverable."

The study found that most businesses did not appear in the AI searches tested at all. Among those that did, 43.2% appeared in just one of the 12 searches, 22.4% appeared in two searches, 21.5% appeared in three or four searches, and only 12.9% appeared in five or more searches.

Vocke continued, "Seeing your company recommended in ChatGPT is certainly a positive, and already puts you ahead of many competitors. But one result doesn't necessarily mean your business has strong AI visibility. The bigger question is whether your company is repeatedly discoverable across the different questions customers are asking and the different AI platforms they're using."

The study also highlighted significant differences in visibility across AI platforms. Among businesses that appeared at least once, 58.7% appeared on only one of the four AI platforms tested, 24.3% appeared on two, 11.3% appeared on three, and only 5.7% appeared across all four.

Evoke Strategy's findings suggest that businesses and marketers should be cautious about using a single search on a single AI platform as a measure of overall AI visibility. The agency recommends that companies look at whether they are repeatedly discoverable across the different questions potential customers are asking and the different platforms they use.

Vocke concluded, "AI visibility isn't one ranking. A business can show up for one question on one platform and be completely absent when the question or platform changes. For marketers, the goal should be consistent discoverability in the places and situations that matter to their customers."

Evoke Strategy offers a free AI Visibility Checker for companies looking to understand how their business appears in AI search. The tool can help businesses identify their current visibility and areas for improvement.