How to stay ahead with Varn’s AI Visibility Frameworks: An interview with Head of Innovation, Aimee Talbot

You’re not wrong! It’s easy for anyone to see that the way people search is changing and fragmenting really fast. The reality is that ‘search’ is no longer just about Google.

People are getting used to having (and now expect) instant, conversational answers from tools like ChatGPT. They are comfortable with recommendations on platforms such as Reddit, and are happy to engage with search results on platforms like TikTok or Amazon. 

At Varn in order to ensure maximum results for our clients, we continue to evolve our capabilities and focus, so that we can keep up with these ongoing search developments.  The Innovation team’s focus is to continually map the new search ecosystem, building new methodologies that can account for AI-powered visibility, answer engine optimisation, and multi-platform relevance. 

In a nutshell, we help clients appear wherever their audiences are searching – and our innovation roadmap is built to anticipate how users will search in the future.

Our AI Visibility Frameworks strategically audit, benchmark and analyse how visible your brand is across AI-powered and emerging search environments. We are investigating your search presence beyond the traditional SERPs. 

Our frameworks are more relevant than ever because the landscape of search has fundamentally changed. AI engines now amalgamate and rephrase content to deliver direct answers – meaning brand visibility is no longer just about ranking on Google. These frameworks help businesses move past conventional SEO metrics and equips them for the future of search, where user behaviour, AI, and platform-specific dynamics are reshaping how people discover information.

Yes, there are two core versions of the framework, designed to suit different business needs and levels of investment.

First, we offer a ‘LITE AI Visibility Framework’. This is a standalone product designed to give a clear snapshot of where your brand currently stands across AI-powered and emerging search environments. It focuses on benchmarking your visibility against competitors and uncovering quick-win opportunities. Many clients use this as a starting point to understand the new AI search landscape without committing to a full audit.

Then we have a ‘COMPLETE AI Visibility Framework’ which includes everything in the LITE framework but goes much deeper. It’s a full strategic audit covering content interaction with large language models (LLMs), technical SEO for AI-readiness, schema and entity optimisation. It also results in a bespoke, prioritised roadmap tailored to your goals.

The LITE AI Visibility Framework can absolutely stand alone, but it also forms the foundation of the full audit, so for some of our clients it becomes the first step of a more detailed strategic journey.

Absolutely and this is something we’re really excited to share, as the impact for clients has been significant.

The process starts with a discovery and data gathering phase, where we analyse how your brand currently appears across traditional search engines, AI assistants, generative answer engines, and other relevant, niche platforms. We also benchmark your performance against key competitors to identify visibility gaps and opportunities.

Next, we conduct an AI focused audit of your digital assets. This includes evaluating everything from schema markup and entity alignment to how your content interacts with language models and where it’s being cited. Essentially, we look at how AI systems are interpreting and using your content.

Finally, we deliver a strategic roadmap tailored to your business, highlighting clear, actionable priorities to boost your AI search visibility. These may include technical SEO enhancements, content development recommendations, or larger strategic shifts.

Throughout the process, we make sure that we tailor our approach to your brand, your industry, and your goals.

Benchmarking is one of my favourite parts! This is where we expose the real competitive picture. So it’s not just about where you rank, but how and where your competitors are being referenced or recommended by AI platforms.

This is so incredibly helpful as it reveals how your content stacks up in terms of authority, structure, and coverage. For example, are your competitors being cited by ChatGPT when users are asking key questions? These insights help brands see where they’re being overlooked by emerging algorithms and where they can outpace their rivals by improving the right signals and content formats.

While traditional SEO audits tend to focus on technical issues, increasing organic traffic volumes, and tracking keyword rankings, those elements – though still important – are no longer the full picture. Search has evolved, and so must our approach. I recently explored this in a blog at the start of the year if you’re keen to read more… ‘The evolution of SEO – rankings are out, visibility is in.’ 

These major shifts are exactly why our AI Visibility Framework goes beyond traditional search engine optimisation. It examines how your content and brand data interact with machine learning systems; not just search algorithms. It’s a forward thinking approach that takes into account AI training data, entity relationships, multimodal content, and voice or conversational interfaces. Crucially, it helps businesses understand and reshape how they are interpreted and represented by AI; something we believe is becoming essential for long term visibility.

Once our COMPLETE AI Visibility Framework is implemented and finalised, businesses receive a clear, prioritised roadmap for improving their AI visibility. This might include enhancing structured data, rewriting content to better align with answer engines, targeting underutilised search platforms, or building digital authority around key themes.

A critical part of the framework is also establishing meaningful KPIs for ongoing measurement. We move beyond vanity metrics and focus instead on indicators that reflect true AI engagement and multi-platform visibility. Ultimately, the framework equips marketing and digital leaders with a clear, actionable path to ensure their brand remains discoverable in the next generation of search.

Once our COMPLETE AI Visibility Framework is implemented and finalised, businesses receive a clear, prioritised roadmap for improving their AI visibility. This might include enhancing structured data, rewriting content to better align with answer engines, targeting underutilised search platforms, or building digital authority around key themes.

A critical part of the framework is also establishing meaningful KPIs for ongoing measurement. We move beyond vanity metrics and focus instead on indicators that reflect true AI engagement and multi-platform visibility. Ultimately, the framework equips marketing and digital leaders with a clear, actionable path to ensure their brand remains discoverable in the next generation of search.