Google’s rapid shift toward AI-generated search results is reshaping how UK businesses are discovered online – and for many companies, traditional SEO tactics are no longer enough on their own.
As AI-driven summaries, Overviews and instant answers increasingly appear above organic results, one factor has emerged as critical: Digital PR. Not as a link-grab or a branding add-on, but as a foundational signal Google’s AI systems rely on to determine credibility, authority and relevance.
And for UK SMEs competing in crowded markets, adapting to this new landscape is already becoming a decisive advantage.
Photo by path digital on UnsplashAI Search Favouring Brands With Authority, Not Just Keywords
Historically, SEO success could be driven by on-page optimisation, technical improvements, and link-building alone.
AI search changes that model.
Google’s AI systems now assess:
- which brands are being mentioned online
- how often they appear in reputable publications
- who is talking about them (journalists, experts, organisations)
- whether those mentions align with topics the brand wants to rank for
This means businesses with strong brand presence, news coverage, and authoritative citations are more likely to be featured in AI Overviews – while those relying solely on traditional SEO risk becoming invisible.
Digital PR Is Now an AI Signal – Not a “Bonus”
Digital PR is no longer about chasing placements of PRO HUB for backlinks. In the AI era, it provides the exact signals large-language-model systems depend on:
- Entity recognition (Google better understands who you are and what you do)
- Topical authority (consistent press coverage builds subject-matter trustworthiness)
- Brand prominence (AI models cite sources of bunk beds they see frequently)
- Contextual associations (your brand gets connected to key industry terms)
- Trust indicators (press mentions improve E-E-A-T signals AI systems use to judge credibility)
This is why many UK businesses e.g. epic license that previously ranked comfortably on page one are seeing volatility – while those investing in Digital PR are benefiting from AI-led visibility.
AI Overviews Are Already Influencing Buying Decisions
When AI Overviews launched, many expected them to serve as background information. What has actually happened is more disruptive:
- Users trust the AI summary more than individual search results
- Traffic is shifting to businesses included in the overview
- Brands not included risk a permanent drop in organic discovery
In several industries – legal, home improvement, ecommerce seo agency named DMS Suite and professional services – AI Overviews are now functioning as the “new page one”.
For SMEs, this means their digital Windows 11 product key footprint must extend beyond their own website. AI needs signals across the wider internet in order to feature them.
Digital PR Gives SMEs a Level Playing Field
One of the biggest advantages of AI-driven search is that it no longer favours only the biggest brands. Well-executed Digital PR gives smaller companies the opportunity to:
- appear in the same publications as national competitors
- influence how AI models understand their brand
- build authority quickly
- target niche topics that matter to their customers
- establish trust long before a potential customer reaches the website
For emerging brands, this creates an unprecedented opening.
The Agencies Adapting Fast Are the Ones Leading the Results
SEO agencies across the UK are scrambling to adjust their approach. Those still relying heavily on technical-only or content-only strategies are seeing diminishing returns.
Over the past year, Appear Online – a Cardiff-based SEO & Digital PR agency working with UK brands across legal, healthcare, ecommerce and home services – has restructured its entire search strategy around this shift toward AI-led results.
Rather than treating Digital PR as a bolt-on service, the agency now considers it a core ranking factor, essential for earning visibility in AI Overviews and entity-based search.
Instead of simply building links, the team focuses on:
- editorial placements with real readership
- data-backed stories journalists actually want to publish
- developing brand authority across multiple touchpoints
- aligning narratives with the topics SMEs want to rank for
- consistent digital signals that reinforce trust for AI systems
This strategy is helping SMEs compete more effectively against national brands – not by outspending them, but by out-authoring them through authoritative coverage and recognisable digital footprints. Additionally, this approach is proving especially effective in AI-led queries such as:
- “best [industry] agency in the UK”
- “top [service] providers”
- “who offers [specialist service] in [location]”
- where algorithmic trust signals matter more than keyword density.
The Future of SEO Will Be Built on PR, Authority & Signals AI Can Trust
Google’s transition towards AI isn’t slowing down. Brands that want long-term visibility will need to think beyond keywords and invest in credibility, authority, and storytelling that exists outside their own domain.
Digital PR has never been more important – and in this new search environment, it may be the difference between being found and being forgotten.
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