A few weeks ago, I started asking professionals a simple question: “Have you searched for yourself in ChatGPT or Claude yet?”
Most hadn’t. The ones who had were often surprised by what they found.
Some received detailed summaries that accurately reflected their experience and expertise. Others discovered that important accomplishments were missing. In a few cases, AI struggled to explain what the person actually did despite decades of experience in their field.
That’s because AI can only work with the information it can find about you
As more people use ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and other AI tools to research lawyers, consultants, executives, recruiters and other professionals, your digital footprint is becoming increasingly important. Potential clients, employers, referral sources, conference organizers and journalists are all looking for experts. The information AI finds about you can influence whether you’re viewed as one of them.
The good news is that improving your AI search results isn’t hard to do – but you do need to be more intentional about how you show up online and make it easier for both people and technology to understand your expertise.
Here are seven ways to strengthen your visibility and improve how you’re represented in AI search results.
Link to 1. Strengthen Your LinkedIn Profile 1. Strengthen Your LinkedIn Profile
If LinkedIn has been sitting on your to-do list for months, start there. For many professionals, LinkedIn contains the most complete and current information available online about their career. Yet I regularly see profiles that are outdated, incomplete or filled with generic language that could apply to almost anyone.
- Take a look at your headline. Does it explain what you actually do or does it simply list your title?
- Review your About section. Does it communicate your expertise, experience and perspective?
- Look at your experience descriptions. Do they highlight accomplishments and areas of focus or read like job descriptions?
One exercise I often recommend is asking someone outside your industry to read your profile. If they can’t quickly explain what you do and why someone would hire you, your profile probably needs work.
A strong LinkedIn profile helps establish context around your expertise. It gives people a clearer understanding of your background and creates a stronger foundation for everything else you do online.
Link to 2. Create Content Around Your Expertise 2. Create Content Around Your Expertise
Many professionals want to be known for something but rarely talk about it. They’ll spend years developing expertise in a particular area and then publish content that has little connection to the work they actually do.
When people visit your profile or search for information about you, there should be a clear connection between your expertise and the content you’re sharing.
Start by identifying three to five topics you want to be known for. These should align with your work, your experience and the conversations you want to be part of professionally.
Once you’ve identified those themes, look for opportunities to discuss them consistently. Share lessons from client work. Offer observations about industry trends. Answer common questions. Discuss challenges you’re seeing in the market. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you post. In fact, some of the strongest personal brands revisit the same topics repeatedly from different angles.
Link to 3. Publish Long-Form Articles 3. Publish Long-Form Articles
Short-form content is valuable, but articles give you an opportunity to go deeper. They allow you to explain complex topics, share your perspective and demonstrate expertise in a way that a few paragraphs often can’t.
Whenever someone tells me they don’t know what to write about, I suggest starting with questions they answer every day.
- What do clients ask repeatedly?
- What misconceptions exist in your industry?
- What trends are people talking about?
- What advice do you find yourself giving over and over again?
Those questions often become the foundation for strong articles. The professionals who consistently publish thoughtful articles build a library of content that continues working for them long after it’s published.
Link to 4. Earn Third-Party Validation 4. Earn Third-Party Validation
Your own content matters. What other people say about you matters too.
Recommendations, testimonials, media mentions, guest articles, podcast appearances and industry recognition all contribute to your professional reputation.
One of the easiest places to start is LinkedIn recommendations. Most professionals don’t ask for them often enough.
Reach out to clients, colleagues, former managers and referral sources. Ask them to share their experience working with you and encourage them to be specific.
The strongest recommendations tell stories. They describe challenges, results and experiences. Specificity is always more powerful than generic praise.
The same principle applies to media coverage and speaking engagements. Independent validation strengthens credibility and adds depth to your online presence.
Link to 5. Secure Speaking Opportunities 5. Secure Speaking Opportunities
Speaking remains one of the fastest ways to establish authority in a particular area. You don’t need to keynote a major conference to benefit.
Industry webinars, association programs, client events, podcasts and panel discussions can all help raise your visibility. One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is waiting until they feel like experts before pursuing speaking opportunities. Most conference organizers aren’t looking for celebrities. They’re looking for knowledgeable people who can provide useful insights to their audience.
- Start small.
- Volunteer for panels.
- Offer to participate in webinars.
- Pitch topics to industry associations.
- Appear on podcasts in your niche.
Every speaking opportunity creates additional visibility and often leads to new relationships, referrals and content opportunities.
Link to 6. Expand Your Digital Footprint 6. Expand Your Digital Footprint
LinkedIn is important, but it shouldn’t be the only place people can find information about you.
A strong digital footprint extends across multiple channels. That might include articles, newsletters, podcasts, conference presentations, media interviews, industry publications or association involvement.
Think about the places where your audience spends time and look for opportunities to contribute. One of the reasons this matters is that different people consume information differently. Some read articles. Others listen to podcasts. Others attend conferences.
Showing up in multiple places increases the likelihood that people will encounter your expertise. It also creates a more complete picture of your professional reputation.
Link to 7. Audit Your AI Search Results 7. Audit Your AI Search Results
Your career isn’t static and your online presence shouldn’t be either. Set aside time a few times a year to review your LinkedIn profile, website, bios and content.
- Look for outdated information.
- Add recent accomplishments.
- Update speaking engagements.
- Refresh your Featured section.
- Publish new recommendations.
- Most importantly, search for yourself.
- Ask AI tools what they know about you.
- Review the results critically.
- What appears?
- What’s missing?
- What surprises you?
The answers often provide opportunities to strengthen your visibility and better communicate your expertise.
Link to Why This Matters Now Why This Matters Now
Personal branding has always been about visibility, credibility and reputation. What’s changing is how people gather information. Increasingly, they’re relying on AI tools to help them identify experts, evaluate service providers and learn about professionals before reaching out.
Those tools don’t determine your reputation, but they can influence how people perceive you. The professionals who are best positioned for this shift are the ones who have invested time in documenting their expertise, creating content, building credibility and maintaining a strong digital footprint.
None of this happens overnight. But small, consistent efforts do add up.
Updating your LinkedIn profile. Writing an article. Speaking at an event. Asking for a recommendation. Publishing a newsletter. Taken together, those activities help create a clearer picture of who you are, what you do and what you should be known for.
Link to Key Takeaways to Quickly Improve Your AI Search Results and Enhance Your Visibility Key Takeaways to Quickly Improve Your AI Search Results and Enhance Your Visibility
- Keep your LinkedIn profile current and complete.
- Focus your content around a handful of core areas of expertise.
- Publish articles that answer common questions and demonstrate depth.
- Collect recommendations and other forms of third-party validation.
- Look for opportunities to speak, even at smaller events.
- Build visibility beyond LinkedIn through articles, podcasts and industry organizations.
- Review your online presence regularly and update it as your career evolves.
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