The New Rules of Being Found: What Charities and Professional Services Firms Need to Know About AI Search

Your next client, donor or member may never visit Google. They'll ask AI instead.

That was the message I took away from Accountancy Ireland's lunchtime briefing on AI, brand reach and reputation at Chartered Accountants House last week. The event also marked the relaunch of Accountancy Ireland as a fully digital publication, 57 years after its first edition. A massive well done to Elaine, Anastasia, Liz, Adam and all the team at Chartered Accountants Ireland on the success of the publication and the event.

Lisa Byrne, founder of CMO.ie and creator of Ireland's AI Visibility Index, and Garrett Harte, founder of Harte Media and former editor-in-chief at Newstalk, shared what they're seeing and what the new rules are to being found.

Here's what stood out, and what it means for the charities, professional services firms and businesses we work with.

1. People Aren't Searching. They're Asking.

The way people find organisations, and the information they want, has changed. They're not typing keywords and scrolling through links. They're opening ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Claude or Grok and asking it to find the answer for them.

Which accountant should I use? Which charity supports bereaved families near me? Who's the expert in this area?

Garrett shared US research suggesting 63% of online searches now happen through AI. He also described one client whose website traffic had fallen off a cliff as AI search took hold. 

2. Visibility Isn't Only About Size

Lisa's AI Visibility Index asks six leading AI platforms the questions real customers ask, and measures which brands appear. Hospitality and travel performed best. Accountancy scored just 26%.

Larger firms tend to appear for the bigger questions. Mid-sized and smaller organisations often don't appear at all. Not because they aren't good at what they do, but because their websites don't say it clearly and few others are talking about them.

3. What Others Say About You Matters Most

This was the point that struck stayed with me most, and one we see time and time again with our clients. AI leans heavily on trusted third-party sources: media coverage, events, awards, rankings, reviews and LinkedIn. According to the research Garrett cited, 89% of the sources featured were third-party.

Telling your own story well is no longer enough. Others need to be telling it too.

4. The Fundamentals Haven't Changed

Here's the good news. Garrett called it a positive disruption, and I agree. Good communications still win. The fundamentals still stand and earned media gives you third-party credibility. Consistency (those who know me and who work with us know I’m always talking  about this!) matters: “a steady drum beat”, not the odd burst of activity. Data-rich content, like surveys, barometers and press releases with a genuine news angle, performs particularly well.

How many of us have a brilliant piece of research or insight sitting in a drawer? Now is the time to share it.

The work that builds AI visibility supports traditional search too. It isn't one or the other.

5. Where to Start

• Ask AI about yourself. Put the questions your clients, donors or members would ask into the main AI tools. Do you appear? Do your competitors? What does it say about you?

• Strengthen your service pages. Be clear about what you do, who you do it for and why you're the expert. Clear, conversational content is easier for AI to find.

• Get your Google Business Profile right. It's simple and often overlooked.

• Build third-party proof. Enter awards, gather reviews and offer expert commentary to the media.

• Share your credentials and your data. Your sector insights are valuable, so publish them.

• And most of all be consistent. Little and often is far more effective than one big push or campaign.

AI search isn't replacing reputation. It's rewarding it.

How Thrive Can Help

At Thrive Marketing, we help purpose-led organisations and professional services firms build visibility, trust and influence. Increasingly, that includes how you show up in AI search, from strategy at leadership level to the content and coverage that get you noticed. 

If you'd like to know how your organisation appears when people ask AI, get in touch at hello@thrivemarketing.ie.