Two different questions
Traditional search engine optimisation answers one question: how do we rank higher on a results page for a keyword? AI discovery answers a different question: how does an AI model understand who we are, what we do, and who we do it well for — clearly enough to recommend us by name?
These are related disciplines, but they are not the same discipline, and treating them as identical leads companies to invest in the wrong things.
Where the mechanics diverge
Search engine ranking rewards keyword relevance, backlinks and page authority signals. AI systems build an internal understanding of an organisation by piecing together consistent, clearly-structured information about what a company does, who it serves, and what evidence supports its claims — drawn from many sources, not just your own website.
A company can rank reasonably well on Google while still being invisible or poorly understood by AI models, because the underlying information about the company is fragmented, inconsistent, or too vague for an AI system to summarise with confidence.
What this means in practice
Improving AI visibility means making your organisation's capabilities, certifications, specialisations and evidence unambiguous — everywhere an AI model might encounter them, not only on your own website. It requires a distinct methodology, distinct measurement, and distinct execution from conventional SEO work.