How Digital PR Is Shaping The Online Footprints of Brands

As consumers turn to AI to research brands and businesses, Digital PR is taking on a broader role in building visibility beyond a company’s own website.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Businesses have spent years improving how they appear on Google. As consumers increasingly turn to generative AI for information, another question is emerging: when potential customers ask AI about products, services or companies in their industry, will their business be part of the answer?

Key Takeaways
- Consumers are increasingly using generative AI to find and evaluate information online.
- Research involving 75,000 brands found branded web mentions had a stronger correlation with AI visibility than backlink volume.
- Digital Public Relations (PR) can expand a brand’s online footprint through media coverage, expert commentary, press releases and relevant backlinks.
- Being cited by AI does not necessarily mean a brand will be named or recommended.

Google acknowledged this shift in May 2026, saying people are increasingly gravitating towards generative AI experiences to find information. It also maintains that established SEO practices remain relevant to visibility within its AI-powered search features.

A Brand’s Online Footprint Extends Beyond Its Website

The development is putting greater attention on information about businesses published elsewhere online.

An Ahrefs study of 75,000 brands found branded web mentions correlated with AI visibility at 0.66 to 0.71 across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews. Conventional measures such as backlink volume showed weaker relationships. However, the researchers stressed that the findings show correlation, not causation.

This distinction is expanding the role of Digital PR. Media coverage, relevant backlinks, expert commentary and good old press releases can all increase the number of credible places where a business and its expertise are discussed.

For companies, however, there is a different impact when they appear as a source, as opposed to having the brand itself appear in an AI response. A 2026 Semrush study found 61.7% of the AI citations it analysed linked to a source without naming the brand in the generated answer.

Digital PR Beyond Backlinks

This means Digital PR increasingly has more than one outcome to consider. Traditional objectives such as media exposure, referral traffic and authoritative backlinks remain relevant, while brand mentions and AI-search visibility add further dimensions to how campaigns can be assessed.

“Businesses should think beyond what they say about themselves on their own websites,” said Cez Krol, CTO and co-founder of Big Wall Digital. “Digital PR can help build a wider, credible footprint through third-party coverage, while supporting established SEO objectives such as relevant backlinks.”

Although digital PR does not necessarily guarantee that an AI platform will recommend a business, it still provides a structured way to build legitimate third-party coverage around a brand, its expertise and the topics they want to be known for.

To learn more about Digital PR, SEO and AI search visibility, visit Big Wall Digital.

About Big Wall Digital

Big Wall Digital is a Singapore-based digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, GEO (AI SEO) and Digital Public Relations (PR). Its Digital PR services encompass media outreach, press release distribution and link building, supported by content, web design and web development services.

Elizabeth Yeo
Big Wall Digital
+65 8824 8926
contact@bigwalldigital.com
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