Buyers ask AI before they search Google
Shopping queries like "what is the best X for Y use case" increasingly start in ChatGPT or Perplexity rather than Google. When a buyer asks an AI assistant for a product recommendation, the AI cites sources and often recommends specific brands. If your brand is not in those answers, you are absent from the first step of product discovery for a growing share of buyers. Schema markup, E-E-A-T signals, and category content are what get ecommerce brands cited.