Walker Sands has introduced the AI Domain Impact Index, a new tool designed to help B2B organizations enhance their public relations strategies and measure effectiveness in the evolving landscape shaped by generative AI. With shifts in how audiences find, trust, and interact with brands especially as generative AI platforms increasingly divert traffic from traditional search engines like Google the way PR performance is evaluated and media targets are prioritized must adapt.
The AI Domain Impact Index assigns each web domain a score from 0 to 100 based on five weighted factors: the domain’s organic search presence, inclusion policies for AI training and bots, ease of content accessibility for AI models, real-time content retrieval capability, and citation completeness in AI responses. Unlike conventional vanity metrics, this index directly correlates earned media influence with visibility in generative AI search results and decision-making workflows. Importantly, scores are dynamic, evolving with ongoing changes in AI model priorities and media optimizations.
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An initial analysis of over 600 earned media placements from Walker Sands’ client programs evaluated nearly 300 unique media domains. Results showed that 51% of these placements are categorized as high impact for influencing AI search responses, with notable top performers including TechTarget, Apple Podcasts, ZDNet, and ITPro. Meanwhile, some traditionally trusted outlets scored lower, indicating that AI-driven search visibility now depends on different content signals than traditional SEO. This underscores the need for PR strategies to shift focus towards media domains that are accessible and favored by generative AI platforms.
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Walker Sands’ EVP Annie Gudorf explained that marketers can no longer rely on outdated assumptions about influential media platforms. The AI Domain Impact Index provides critical insights to identify which digital domains matter most for maintaining brand presence and credibility in AI-assisted buyer journeys. John Fairley, SVP Marketing Operations + SEO at Walker Sands, highlighted how the index offers real-time tracking of domain ranking shifts, empowering clients to maximize discoverability through strategic earned media placements.
As generative AI continues reshaping B2B buyer journeys, the AI Domain Impact Index stands out as a pivotal innovation, enabling PR professionals to make smarter, data-driven decisions and ensure their brands remain visible and trusted where it counts most.
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