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Why Probabilistic Visibility Is the New Page One

· 3 min read

The era of static rankings is coming to an end. If your SEO strategy is still focused on capturing the number one position for a specific keyword, you’re preparing for a bygone era. AI driven search using LLMs is reshaping the landscape.

Now, brand visibility in LLMs isn’t a straightforward outcome; it’s a probabilistic one.

When someone requests a product recommendation from an LLM, the response hinges on much more than just the text of the query.

User intent, context, and even minor phrasing differences can drastically influence which brands get recommended. This is because there’s no one size fits all answer for something like “What’s the best mattress?” or “What’s the top marketing tool?” Hundreds of different recommendations could come forth based on who is doing the asking, as well as how and when they ask.

Welcome to what Garrett Sussman calls Probabilitic Visibility

The new reality requires a different content and brand strategy. Rather than trying to funnel everything through a single point of entry, you'll need to build resilience across many potential pathways.

Instead of thinking about optimizing for a keyword here or a page there, think about creating networks of content that interact to lead someone to your desired end point. Being cited means more than just one place and one source. It involves content that can speak to various buyer personas, not just the primary target.

Personas are all about context - how your brand appears to someone researching for the first time versus someone on the brink of making a purchase.

So.... each content piece should be considered part of a larger visibility strategy. You should always ask yourself if the page you are creating could serve as a reference for someone down the line. In other words, your content should affirm:

  • Can it accommodate various depths of detail?
  • Is it straightforward to cite?
  • Does it align with the different ways people might ask about the same thing?

Being visible on multiple sites, in different formats, and through varying tones and entry points gives you a better shot at appearing in LLM generated responses.

You are not trying to control one narrow channel; you are expanding your presence across the whole field.We are moving into a phase where making content discoverable is fluid and adaptable. To achieve this, we need to think not just like search engine optimizers but more so like systems designers.