By now you know that many people are using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Perplexity to research professionals before making decisions. They’re looking for lawyers, consultants, executives, speakers, board members and subject matter experts. They’re asking questions that used to be typed into Google and relying on AI-generated answers to help them identify who to contact, follow or learn more about.
I’ve encouraged a lot of professionals to run searches on themselves recently and the results are often eye-opening.
Sometimes AI produces a strong summary of their background and expertise. Other times, important accomplishments are missing. In some cases, the results focus on outdated roles or fail to capture what the person is actually known for today.
The good news is that improving your AI search results often comes down to strengthening your overall professional visibility. Here are seven ways to improve how you’re represented when people use AI tools to research you.
1. Strengthen Your LinkedIn Profile
If there’s one place to start, it’s LinkedIn. For many professionals, LinkedIn contains the most complete picture of who they are, what they do and what they’ve accomplished. Yet I regularly see profiles that haven’t been updated in years, contain only a few lines of information or fail to communicate what makes someone different from their peers.
Your headline should tell people more than your title. Your About section should explain your expertise, experience and perspective. Your experience section should highlight accomplishments and areas of focus rather than serving as a copy and paste version of a resume.
Many people assume their company bio does the heavy lifting. Increasingly, LinkedIn provides a much richer picture of someone’s professional background. The more complete your profile is, the easier it becomes for others to understand your expertise.
2. Create Content Around Your Areas of Expertise
One of the biggest mistakes professionals make is creating content that lacks focus. They post about leadership one week, networking the next and industry news the week after that. While variety isn’t necessarily bad, it can make it difficult for people to understand what someone is actually known for.
When I visit someone’s profile, I should be able to identify their areas of expertise fairly quickly. Their content should reinforce those themes over time.
If you want to be known for private equity, healthcare, cybersecurity, executive coaching or legal marketing, your content should consistently reflect those topics. Repetition is often viewed negatively in content marketing, but it’s one of the ways expertise becomes associated with a person’s name.
I’ve seen professionals spend years developing deep expertise in a particular area only to rarely discuss it online. Then they wonder why AI doesn’t connect them to that subject matter.
Your content creates context around your expertise. The more consistent that context becomes, the easier it is for people to understand what you do and what you should be known for.
3. Publish Long-Form Articles
Short-form content has its place, but articles allow you to demonstrate depth. A LinkedIn post might introduce an idea. An article allows you to explore it in detail, provide examples and share a more nuanced perspective.
This is particularly important for professionals in complex industries where expertise can’t always be captured in a few paragraphs. Think about the questions clients ask repeatedly. Consider the trends affecting your industry. Reflect on the lessons you’ve learned throughout your career. Those insights can often become valuable articles.
Articles also have a longer lifespan than many social media posts. They remain searchable and discoverable long after they’re published, creating additional opportunities for people to find and engage with your ideas. Some of the strongest visibility I’ve seen comes from professionals who combine regular social media activity with a library of thoughtful long-form content.
4. Earn Third-Party Validation
What other people say about you often carries as much weight as what you say about yourself. Recommendations, testimonials, media quotes, guest articles, podcast interviews, awards and industry recognition all contribute to your professional reputation.
One area I think many professionals overlook is LinkedIn recommendations. Recommendations often highlight strengths, accomplishments and working styles that don’t appear elsewhere online. They also provide independent validation of your expertise.
The same is true of media coverage and speaking engagements. When respected organizations, publications and industry groups recognize your expertise, they strengthen the overall picture people see when researching you.
Professional credibility is built through a combination of self-promotion and third-party validation. The strongest personal brands usually have both.
5. Secure Speaking Opportunities
Speaking remains one of the most effective ways to build credibility and visibility.
Whether you’re presenting at a conference, participating in a webinar, appearing on a podcast or joining a panel discussion, speaking engagements create opportunities to showcase expertise and reach new audiences. They also generate content that extends beyond the event itself.
A single speaking engagement can lead to articles, videos, social media content, event listings and media coverage. All of those assets contribute to your broader digital footprint.
Many professionals assume speaking opportunities are reserved for industry celebrities. In reality, there are opportunities at every level. Industry associations, client programs, webinars and podcasts can all help expand your visibility and reinforce your expertise.
6. Diversify Your Digital Footprint
LinkedIn is important, but it shouldn’t be the only place where people can find information about you.
The strongest professional brands are visible across multiple channels. That could include articles, podcasts, newsletters, conference presentations, industry publications, association involvement, media interviews and company websites.
When someone researches you, they should encounter a consistent story across multiple sources.
A diversified digital footprint provides additional opportunities for people to discover your expertise and learn more about your work. It also creates a stronger foundation for your professional reputation overall.
Professionals who rely on a single platform often miss opportunities to reach audiences elsewhere.
7. Monitor and Update Regularly
Your online presence should evolve alongside your career. New accomplishments happen. Responsibilities change. Areas of expertise expand. Professional interests shift over time.
Unfortunately, many people update their profiles only when they’re looking for a new job.
I recommend periodically reviewing what appears when people research you. Run searches on your name. Ask AI tools what they know about you. Review your LinkedIn profile with fresh eyes.
Pay attention to missing information, outdated descriptions and areas where your expertise isn’t being reflected accurately.
I’ve seen professionals discover that some of their most important accomplishments weren’t showing up anywhere online. I’ve also seen people realize that content they published years ago was still shaping how they were being described today.
Regular reviews help ensure your online presence reflects your current expertise, accomplishments and professional goals.
Why This Matters Now
AI search is changing how people research professionals, but the fundamentals of professional visibility haven’t changed.
People still want to understand who you are, what you do and why you’re credible. They still look for expertise, experience and evidence that you can deliver value.
A strong LinkedIn profile, thoughtful content, long-form articles, recommendations, speaking opportunities and a diversified digital footprint all contribute to that story.
People are using AI tools to make decisions every day. They’re researching potential hires, evaluating service providers, identifying speakers and looking for experts in specific fields. The information those tools find and interpret can influence opportunities in ways that many professionals haven’t fully considered yet. That’s what people are looking for when they research you. Increasingly, it’s what AI tools are looking for as well.
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