AI reshapes digital visibility, branding, business discovery – Sododo
By Blessing Elo Oghene
As artificial intelligence transforms how people discover professionals and businesses, digital strategist urges individuals, organisations to build credible online identities.
The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in searching for information, recommending professionals and evaluating businesses is changing the rules of digital visibility, with individuals and organisations being urged to build credible and well-structured online identities to remain competitive.
A Lagos-based digital strategist and Creative Lead at Sodus Media, Saidat Sododo, said having a website or maintaining social media accounts was no longer sufficient, as AI-powered platforms increasingly influence how potential clients, employers, business partners and investors discover and assess individuals and organisations.
Sododo explained that digital visibility now goes beyond merely having an online presence to ensuring that information about a person or business is accurate, consistent, verifiable and accessible to both conventional search engines and AI systems.
According to her, fragmented, outdated or incomplete online information could undermine the reputation of otherwise competent professionals and businesses by making it difficult for prospective clients and digital platforms to establish their credibility.
“The issue facing many talented individuals and growing companies is rarely a lack of quality. It is the absence of an intentionally architected digital identity that communicates that quality effectively,” she said.
She noted that digital identity comprises the information, professional records, published content and public references through which individuals and businesses are represented online.
For professionals, she said, this includes LinkedIn profiles, personal websites, project portfolios, published contributions and verifiable achievements, while corporate digital identity encompasses websites, business listings, service descriptions, customer reviews, media coverage and operational records.
Sododo said personal branding should also extend beyond maintaining social media accounts to deliberately communicating professional expertise, achievements and value through credible and consistent platforms.
She added that corporate branding was no longer limited to logos and visual identity, as prospective customers increasingly relied on clear service descriptions, operational information, geographical coverage and authentic customer feedback when deciding which businesses to patronise.
According to her, incomplete or inaccurate information could cause businesses, particularly startups and growing enterprises, to lose potential customers even before establishing direct contact with them.
On the growing influence of AI in digital discovery, Sododo explained that unlike conventional search engines, which largely present users with lists of links, generative AI systems synthesise information, compare options and provide direct recommendations.
She said this development had made it increasingly important for professionals and organisations to ensure that credible and structured information about their expertise, services and achievements was available across digital platforms.
She identified Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) as emerging strategies for improving how information about individuals and businesses is understood, retrieved and referenced by AI-powered systems.
While AEO focuses on structuring online content to make it easier for answer-based platforms to retrieve relevant information, GEO seeks to strengthen the authority, context and clarity of digital content so generative AI systems can accurately interpret and reference it.
She, however, cautioned that no optimisation strategy could guarantee that an AI platform would recommend a particular individual or business, stressing that credibility, verifiable authority and consistency remained essential.
Sododo advised professionals and organisations seeking stronger digital visibility to establish authoritative websites, regularly document their expertise, maintain consistent business information across platforms and support claims with verifiable evidence such as certifications, media reports, portfolios and authentic testimonials.
She also recommended regular digital audits to identify outdated information, conflicting records and gaps in online visibility, alongside publishing useful content that addresses questions commonly asked within their areas of specialisation.
With experience spanning television production, web engineering and user experience design, Sododo said connecting media communication with technical web development was becoming increasingly important in building sustainable digital identities.
“Having valuable expertise is only half the equation. The other half is ensuring that expertise is structured so both human audiences and search algorithms can find, verify, and understand it,” she said.
She maintained that as AI continues to influence how people and businesses are discovered, the priority should be to ensure that their digital footprints accurately reflect their capabilities, achievements, and professional value.