For more than two decades, digital visibility has largely been a race for keywords and search rankings. Businesses invested heavily in search engine optimisation (SEO) to appear at the top of Google results and attract potential customers.
Artificial intelligence is changing that equation.
According to a recent study by Semrush, conducted in partnership with digital marketing strategist Kevin Indig (Growth Memo), AI platforms such as ChatGPT are increasingly evaluating brands at the topic level rather than rewarding visibility for individual search queries. The research analysed more than 50,000 brands across 1,094 topic categories between January and June 2026, revealing that most AI search categories still have no dominant brand.
For African businesses, the findings offer both a warning and an opportunity.
From Keywords to Topics
Traditional SEO has focused on ranking for individual keywords. Companies aimed to appear whenever customers searched for specific products or services.
AI search works differently.
Instead of typing short keywords, users increasingly ask detailed questions:
- Which fintech companies are transforming payments in Africa?
- What are the best logistics solutions for African exporters?
- Which renewable energy companies are leading innovation?
- How can SMEs expand across African markets?
Rather than matching keywords alone, AI systems attempt to identify the brands most closely associated with an entire subject area.
That means businesses need to build authority across multiple related questions instead of relying on one high-ranking webpage.
Most Topics Are Still Wide Open
One of the study’s most striking findings is that only 15.2% of the topics analysed had a clear brand leader consistently recognised across multiple AI prompts.
In other words, nearly 85% of categories remain open to competition.
For African companies, this represents a significant opportunity. Many industries across the continent are still developing their digital footprint, meaning businesses that consistently publish high-quality expertise can establish themselves before competitors do.
SEO Still Matters — But It Is No Longer Enough
The research also found that traditional SEO metrics such as domain authority and organic traffic were not reliable predictors of AI visibility.
Large websites with strong search rankings did not always become the brands most frequently mentioned in AI-generated answers.
Instead, topic expertise appears to matter more.
Businesses that consistently publish useful insights, answer customer questions, appear in trusted industry publications and receive credible third-party mentions are more likely to become associated with a particular subject.
This reflects a broader shift from ranking pages to recognising trusted entities.
What This Means for African Businesses
Africa’s digital economy is expanding rapidly across sectors including fintech, agribusiness, logistics, healthcare, renewable energy and e-commerce.
At the same time, global investors, partners and customers increasingly use AI tools during research and purchasing decisions.
Businesses that become recognised authorities in their industries may gain a significant competitive advantage.
Rather than trying to dominate every possible keyword, companies should focus on building expertise around the topics that matter most to their customers.
For example, a fintech company may concentrate on cross-border payments, SME finance and digital banking, while an agritech business could focus on precision farming, climate resilience and agricultural innovation.
Building AI Visibility
Companies hoping to improve their visibility in AI search should think beyond conventional SEO.
Key priorities include:
- publishing expert articles that answer real customer questions;
- developing comprehensive content around core business topics;
- earning mentions in respected industry publications;
- encouraging executives to share practical expertise and thought leadership;
- maintaining consistent brand information across trusted online sources.
This combination of expertise, credibility and consistency helps AI systems better understand what a company represents.
The Next Digital Advantage
The transition from keyword rankings to topic authority is still in its early stages.
That creates an opportunity for African businesses willing to invest in knowledge, expertise and long-term credibility rather than short-term optimisation tactics.
The companies that succeed in AI search are unlikely to be those producing the most content. They will be the organisations that consistently demonstrate expertise, solve customer problems and become recognised voices within their industries.
As AI increasingly influences business decisions, building topical authority may become one of the most valuable digital assets a company can own.
Source
This analysis is based on the Semrush study, “AI Visibility Is a Topic-Level Game: A Study of 50,000 Brands in ChatGPT” (July 2026), conducted in partnership with Kevin Indig (Growth Memo). The research analysed more than 50,000 brands across 1,094 topic categories in ChatGPT between January and June 2026:
https://www.semrush.com/blog/chatgpt-topic-authority-study/