# Ahrefs marketer explains how to fix AI brand citations

Digest AI · Marketing & Small Business · published 2026-10-05T16:16:34Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/ahrefs-marketer-explains-how-to-fix-ai-brand-citations

## Summary

Constance Tan, Product Marketer at Ahrefs, outlined a strategy for marketers to improve how AI systems cite their brands. Rather than reacting to isolated mentions, she advised monitoring recurring patterns across the customer journey by tracking three question types: customer problems, competitor comparisons, and factual business details. This approach helps identify whether AI answers are outdated, biased toward competitors, or based on incorrect sources.

Tan emphasized investigating the sources behind competitor mentions to understand share of voice gaps. She recommended prioritizing outreach to authors who are realistically reachable and whose pages are frequently cited. In one Ahrefs example, the team contacted 26 authors about inaccuracies, resulting in 10 replies and four content updates. However, she noted that outreach is not always the solution; creating new, comprehensive content to fill coverage gaps is often more effective when existing sources are weak or inaccessible.

Before assuming a content problem, marketers should verify that AI bots can actually access their site. Tan highlighted technical issues like firewall restrictions, broken URLs, and JavaScript-dependent content as common causes for missing citations. She advised treating visibility data as context for business results, tracking impressions alongside conversions, rather than assuming a direct link between citations and revenue.

## Key points

- Monitor AI answers using prompts based on customer problems, comparisons, and factual business details.
- Ahrefs contacted 26 authors to fix errors; 10 replied and four updated their content.
- Check technical barriers like firewalls and JavaScript before assuming content gaps cause low AI visibility.

## Why it matters

Provides a practical framework for marketers to diagnose and fix AI visibility issues, distinguishing between content gaps, technical access problems, and competitive positioning.

## Sources

1. [AI Cites Your Brand: How to Choose Your Next Move via @sejournal, @hethr_campbell](https://searchenginejournal.com/ai-cites-your-brand-how-to-choose-your-next-move/589990) (Search Engine Journal, 2026-10-05)

Part of the developing story: [Ahrefs Maps Strategic Path For AI Search Visibility](https://digestai.news/thread/study-finds-ai-search-cites-top-results-more-often-source-order-swap-has) (6 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Ahrefs marketer explains how to fix AI brand citations", 5 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/ahrefs-marketer-explains-how-to-fix-ai-brand-citations

---

Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record. Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse
JSON: https://digestai.news/story/ahrefs-marketer-explains-how-to-fix-ai-brand-citations.json