How We Work
Map Which Sources AI Agents Trust And Establish Your Authority
AI agents build product recommendations by querying sources beyond your website—editorial sites, review platforms, knowledge graphs, and expert validators. We map which sources matter most in your category, then help you establish authority within them.
The Agentic Commerce Preparation Program
Our comprehensive 4-phase program maps which sources control your positioning, establishes your Brand Ground Truth, and helps you take authority over how AI agents evaluate your brand.
Phase 1: AUDIT — Map Your Trust Sources (2 weeks)
We systematically test how major AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini) recommend in your category.
What we identify:
Which sources agents trust most (owned media, social media, editorial sites, knowledge graphs, expert validators)
Where agents hallucinate or guess due to lack of quality accessible information
Where agents hedge or express uncertainty about your brand
Where your brand positioning is missing, outdated, or inconsistent across sources
Deliverable: AI Audit documenting which sources control AI agent perception of your brand and where agents currently lack reliable information to represent you accurately.
Phase 2: FOUNDATION — Define Brand Ground Truth (3-4 weeks)
We facilitate working sessions with your Marketing, Legal, and Product leadership to establish the definitive claims that justify your premium positioning.
What we create:
Single source of truth for how AI systems should understand your brand
Consistent, verified claims all teams and agencies execute against
Structured attributes and differentiation that agents can validate
Documentation linking claims to supporting evidence
Deliverable: Brand Ground Truth Document that becomes the authoritative reference for all internal teams and downstream agencies.
Phase 3: INFRASTRUCTURE - Establish Authority (4-6 weeks)
We provide specifications for optimizing both your owned properties and your presence in external sources agents trust.
On-Site Optimization (Your Website):
Schema markup specifications for each page type
HTML claims paired with schema facts for agent verification
llms.txt file creation and implementation
Structured data validation and testing
External Source Optimization:
Strategic priorities for knowledge graph updates (Wikidata, Google Knowledge Graph)
Editorial relationship guidance and expert validator outreach
Platform API data accuracy review (Amazon, retailer feeds)
Merchant center optimization specifications
Implementation Approach:
Your IT/DevOps team handles all website deployment (we provide specs and validate). We guide external source optimization strategy.
Deliverable: Complete implementation roadmap covering on-site technical requirements and external source strategic priorities.
Phase 4: Governance - Monitor and Adapt (Monthly)
What we monitor:
Monthly testing of how agents discover and position you
Competitive movements in the sources that matter
Changes in agent behavior patterns and source prioritization
New opportunities or threats as models update
Deliverable: Monthly agent behavior reports, competitive tracking, and quarterly strategic reviews.
Why All 4 Phases Matter
AI agents pull from three types of sources:
Observable Sources — Editorial sites and validators agents cite. We map these systematically in Phase 1.
Structured Data Sources — Knowledge graphs, merchant centers, platform APIs. We infer their influence and optimize in Phase 3.
Proprietary Sources — Training data and retrieval systems unique to each model. Only Phase 4 monitoring reveals their influence.
Phases 1-3 establish your strategy based on what we can observe and infer. Phase 4 validates whether implementations are working and adapts as the landscape evolves.
How We Work With Your Teams
Discovery Call — We discuss your category, competitive landscape, and specific concerns about AI agent representation.
Scoping — We conduct preliminary testing to validate scope and identify which sources matter most in your category.
Proposal — Detailed proposal with timeline, deliverables, investment, and success criteria.
Program Launch — Phase 1 begins within two weeks of signed agreement.
Investment & Timeline
Complete Program: Phases 1-3 typically take 3-4 months from start to implementation completion. Phase 4 continues monthly.
Phase 1 Only: Available as a stand-alone AI Audit for organizations wanting to understand their source landscape before committing to the full program.
Custom Proposals: We provide detailed proposals with timeline, deliverables, and investment after initial discovery call.
FAQ
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Yes. Phase 1 identifies which sources AI agents rely on to research and evaluate your brand. Many organizations start here to understand the landscape.
However, most find the AI Audit reveals gaps and strategic priorities that make Phases 2-3 essential rather than optional.
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Phases 1-3 typically take 3-4 months from start to completion of implementation. Phase 4 (ongoing monitoring) continues monthly with quarterly strategic reviews.
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No. We provide detailed specifications for schema markup, HTML/schema pairing, and llms.txt implementation—but your IT/DevOps team handles all staging and production deployment. This ensures you maintain security and control.
We validate implementation and provide feedback, but execution stays with your team.
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We can recommend implementation partners, or phase the technical work over a longer timeline. The strategic work (Phases 1-2) can begin immediately while technical capacity is addressed.
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SEO optimizes your website for human search. This addresses the external sources AI agents query to validate premium claims—editorial reviews, knowledge graphs, expert validators.
When agents can't verify differentiation through trusted sources, they default to price comparison. You can't address that with schema markup alone
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It is optional, of course. Because AI agents pull from sources we can observe and sources we can't directly see (proprietary training data, platform databases, merchant feeds).
Phases 1-3 give you strategy based on what we can map. Phase 4 reveals whether implementations changed agent behavior and how competitive dynamics evolve.
Without Phase 4, you're investing based on assumptions you can't validate until revenue impact becomes obvious.
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We provide the strategic intelligence your agencies need to execute effectively. We map which sources AI agents trust in your category, then create the Brand Ground Truth that aligns all agency partners.
Your agencies handle execution. We provide the intelligence that makes their execution effective and eliminates inconsistency across channels.
Related Services
Not ready for the full program? Start with:
AI Literacy for Boards — 30-minute briefing to align your leadership team on AI agent threats and opportunities
AI Governance Audit — Comprehensive assessment of your internal AI systems and compliance posture