As AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI-powered search reshape how people research professional services, AEC firms are finding that referrals and RFPs are no longer the only path to new work. Increasingly, potential clients begin their search for expertise online—often long before they contact a firm. This session explores how search engines and AI systems identify, interpret, and recommend AEC firms, and how positioning, website content, project case studies, and other digital signals influence whether a firm appears when prospects look for specialized expertise. Through a real AEC example, attendees will see how one firm improved visibility and lead quality by aligning its online presence around a clearly defined niche and publishing content that demonstrates expertise.

The session will also explain how AI tools interpret publicly available information about firms and how consistent signals across websites, project descriptions, and third-party platforms shape the answers these systems generate. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for improving discoverability, along with clear first steps for strengthening their firm’s visibility in both traditional search and emerging AI-driven discovery tools—without getting lost in overly technical SEO details.

Learner outcomes 

1. Describe how evolving client search behavior and AI-powered tools influence which AEC firms are surfaced when prospects look for expertise online.
2. Identify the key digital signals—such as positioning, service pages, project case studies, and third-party mentions—that make an AEC firm more discoverable in both search and AI-generated answers.
3. Apply a practical framework to improve their firm’s online visibility, including concrete steps to refine niche positioning, strengthen website content, and support AI-driven discovery over time.