HIRAKA AEO FRAMEWORK

How AI decides which brands get considered

How AI decides which brands get considered

A strategy for B2B companies that want to evolve their search-era tactics and land in AI citations.
A strategy for B2B companies that want to evolve their search-era tactics and land in AI citations.

Author: Tuesday Hagiwara, Founder & Principal, Hiraka Consulting.

This page introduces the Hiraka AEO Evaluation Rubric: the six-dimension framework I use to diagnose where an organization stands with AI-driven discovery, and what it actually takes to close the gap.

Author: Tuesday Hagiwara, Founder & Principal, Hiraka Consulting.

This page introduces the Hiraka AEO Evaluation Rubric: the six-dimension framework I use to diagnose where an organization stands with AI-driven discovery, and what it actually takes to close the gap.

B2B buyers have cut the traditional search cord.

Today, nearly all, (94%) of B2B buyers now involve an AI tool somewhere in their research process. (Forrester)

The challenge is, AI platforms cite only 3-4 brands per response on average, with the top 20 domains capturing 66% of all AI citations. (BrightEdge and Amsive) Everyone else is invisible.

How it works

When a buyer types a question into their LLM, the system creates multiple subqueries, pulls web content, and then produces a response that reflects the accumulated weight of what's been published in the category, adjusted based on retrieved content. 

This process gives brands that already have a long history of consistent, original publishing a significant competitive edge.

Why more content doesn't help

Publishing generic thought leadership on a topic that your more established competitor owns reinforces their authority, not yours. This keeps them on the shortlist and you off it. Basic, well-structured coverage of the same topic is different because it's not competing to be the recognized authority and it supports your overall question universe coverage.

Catch the drift

Your opportunity lies in your ability to identify emerging topics and claim the territory before it reaches mainstream search volume.

Instead of competing with what already exists, you can become the originator of what comes next. This means real credibility can be built with far less volume. 

I call it drift readiness.

The six dimensions

The first mover advantage isn't enough on its own. AI systems still need to read your content, match it to a query, and weigh your authority against everyone else. That evaluation runs on six dimensions.


B2B buyers have cut the traditional search cord.

Today, nearly all, (94%) of B2B buyers now involve an AI tool somewhere in their research process. (Forrester)

The challenge is, AI platforms cite only 3-4 brands per response on average, with the top 20 domains capturing 66% of all AI citations. (BrightEdge and Amsive) Everyone else is invisible.

How it works

When a buyer types a question into their LLM, the system creates multiple subqueries, pulls web content, and then produces a response that reflects the accumulated weight of what's been published in the category, adjusted based on retrieved content. 

This process gives brands that already have a long history of consistent, original publishing a significant competitive edge.

Why more content doesn't help

Publishing generic thought leadership on a topic that your more established competitor owns reinforces their authority, not yours. This keeps them on the shortlist and you off it. Basic, well-structured coverage of the same topic is different because it's not competing to be the recognized authority and it supports your overall question universe coverage.

Catch the drift

Your opportunity lies in your ability to identify emerging topics and claim the territory before it reaches mainstream search volume.

Instead of competing with what already exists, you can become the originator of what comes next. This means real credibility can be built with far less volume. 

I call it drift readiness.

The six dimensions

The first mover advantage isn't enough on its own. AI systems still need to read your content, match it to a query, and weigh your authority against everyone else. That evaluation runs on six dimensions.


The full thesis on how AI is restructuring B2B discovery is coming soon. Learn how EEAT changes for AI agents, and a four-step method for creating drift readiness.

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The six dimensions, when evaluated together, demonstrate where organizations land in terms of AI search maturity. At the top right of the two by two matrix are Anticipatory brands, who have both high SEO and AEO, and they also own original territory that agents can attribute to them. This is contrasted with the bottom left square, The Phantom. These brands lack both traditional search and AI signals. The existing content is typically organized around offerings rather than buyer questions. From a technical lens, these pages may also. lack consistent entity signals, authorship, structured data, and third-party confirmation.