1 in 5 vendors AI names never get picked
New Datum Point research: 1 in 5 B2B software vendors that AI names in UK-based searches about a market are never recommended when AI is given a real buying task. Introducing the AI Search Zero Pick Report.
NEW RESEARCHThe AI Search Zero Pick Report: 1 in 5 vendors AI names never get picked
Be the source
(0,0) · AI VISIBILITY AND PRESENCE
Be the source
AI trusts.
Datum Point helps B2B brands show up accurately and favourably in AI search. We measure your starting point in your industry across the major AI platforms, and provide a detailed strategy with measurable outcomes.
- INVISIBLE
- REFERENCED
- COMPARED
- RECOMMENDED
- CITED
01 · The shift
Search used to find answers. Now it writes them.
B2B buyers now ask AI to frame the problem, compare vendors in detail and recommend a few. By the time they speak to your sales team, much of the purchasing decision has been made.
AI systems reward brands that are described consistently, by credible third parties, with clear expert content behind them. That is earned authority, which is what a good comms strategy has always built. The difference now is that you can measure it and build credibility and authenticity that brings customer value and elevates you in AI search results.
1bn+
monthly users of Google AI Mode, a year after launch
Source: Google, I/O 2026
13
people inside a business who influence a typical B2B purchase, plus 9 outside it
Source: Forrester, The State of Business Buying 2026
10
sources cited in the average AI answer. Is one of them yours?
Source: Scrunch, 442M citations, Dec 2025–Mar 2026
69%
of B2B software buyers chose a different vendor than they planned after researching with AI chatbots
Source: G2, The Answer Economy, 2026
02 · How we work
Assess. Build. Cited.
A
True Position Report
Assess
Where AI places you today across ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Mode, against the competitors your buyers actually compare you with. Delivered as the True Position Report, with scored findings and immediate technical and content fixes.
B
Navigator, live data
Build
The brand narrative and content strategy, plus the technical fixes, that close the gaps, with your Navigator dashboard configured so you can watch the change happen.
C
Rolling monthly · no lock-in
Cited
Keep the citations coming through earned media, expert content and monitoring, month after month, until AI returns to you by default.
Every engagement is scoped to you, in days, after a first conversation.
03 · Who
NICK CLARK · FOUNDER · BATH, UK · LINKEDIN
25 years in B2B, tech and corporate comms and marketing. Now bringing brands and data together.
Datum Point is led by Nick Clark. Nick has more than two decades of experience working with large enterprise technology companies, scale-ups and start-ups, helping them to build authentic brand awareness. He has been CEO of leading comms and marketing agencies Nelson Bostock Group and Publitek, and was more recently part of the Executive Leadership Team that launched Pretzl, bringing together B2B and technology agencies Agent3, Twogether, Publitek and Velocity.
The world of marketing has changed, and Nick is dedicating his experience to helping businesses of all sizes find their Datum Point and build meaningful brand visibility that supports business goals in a new world of AI search.
04 · Datum Points
Points of view on AI search.
LinkedIn feeds AI search answers, but it rarely gets the link
LinkedIn is the second most-cited domain in AI search, yet in a small test of the clickable links AI answers actually hand to readers, it didn't make the top 100. What that means for B2B content strategy.
AI agents are joining the buying group. Would one shortlist you?
Google, Meta and OpenAI have all launched AI agents that work autonomously. As agents start researching and shortlisting suppliers for B2B buyers, the information you put into the world decides whether you get found.
05 · Questions
Straight answers.
What is AI visibility?
AI visibility is how often, how accurately and how favourably your brand appears when people ask AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini or Google AI Mode about your category. It covers whether you are mentioned, how you are described, whether you are recommended over competitors, and which sources the AI cites.
What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
GEO is the practice of making a brand easier for AI systems to find, understand, trust and cite. What works is consistent narrative, expert content, earned third-party authority and technical clarity. Shortcuts such as llms.txt files or chopping content into chunks don’t.
How is Datum Point different from a GEO tool or a PR agency?
GEO tools measure AI visibility but don’t have the expertise to change it. PR agencies build brand awareness but rarely measure its effect on AI answers. We do both: measure where you stand, use narrative, content and earned media to move it, and track the change.
What is the Datum Diagnostic?
A free first look at your AI visibility. You answer seven questions in about ten minutes; we run the diagnostic within 48 hours and walk you through what AI says about you and your competitors.
How much does it cost?
Every engagement is scoped to you, in days, after a first conversation, so there are no packages to squeeze into. The Datum Diagnostic is free.
06 · Start
What does AI say about you?
Get your free Datum Diagnostic. Seven questions, about ten minutes. We run it within 48 hours and talk you through what we find.
RECEIVED
Thank you. We’re on it.
We’ll run your Datum Diagnostic and be in touch within 48 hours (working days) to walk you through it. Anything to add in the meantime? Email hello@datumpoint.co.