I recently joined a demo of Scrunch, and one of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing how much the way people discover information is changing.
For years, we have thought about search in a very traditional way, someone types a few keywords, clicks through a list of results, and finds what they need. But that experience is shifting. More and more, people are asking AI tools direct questions and relying on the answers they receive to guide their decisions.
People aren’t the only visitors to your website anymore.
Al visits too.
Therefore the question we all should be asking ourselves are
- Is my brand showing up in AI Answers?
- If my brand is showing up, who is telling the story?
- How does the brand owner takes control of that narrative?
Gap Analysis: Understanding Where We Stand in the New AI Search Landscape
Before exploring how Sitecore Scrunch can help us navigate the rapidly changing AI landscape, the first step is understanding our current position. A gap analysis helps identify where our existing web infrastructure, content, and processes may be limiting our visibility in AI-powered experiences.
Some key areas to evaluate include:
Can the right AI bots access my website?
One of the first questions to ask is whether AI systems can actually reach and understand our website content. Many organizations have security tools, firewalls, or bot protection policies in place that were designed to block unwanted traffic. However, some AI bots that help power search experiences and customer discovery may need to be allowed access.
Understanding which bots are being blocked, which should be allowed, and how that impacts visibility is an important first step.
What does AI already know about my brand and website?
AI tools are already building an understanding of brands based on the information they can find across the web. The next question is: what information are they using, and where is it coming from?
A gap analysis should look at:
- How our brand appears in AI-generated answers
- Which sources AI platforms rely on when referencing us
- Whether those sources accurately represent our products, services, and messaging
- Whether competitors are appearing more often in important conversations
Can AI understand the content on my website?
A website may look great for human visitors, but AI systems process content differently. Many modern websites rely heavily on JavaScript and dynamic experiences, which can sometimes make it harder for AI systems to access and interpret the underlying information.
A key question to evaluate is: If JavaScript is disabled, can an AI system still understand the important content on the page?This helps identify whether our content is structured in a way that AI tools can easily read, understand, and use.
Are we creating content that AI can discover and trust?
Visibility is not only about being found, it is also about being represented correctly. AI systems rely on available content to answer questions, make recommendations, and summarize information.
We need to understand:
- Are we answering the questions our audiences are asking?
- Are there content gaps where competitors are providing better answers?
- Are our pages structured in a way that makes them easier for AI systems to reference?
How do we keep up with the rapidly changing AI ecosystem?
The AI landscape is moving quickly. New tools, platforms, and search experiences continue to emerge, and the way they process information can change over time.
A successful approach requires ongoing visibility into:
- Which AI platforms matter most
- How our presence changes over time
- New opportunities and risks as new AI tools gain adoption
- How we adapt our content strategy as the AI landscape evolves
By completing this gap analysis, we can better understand where we are today and identify the steps needed to improve our AI visibility, protect our brand presence, and prepare for the future of search.
Please stay tuned for Part 2, where I will share what I learned from the Sitecore Scrunch demo, how it helps bridge these gaps, and how it fits into the modern web stack.