AI Loves Who It Already Knows — And That's a Problem for New Brands
A recent study from Search Engine Land confirmed what a lot of us already suspected just from watching AI Overview results: models favor familiar brands 3.2 times more often than unfamiliar ones. Not because those brands answer the query better. Just because the model already "knows" them — they're in its memory, in the training data, in millions of mentions across the web.
Sounds like a death sentence if you're new to the market. But let's break down what this actually means in practice instead of panicking.
Why this happens
An AI model isn't a search engine that honestly rescans the entire internet every time. It's a system that already has a "settled opinion" about the world, shaped by training data. If a brand got mentioned massively across authoritative sources, it made it into that picture of the world. If a brand is new or niche, the model simply has nothing to match it against — so it plays it safe and names what it knows.
It's like asking someone who's read hundreds of market articles but never heard of your company. He'll name the ones he remembers. Not because they're definitively better — they're just top of mind.
Why this hurts especially bad in iGaming and affiliate
In our niche, brand recognition already decides a lot — and now it decides in AI search too. On top of that, 55% of search queries don't contain a brand name at all — the user is searching "best casino with fast withdrawal" or "reliable sportsbook," not a specific name. This is exactly where the AI model does a fan-out: it expands the query, looks for related topics, and pulls in what it already knows. If your brand hasn't shown up anywhere in that expanded search, you simply won't be in the answer.
For an affiliate, this means: playing the long game on authoritative reach matters more than ever. One good review on your own site doesn't cut it anymore — what matters is whether the brand or product you're promoting has visibility on authoritative platforms in the first place.
What to do if you're not a market giant
First, GIVE the model a reason to remember you, then wait for it to recall you. Sounds simple, but it breaks down into concrete steps.
First — place content where models already "live." Authoritative industry platforms, major topical resources, cited publications — these aren't just good links for classic SEO, they're entry points into an AI model's memory.
Second — don't try to compete head-on in broad, competitive topics where models already have established favorites. Go into niches and precise queries instead. Where there are few settled associations, the model relies more on content relevance than name recognition. This is your hunting ground — narrow, but yours.
Third — optimize content so it surfaces next to known market players. Comparisons, category reviews, "top-N in niche" pieces — if the model encounters you in the same context as a brand it already trusts, it gradually learns to trust you too. It's a slow path, but it works.
The long game, again
Nothing in this approach gives instant results — and that's normal. It's all like sports: a one-off sprint doesn't win the season, systematic work does. You can't hack AI search, because what's underneath is accumulated reputation, not an algorithmic vulnerability.
If you've got a project in iGaming or affiliate that's just entering the market, build your strategy around more than classic SEO for standard search results — build systematic presence where models are forming their "opinion" about the market. It takes longer than tweaking meta tags, but it's the only path to where visibility is actually decided right now. If you need help building that kind of strategy, check out our SEO services for projects in competitive niches.