Hvad er co-occurrence i AI-søgning, og hvorfor betyder det noget, hvilke brands jeg nævnes sammen med?

This is a critical brand positioning issue. Let me explain co-occurrence.

What co-occurrence is:

AI learns which entities are associated based on how they appear together in training data. If your brand frequently appears in:

• “Budget alternatives to [Premium Brand]”
• “Affordable options like [Your Brand]”
• “Low-cost solutions including [Your Brand]”

AI learns: “[Your Brand] = budget tier”

Why it happens:

1. Historical content - Old articles positioning you as budget
2. Competitor content - Competitors calling you budget alternative
3. Review sites - Being listed in “affordable” categories
4. User discussions - Forums discussing you as cheap option

Why it matters:

AI is shaping your perceived market position.

The good news:

Co-occurrence can be influenced. It takes time but is possible.

Competitive analysis perspective on co-occurrence.

How to diagnose co-occurrence:

1. Run 20-30 category queries in ChatGPT and Perplexity
2. Note which brands appear with yours
3. Track patterns: Are you consistently grouped with certain brands?

What the patterns reveal:

Why competitors matter:

If AI sees you as “[Premium A], [Premium B], and [Your Brand]” vs “[Budget X], [Budget Y], and [Your Brand]” - that’s completely different positioning.

The competitive content problem:

Sometimes competitors create content positioning you as budget:

• “Affordable alternatives to [Premium Brand], like [Your Brand]”
• “[Your Brand] review: Budget option for price-conscious buyers”

You can’t control this, but you can create counter-content.

Content strategy for co-occurrence.

The comparison content approach:

Create comparison content that positions you correctly:

Good for premium positioning:

• “[Your Brand] vs [Premium Leader]: Which is Right for You?”
• “Comparing [Your Brand] to Top Premium Options”
• “[Premium Feature] Comparison: [Your Brand] vs Competitors”

Avoid for premium positioning:

• “Affordable Alternatives to [Premium Brand]”
• “Budget-Friendly Options Like [Your Brand]”
• “[Your Brand]: The Low-Cost Solution”

The messaging audit:

Check ALL your content for positioning signals:

• Do you emphasize “affordable” or “value”?
• Do you compare yourself to budget brands?
• Does your messaging imply premium or budget?

Realigning messaging:

Instead of: “Affordable solution for small businesses” Try: “Enterprise-grade solution accessible to growing teams”

Same value prop, different positioning.

PR perspective on co-occurrence.

How press shapes co-occurrence:

AI learns from news articles, industry publications, and press coverage. If press consistently groups you with certain brands, AI adopts that grouping.

PR strategies for positioning:

1. Target premium-tier publications:

• Publications that cover premium products
• Avoid exclusively budget-focused outlets
• Seek features, not just listicles

2. Craft positioning-aware releases:

• Mention desired competitive context
• “Joining [Premium Brands] in offering…”
• “Competing with leaders like [Premium Brand]…”

3. Analyst relations:

• Brief analysts on correct market position
• Analyst reports influence AI significantly
• Correct mispositionings in analyst views

4. Award submissions:

• Target premium category awards
• Industry recognition shapes perception
• “Award-winning alongside [Premium Brand]”

The timeline:

PR-driven co-occurrence shift takes 4-8 months. AI needs to see new associations repeatedly.

Product marketing perspective.

Why positioning drift happens:

Your actual market position might have evolved, but:

• Old content still positions you as budget
• Historical reviews maintain old perception
• Pricing changes weren’t reflected in content

The positioning audit:

Realignment checklist:

• Update all “affordable” messaging
• Refresh outdated case studies
• Feature premium client logos
• Emphasize premium features
• Create premium-tier comparison content
• Update review site profiles

The comprehensive approach:

Co-occurrence shift requires alignment across ALL touchpoints.

Data perspective on tracking co-occurrence.

How to measure co-occurrence:

Manual approach:

1. Run 30 category queries
2. Document which brands appear with yours
3. Calculate co-occurrence frequency

Example output:

This shows budget co-occurrence dominates.

Am I Cited approach:

Automated competitor co-occurrence tracking shows:

• Which brands appear with you
• Frequency patterns
• Trend over time

What to track monthly:

• Co-occurrence ratio: Premium brands vs budget brands
• Trend: Is premium co-occurrence increasing?
• Position: When mentioned with premium, what position?

Target metric:

Increase premium co-occurrence from 15% to 40%+ over 6 months.

This explains so much. Summary of what I learned:

The problem:

AI has learned to group us with budget brands based on:

• Old content positioning us as “affordable”
• Competitor content calling us budget alternative
• Historical coverage in budget-focused publications

The impact:

Wrong co-occurrence = wrong consideration set = wrong customers.

The fix:

Content changes:

• Remove “affordable” messaging
• Create comparisons with premium brands
• Stop budget-tier content

PR changes:

• Target premium publications
• Position in releases alongside premium brands
• Analyst briefings on correct positioning

Tracking:

• Monitor co-occurrence monthly with Am I Cited
• Track premium vs budget co-occurrence ratio
• Target: Premium co-occurrence from 15% → 40%

Timeline:

3-6 months for meaningful shift. This is strategic repositioning.

Thanks everyone - now I understand why this matters.