OneIMS Launches AI Visibility Audit for Manufacturers as B2B Buying Shifts to AI Search

New service shows manufacturers and B2B companies how they appear across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and other AI platforms. It also shows where competitors are winning visibility instead.

CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OneIMS, an AEO agency serving manufacturers and B2B companies, today announced the launch of its AI Visibility Audit. An AI Visibility Audit measures how often and how accurately a company appears in AI-generated answers to the questions prospective buyers ask. OneIMS's AI Visibility Audit applies that analysis to manufacturers and B2B companies across major AI search platforms including ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. The service is available immediately to manufacturers and B2B companies nationwide.

“Manufacturers are entering a period where AI visibility becomes as measurable as search rankings. Companies that understand how AI platforms describe them will have a significant advantage during vendor selection,” said Samuel Thimothy, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of OneIMS. “Most companies have no idea what AI platforms are actually saying about them, or whether they are showing up at all. The audit gives them that answer in plain terms.”

Forrester's State of Business Buying, 2026, based on a survey of nearly 18,000 global business buyers, found that 94% of buyers used AI during their most recent purchase process. Manufacturers and industrial suppliers are often researched by region, capability, and capacity rather than by brand name. AI-generated search increasingly depends on how clearly a company demonstrates expertise, relevance, and authority around a buyer's question. Traditional rankings no longer guarantee visibility in those answers. A company can rank well on Google and still be absent, or described inaccurately, when a buyer asks an AI platform directly.

In practice, a manufacturer may be evaluated through prompts such as “Who are the best precision machining suppliers in the Midwest?” or “Which industrial suppliers can handle high-volume aluminum components?” Buyers rarely name a vendor in these questions. The AI platform assembles a shortlist on their behalf, and companies absent from that shortlist are never considered.

OneIMS provides AEO services, sometimes called AI SEO or Generative Engine Optimization, for manufacturers, industrial suppliers, and B2B companies. The company's AEO and GEO services cover LLM optimization and AI visibility audits, addressing how AI platforms interpret buyer intent, industry terminology, and competitive positioning.

The audit measures six dimensions: frequency of appearance, competitor appearance on the same prompts, accuracy of how the company is described, category association, citation and source patterns, and buyer-intent coverage. It is delivered through a Five-Part AI Visibility Framework. Prompt Extraction identifies the real questions buyers type into AI tools, built around a company's specific personas, industries, and target markets. Multi-Engine Analysis measures appearance across major AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. Gap Report shows how often a company appears in relevant buyer prompts, and identifies which competitors are appearing instead. Competitor Intelligence explains how those competitors are earning that position. ROI Projection estimates the pipeline and revenue impact of closing the gap. Each audit is delivered within 10 business days.

“One of our clients had a strong organic search footprint and years of SEO work behind them. That didn’t mean they showed up in AI search. Their content wasn’t structured the way AI search platforms need it to be. We’ve found that same root cause more than once,” Thimothy said.

The audit is built for manufacturers, industrial suppliers, and other B2B companies competing in AI-generated answers. It is designed for companies that want to improve their position ahead of competitors. Businesses interested in the service can explore OneIMS's AI search solutions or request an audit directly.

The launch reflects OneIMS's strategic focus on helping manufacturers compete as buyer research moves into AI platforms. OneIMS plans to expand its AEO and AI SEO services in the coming months.

About OneIMS

OneIMS was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For two decades, the company has helped manufacturers and B2B companies get found by the buyers researching them, first through search engines, and now through the AI platforms those buyers increasingly ask instead. That same expertise in how industrial and B2B buyers search now informs how OneIMS approaches AI visibility, helping clients understand how platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity describe them and what it takes to change that story.

Connect: OneIMS on LinkedIn

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John Stephenson
Phone: 1-888-663-4671
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