Ameresco Revamps Its Brand to Appeal to AI Engines

Faced with outdated AI descriptions, Ameresco has reorganized its communication around energy and public infrastructure. The company claims an increased presence in chatbot responses and rising organic traffic, while maintaining continuous and careful monitoring of business impact.

Increased Traffic, Upcoming Results, and Ongoing Effort

Ameresco reports a 50% increase in organic traffic to its website over the 12 months leading up to June 2026. Leila Dillon notes that it is still too early to establish a direct link between this growth and commercial results, although she believes that work on generative engine optimization (GEO) is helping the marketing team move forward more quickly. Third-quarter results are set to be published on November 9. Meanwhile, Ameresco regularly reevaluates its AI visibility scores, invests in training its marketing team, and shares weekly tips, tricks, and feedback, including on challenges faced with AI. Dillon emphasizes that what works one week may not work the next, and that a simple website update is not enough: the effort must be constant.

From Audit to Projects: 47 Areas and a New Identity

In January 2025, Ameresco's marketing team, supported by the Greenough agency, conducted a visibility analysis based on 50 standard questions posed to platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude, using queries from investors and prospects, particularly from universities and public services. Forty-seven areas for improvement concerning the website, social media, press releases, and executive communications were identified. A new identity was developed by the company, implemented starting in July, focused on two main areas: energy infrastructure and public infrastructure. It revised its standard text to present itself as a leading energy infrastructure company, revamped its award application strategy to highlight these projects, and systematized victory announcements. Ameresco also introduced Q&A formats to facilitate interpretation by AI chatbots, further segmented its content by customer types (data center operators, school facility managers), and launched a video series titled "Unleashed Energy Benefits." Quarterly audits now track visibility on the 50 queries, with competitive comparisons.

Impact Measurement: 61% Presence on 50 Questions in 2026

Ameresco monitors how frequently it appears in chatbot responses to a set of 50 representative questions. According to the company, it is cited in 61% of responses in 2026, up from 43% in 2025, within this scope.

Why Correct: Reductive and Outdated AI Responses

By querying ChatGPT and other response engines, Leila Dillon found that descriptions of Ameresco were often outdated. Chatbots primarily presented the company as a player in cleantech or renewable energy, sometimes mentioning small, old projects, while these areas are now less central. Dillon described this situation as "horrifying" and reminds that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to remedy it. Ameresco defines itself as an energy infrastructure provider, involved in AI development, particularly for military bases and municipal facilities. The company is publicly traded and specializes in energy solutions.

The GEO Shift Takes Hold in Marketing

An increasing number of consumers are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot to search for companies and products, prompting marketing teams to work on generative engine optimization to reliably appear in AI responses. Leila Dillon herself indicates a preference for Copilot over Google. In January, 73% of American brand and agency buyers planned to increase the time or resources dedicated to optimizing content for AI responses in 2026 compared to the previous year. In April, 30% of American marketers reported that AI search tools inaccurately described their brands. Around GEO, a range of expertise and tools has developed, as AI models frequently evolve, forcing marketers to experiment to understand what influences chatbots.