Foundation Marketing is expanding its AI search visibility capabilities through an integrated Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) program. The agency has joined Profound’s inaugural Agency Certification Cohort. The certification recognizes agencies that improve brand visibility across generative AI platforms.
Foundation is among the 18 agencies picked for this initial class. On the other hand, the method is based on the success that was attained with Bitly. AI platforms are now dictating how many buyers in B2B search and shortlist their vendors. They are now dictating purchases as well.
Community-generated content is significant in AI-assisted responses. Reddit dominates all other sources of external references in multiple large AI platforms. In April 2026, Foundation conducted an analysis that reviewed 57.2 million references on five major AI platforms. The analysis showed that Reddit produced 20.8% of all external references for B2B SaaS brands.
“Buyers now ask AI before they ever visit a website, and those answers are increasingly shaped by community conversations,” said Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation Marketing. “Profound shows brands where they stand today. Our job is to improve where they stand tomorrow. Together, measurement and execution create accountability. Clients can see where they started, track progress over time, and invest with confidence because every strategic decision is backed by data.”
Bitly Case Study Demonstrates AI Visibility Strategy
Additionally, Reddit constituted 30.9% of the sources cited in unbranded discovery searches. This is to say that close to one-third of external sources were from Reddit. Foundation utilized this approach through a 12-month partnership with Bitly. The initiative turned Bitly’s inactive subreddit into an active content platform.
Additionally, the KPI that the agency used as the main performance indicator changed from referral traffic to AI citation share. Profound monitored 218 prompts to determine Bitly’s ranking. The citation share of Bitly was 11.7%, which was double the citation share of its closest competitor.
“Foundation has demonstrated that AI visibility is measurable and improvable when the right strategy is paired with the right data,” said Trevor Pyle, Head of Growth Marketing at Profound. “They’ve used Profound to help clients establish a baseline, identify opportunities, and track meaningful progress over time. Their work with Bitly shows exactly what’s possible when measurement and execution work together, which is why we’re excited to welcome them as one of our inaugural certified agency partners.”
Moreover, Reddit referral sessions grew by 422% during the campaign. The number of sessions went up from 178 to 930 within twelve months. In addition to that, Reddit declared this campaign as one of their official success stories on their business platform. Google AI Overviews featured eight branded subreddit threads.
Four of these threads helped us claim the top spot. The case study of Bitly is now available through Foundation. A baseline audit powered by Profound is included in all our client engagement programs offered through Foundation.
The agency then integrates measurement into strategy and execution. It measures citation share, share of voice, and sentiment on relevant AI channels. These results stay linked to the original baseline. This also helps spot competitive shifts and new opportunities.
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News Source: Businesswire.com
