Strengthening Tile Space’s brand clarity for AI and Search

“It was clear from the start that authentic digital are knowledgeable experts who are ahead of the curve in AI and search. We didn’t realise we had an AI brand confusion issue until they uncovered it, diagnosed it, and fixed it quickly, making everything easy to understand. Since the updates, our brand is being represented correctly and we’re seeing more traffic and visibility in AI chats.” - Caitlin Jensen-Jones - Marketing Manager at Tile Space

After Tile Space re-engaged authentic digital for SEO and AI optimisation services, our AI visibility research revealed an unexpected issue: large language models (LLMs) were confusing Tile Space with a direct competitor. While this appeared to be an LLM error, our analysis highlighted that Tile Space’s brand wasn’t being clearly reinforced in important areas of the website.

This presented a real risk of brand confusion, where potential customers could be misled about who Tile Space is and what it offers. Worse, Tile Space’s well-earned reputation could be conferred on competitors. To resolve this, authentic digital made strategic updates to key site elements to clearly define Tile Space’s brand and remove the risk of ongoing AI confusion.

Project overview

• AI tools were incorrectly associating Tile Space’s website with a competitor brand, creating a risk of brand confusion.
• The issue was linked to weak brand signals in site-wide elements.
• authentic digital implemented targeted improvements to clarify brand identity.
• As a result, competitor brands were no longer referenced in Tile Space’s AI brand reports.
• Stronger brand clarity across the site and reduced risk of future AI misattribution.

Addressing AI brand confusion

Tile Space is a Kiwi-owned and operated tile specialist with over 30 years in the industry, supplying a premium range of tiles for residential and commercial projects. For such a well-established, nationwide brand, misattribution by AI could undermine decades of brand building and customer trust.

To uphold the integrity of the brand, it became an immediate priority to identify the cause of Tile Space’s AI brand confusion and implement a resolution.  

We quickly found that the issue stemmed from weaknesses in site-wide structural elements,  particularly areas that appear across every page and play a key role in reinforcing brand clarity. Rather than a single fault, a series of small quality and consistency gaps made it harder for AI systems and search engines to accurately understand and represent the Tile Space brand.

How we improved brand clarity in key site areas

To address the AI confusion, we raised a technical ticket aimed at improving brand clarity and overall site quality.

This work included:

• Strengthening how Tile Space’s brand is signalled and interpreted by AI systems and search engines.
• Improving the quality and consistency of site-wide structural elements that support brand clarity.

The outcome

Within a few weeks of implementing the changes, Tile Space saw clear improvements in how its brand is understood and represented across AI platforms:

• Competitor brands no longer appeared in Tile Space’s AI brand reports.
• Improved clarity in how AI tools interpret and represent the Tile Space brand.
• Reduced risk of brand confusion in AI-driven search and discovery.
• Stronger, more consistent brand signals across the website.

We are also beginning to see a strong uptick in ChatGPT references since last December, while the site is also gaining traction in Gemini and Perplexity. This reinforces the importance of strengthening brand clarity at a structural level.

What this tells us about AI, SEO, and brand signals

Our work with Tile Space tells us an interesting story about how easily AI systems can misinterpret a brand. Small, overlooked details in site structure and copy can directly affect how a brand is understood by AI tools. This highlights the need for clear, consistent signals that work for users, search engines, and AI alike.

Tile Space’s willingness to move quickly and adapt to change puts them in a strong position as AI continues to shape how customers discover and engage with brands.

We’re excited to continue partnering with them as they build on this momentum and strengthen their visibility across search, AI, and future digital channels.

Is your brand clearly understood by AI?

We’re proud to work with ambitious New Zealand brands like Tile Space who are open to evolving alongside new developments in search and technology.

If you want your brand to be clearly represented, protected, and cited in AI tools like Chat GPT, Gemini, and Claude, explore our AI Optimisation services to see how we can help.

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