Nearly 62% of citations in a Semrush AI search study were "ghost citations," or when an engine uses a page as a source without naming the brand behind the answer.
But for manufacturers, the more immediate question is where those systems get information about suppliers.
Association profiles and industry directories already put company information on third-party sites, giving AI engines another place to encounter a business beyond its own website.
That gives an old manufacturing marketing line item a new purpose, where a listing once judged mainly on backlinks and referrals can now also become a third-party source that an LLM may encounter.
And this is happening as AI search itself becomes a larger market.
Future Market Insights valued the global AI search engine market at $18.5 billion in 2025 and projects it to reach $21.1 billion this year and $78.2 billion by 2036.
For weCreate LLC, a top industrial marketing agency, this is already part of its work with manufacturers, with 90% of the agency’s focus centered on manufacturing and SEO.
The agency’s owner, Nathan Wheeler, has long pointed manufacturers toward industry associations for backlinks and referrals, and his 2026 AI SEO guidance gives those listings another role as third-party sources LLMs may use to understand a company.
“Manufacturers shouldn't judge a directory or association listing only by the backlink anymore,” he says.
“If an LLM uses that third-party page to understand or verify the business, the listing can have value beyond traditional rankings.”
Ahrefs explains how third-party brand mentions across external websites can help companies appear in AI-generated answers:
Why Nofollow Association Listings Matter in AI Search
Traditional SEO often judged an association listing by the authority of the site and the backlink it provided.
But Wheeler separates conventional authority signals from what he calls reputable citations, including relevant associations and sites that list companies within an industry.
That distinction matters because many of those listings use nofollow links that would ordinarily do little for traditional rankings.
“A nofollow link can look fairly unimportant if you're only looking at rankings,” Wheeler adds.
“For AI search, I'd still want to know whether the model is using that association page to understand who the company is and what it does.”
Wheeler advises manufacturers to review existing relationships with associations, suppliers, and partners for relevant backlink opportunities.
He also points to aggregators, directories, and associations as places where LLMs may collect information and establish credibility around a company.
YouTuber, Edward Sturm, looks at why nofollow links and brand mentions can still carry value as search moves further into AI-generated answers:
Why AI Search Visibility Varies Across Platforms
Those third-party references, however, won't necessarily produce the same result in every AI engine.
The same Semrush study found that platforms disagreed over whether to name a brand in 22% of the 454 prompt-and-domain combinations it tested across multiple engines.
The research also found little overlap between the brands ChatGPT cited and those Gemini named for the same prompts.
Wheeler notes that ChatGPT can diverge significantly from Google's top search results and recommends focusing on the models most relevant to the target audience.
“You can't assume that appearing in ChatGPT means you'll appear in Gemini or somewhere else,” he says.
“Look at which platforms your buyers actually use, then check your visibility in each one.”
For manufacturers, that puts more weight on being present across associations, directories, and other industry sources rather than treating one AI model as the whole search market.
Ahrefs compares how brand mentions and citations can differ across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI search platforms:
What Industry Memberships Can Put Online
Association memberships can cost manufacturers several thousand dollars a year
Yet, Wheeler ranks having the right membership among the strongest investments a manufacturer can make for generating business online.
One example of what an industry listing can provide is the Tristate Manufacturers Marketplace and Directory, which weCreate launched in 2025 for manufacturers in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.
The directory offers detailed business profiles, category search, guest blog opportunities, and listings for materials, machinery, manufacturing projects, and jobs.
The two lower membership levels include a profile backlink, while the highest level allows members to publish multiple articles each year with dofollow backlinks.
Moreover, the marketplace can also forward supplier leads directly to members.
“If you're spending several thousand dollars a year on an association or industry membership, look closely at what it gives you online,” Wheeler adds.
“A public profile, publishing opportunities, backlinks, and supplier leads give you something concrete to judge when renewal comes around.”
Wheeler discusses the Tristate Manufacturers Marketplace and the role digital marketing can play in helping manufacturers reach new customers:
5 Questions Manufacturers Should Ask Before Renewing Association Dues
For leaders reviewing association spend, the audit doesn't need to be complicated.
“Don't renew something just because it's always been in the budget,” Wheeler explains.
“Open the member profile and look at what a buyer can actually learn about your company, then see whether that information is showing up where people are searching.”
Drawing on Wheeler’s guidance, five questions can help guide that review:
- Does the membership give the company a public profile and backlink?
- Does that profile contain enough detail about the business and its relevant categories to make the company identifiable?
- Can members publish articles or other content that creates additional visibility and backlinks?
- Does the membership generate supplier referrals or other business opportunities?
- Is the company visible in the AI models its target buyers are most likely to use?
Together, those five checks put the renewal decision on firmer ground. But one more question remains.
If an AI engine went looking for suppliers like yours today, what would your association membership give it to find?
