How Equans used Odyssiant to understand AI visibility for Carbon Shift
From search visibility to buyer-journey visibility.
Equans wanted to understand how its Carbon Shift proposition appeared in AI-led buyer research. Carbon Shift supports organisations with decarbonisation, energy optimisation, carbon reduction and the transition to net zero. But in complex B2B markets, buyers rarely search for a supplier name first — they ask decision-shaping questions that influence which suppliers are considered and which evidence sources AI engines use when forming recommendations. Equans used Odyssiant to track how Carbon Shift performed across those buyer questions.
At a glance
- Client
- Equans UK & Ireland
- Product analysed
- Carbon Shift
- Use case
- AI visibility, buyer-journey analysis and content strategy
- Key finding
- Stronger visibility in evaluation and decision prompts, weaker early-stage awareness
- Strategic output
- A clearer content and campaign roadmap built around the questions buyers ask AI before they shortlist suppliers.
The challenge
Carbon Shift operates in a crowded and high-consideration category. Buyers are looking for practical help with energy management and efficiency, decarbonisation planning, carbon emission reduction, infrastructure resilience, cost savings and ROI, and vendor risk and delivery credibility.
The challenge was not simply whether Equans appeared in search results. The question was whether AI engines understood the Carbon Shift proposition well enough to surface it during the buyer journey. Odyssiant tested visibility across four stages:
- Awareness — is Equans visible when buyers describe the problem?
- Consideration — is Carbon Shift connected to relevant solution needs?
- Evaluation — is Equans included when buyers compare providers?
- Decision — does the evidence support confidence, validation and shortlisting?
What Odyssiant found
The audit showed a mixed but useful picture. Equans had strongest visibility when buyer questions were closer to supplier comparison and evaluation. In the latest run, OpenAI responses showed particularly strong performance in:
- Vendor evaluation and risk management
- Decarbonisation and net zero solutions
- Infrastructure resilience and upgrades
The most important finding was that Equans was not invisible. It appeared in the evidence base AI engines were using, with frequent citations of Equans-owned domains including equans.com, equansservices.com and equans.co.uk.
But the audit also showed that visibility was uneven. Awareness-stage prompts remained weak — Equans was less likely to appear when buyers were still describing the problem in general terms, before naming suppliers or comparing options. That matters because AI-led research often starts before a buyer has built a shortlist.
The trend
Across the working data, the trend showed improvement in the parts of the journey closest to commercial decision-making.
| Buyer journey stage | Earlier run | Latest run | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Consideration | — | — | broadly stable |
| Evaluation | 65 | 81 | +16 |
| Decision | 32 | 49 | +17 |
At prompt level, Odyssiant recorded:
This helped separate areas of genuine progress from areas where the proposition still needed more supporting content, proof and third-party validation.
What the audit revealed strategically
The Carbon Shift audit showed that the opportunity was not just to create more content. It was to structure the market story around the way buyers ask questions.
Carbon Shift performed well where the prompt was specific, for example:
- “What are the benefits of using Equans Carbonshift for energy optimisation?”
- “How does Equans Carbonshift navigate regulatory compliance for clients?”
But it was weaker where the buyer question was broader and earlier-stage, such as:
- “How can organisations reduce carbon emissions across large estates?”
That distinction is important. It suggests the next phase of marketing should not only promote Carbon Shift directly. It should build stronger category-level visibility around the problems Carbon Shift solves.
“Odyssiant showed that Carbon Shift was strongest when buyers were already comparing suppliers, but weaker when they were still defining the problem. That changed the marketing question from ‘how do we promote the product?’ to ‘how do we shape the buyer journey earlier?’”
The action
The audit gave Equans a clearer strategic direction for content and campaign planning. Rather than treating AI visibility as a technical SEO exercise, Odyssiant showed where Carbon Shift needed stronger supporting signals across the buyer journey.
1. Build earlier-stage category authority
Carbon Shift needs to appear when buyers are still researching the problem, not only when they already know the supplier or product name. That means content around reducing energy risk across large estates, managing carbon reduction without disrupting operations, funding and prioritising decarbonisation projects, balancing net zero with operational resilience, and creating a practical roadmap from energy optimisation to capital planning.
2. Strengthen proof for commercial decision-making
AI answers frequently rely on evidence, case studies, third-party references and clear claims. The audit highlighted the need for stronger proof around ROI and cost savings, long-term performance, implementation risk, asset resilience, compliance support and practical outcomes from Carbon Shift projects.
3. Improve competitive comparison visibility
Equans appeared in some comparison-style prompts, but the wider market included strong competitor surfacing. Odyssiant identified where Carbon Shift could sharpen differentiation around end-to-end delivery, integration with existing infrastructure, long-term optimisation, compliance and governance, operational continuity and large-estate decarbonisation.
4. Use citation intelligence to guide marketing activity
The audit showed which domains and sources AI engines were using to form answers. That gave Equans a practical roadmap for improving visibility beyond its own website — across owned content, third-party proof, partner content, industry references, comparison content, thought leadership and evidence-led assets.
The competitor set AI surfaced
Across comparison-style prompts, the wider market AI engines surfaced included:
Why it matters
The Carbon Shift audit demonstrated a core Odyssiant principle: AI visibility is not just about whether your brand is mentioned. It is about whether your proposition is understood, evidenced and recommended at the right point in the buyer journey.
For Equans, the data showed that Carbon Shift had a base of visibility in later-stage evaluation and decision prompts, but needed stronger early-stage authority and clearer proof to influence buyers before they reached a shortlist. That makes the next step more strategic. Instead of running isolated campaigns, Equans can use the audit to shape a content strategy around the questions buyers are already asking AI.
The outcome
Odyssiant gave Equans a clearer view of:
- where Carbon Shift was visible in AI-led research
- which buyer questions were being answered without Equans
- which competitors appeared in the same decision space
- which themes needed stronger content and proof
- which sources AI engines were using to build their answers
- where marketing activity should focus next
The result was a practical roadmap for improving Carbon Shift's visibility across the full buyer journey, from early problem awareness through to supplier evaluation and decision support.