Q4 upgrades IR sites to boost visibility in AI search

Q4 has launched new features for its investor relations websites aimed at a growing shift in how investors find corporate information through generative AI tools.

The Toronto-based investor relations software provider has added Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) to its IR Web product line. It says the update helps public companies improve how their disclosures appear when tools such as ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and Perplexity generate answers to user questions.

Investor relations teams have traditionally relied on search engines and direct traffic to bring analysts and investors to company websites. The growing use of AI-generated summaries is changing that pattern. Users can now receive an answer without visiting the original source, raising concerns about accuracy, context and attribution.

Search shifts

Q4 cited Bain & Company research finding that eight in 10 people rely on AI-written results for at least 40% of their searches. Bain also found organic web traffic has fallen by 15% to 25% as these summaries spread, and that 60% of queries end without a click to another site.

Q4 also cited Brunswick Group research suggesting institutional investors have adopted generative AI for tasks such as summarising financial news, searching for specific answers, comparing performance across firms and researching new investment ideas. Some respondents said they use generative AI as a replacement for conventional internet search.

For listed companies, that combination can create a distribution problem. If investors read AI-generated responses before reviewing a company's filings, transcripts or announcements, the framing of earnings, strategy, ESG commitments and other disclosures may depend on what sources the AI retrieves and how it summarises them.

Machine-readable disclosures

AEO for IR Web focuses on making investor-facing content more "machine-readable" for answer engines, Q4 said. A central element is automated schema optimisation, which adds structured data to webpages. Structured data can provide clearer signals to systems that ingest content and generate summaries.

The AEO package includes automatic tagging of content such as press releases, earnings events, leadership biographies and filings. It also provides continuous updates when content changes, reducing manual work for website teams. Q4 said the system also adds metadata designed to reinforce the investor relations site as a verified source for corporate disclosures.

Q4 framed the work as part of a broader discipline it calls generative engine optimisation, focused on how AI systems find and interpret disclosures and how they prioritise sources when generating answers.

It also referenced a 2025 Gartner report on how CFOs use AI in capital markets. The report stated: "AI-powered answer engines, like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Perplexity or Microsoft's Copilot, now surpass traditional search engines in site traffic. To guard against AI hallucinations or third-party opinions, corporate websites and content must be optimized for these systems."

Early testing

Q4 said early testing showed schema optimisation delivered an "immediate lift" in visibility for some queries. It reported "30-40 point gains on harder-to-surface and weak queries, where content had low visibility prior to optimization". It also reported consistent improvements across several AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Anthropic's Claude and Gemini.

Q4 said the feature will be available to all customers using its investor relations websites at no additional cost.

Q4 says it supports more than 2,600 public companies with software for investor communications, disclosure and engagement, and runs investor relations websites for more than half of the S&P 500. It is headquartered in Toronto and has offices in New York and London, and counts McDonald's, Netflix and Visa among its customers.

Its platform includes tools for website and event management, engagement analytics and lifecycle management. It also offers AI features that generate draft earnings scripts based on historical data and provide earnings call summaries that track peer sentiment, the company said.

Chief executive Lewis Black said the product update responds to changing investor behaviour.

"IR teams have always counted on their website to control the narrative, ensure their messaging reaches investors, and understand who's engaging," Black said. "Those needs haven't changed - but how you deliver on them has. As investors turn to AI tools for answers, it's more important than ever that your story is the one they find first. That's exactly what AEO for IR Web is designed to do, and this is just the first step in ensuring our customers stay ahead as AI continues to transform investor research."

Q4 said future phases will include AI-generated FAQs and chat experiences for investor relations sites.