An interview with Marvin Müller, VP of Marketing at OMR Reviews, on the shift from Google rankings to AI citations – and what every software vendor should do about it.
In short: Marvin Müller built OMR Reviews’ marketing from employee #6 to a leading software review marketplace in the DACH region – first on the back of mid-funnel SEO, now by adapting the same playbook for AI search. According to OMR Reviews’ own research, 25% of software buyers in DACH already start their research in AI tools, compared to over 50% in the US. His core message: the window to get AI-search-ready is open right now.
Prefer reading? The key insights from the conversation are below, with timestamps so you can jump straight to the parts you care about.
Who is Marvin Müller, and what is OMR Reviews?
OMR Reviews is a software review marketplace where software seekers find and compare software vendors, often described as the “G2 of the DACH region.” Marvin Müller is VP of Marketing at OMR Reviews, where he leads a seven-person team spanning marketing operations, product marketing, content, brand, and design.
Marvin joined as roughly employee number six, the first marketing hire, back when, in his words, “this project was still a baby.” He was responsible for everything: content creation, traffic generation, and review generation. Today his team markets OMR Reviews’ solutions to the software vendors listed on the platform.
That vantage point makes this conversation especially interesting: Marvin has watched software buying behavior change from both sides of the marketplace, from the buyers researching software and from the vendors trying to be found.
The original secret sauce: owning the mid-funnel in Google
For years, OMR Reviews’ growth engine was no mystery. “The secret sauce was not so secret,” Marvin says. “It was a super tight focus on search engine optimization.” (watch from [1:33])
The strategy was specific: dominate mid-funnel search queries, the moment when a buyer already knows they need software but hasn’t picked a vendor. Think “best CRM software,” “Tool A vs. Tool B,” and category comparison searches.
Why the mid-funnel? Because at that stage, buyers actively avoid vendor-owned content. As Marvin puts it: “They don’t want to see the vendor content alone. They also want to check on external platforms that come with a little bit of trust.” Neutral review platforms fill exactly that trust gap, which is why they historically won those SERPs and, as we’ll see, why they now win AI citations too.
Then buyer behavior changed: welcome to zero-click
Ask Marvin how he noticed the shift to AI search and he laughs: “By not looking at the traffic numbers.” (watch from [2:25])
Like nearly every content-driven site, OMR Reviews saw organic traffic decline. But the more important change was where software buyers start their journey:
In the US, 51% of software buyers now start their research in AI tools like ChatGPT, according to data Marvin cites in the interview.
In DACH, it’s around 25%, based on a recent study by OMR Reviews, with the gap to the US closing fast.
Google itself has changed: buyers still start there in large numbers, but instead of ten blue links they get AI-generated answers. “The zero clicks are real,” Marvin says.
That last point matters for anyone building a GEO strategy. Asked which answer engine matters most, Marvin pushes back on the reflexive “ChatGPT” answer: Google, via AI Overviews and AI Mode, is still the number one answer engine by volume, with ChatGPT second. Optimizing for AI search means optimizing for both.
“People do Google less. They start their journey in ChatGPT, they start their journey in Claude… 51% of software buyers in the US start their research in AI, and you have to be ready for that.” (Marvin Müller, VP Marketing, OMR Reviews)
Why good SEO homework became a head start in AI search
Here’s the reassuring part of Marvin’s story for anyone who has invested a decade in SEO: it wasn’t wasted. “Because we did our homework in SEO, we are very well equipped to be at the forefront of the AI visibility game,” he says. OMR Reviews’ comparison and category pages now rank well inside AI answers, not just on Google.
Internally, the transition followed three steps that any marketing team can copy:
Understand the systems first. Engage with the new tools, follow the conversations, and figure out how AI answers are actually assembled before changing anything.
Educate the team. Bring those insights inside: “This is what’s happening, and this is what software vendors are going to ask you about soon.”
Take it outside. OMR Reviews turned its learning curve into thought leadership: LinkedIn content, webinars for vendors, and practical guidance on staying visible in the AI search era.
85% of AI citations come from off-page sources
If there’s one number from this conversation to write on a whiteboard, it’s this one: according to Marvin, up to 85% of AI citations point to sources other than a brand’s own website. That means media coverage, Reddit threads, review platforms, and other third-party content. (watch from [6:53])
This flips the traditional content playbook. On-page work still matters. Marvin’s team reviewed OMR Reviews’ entire platform to make content “readable for LLMs and citable for LLMs,” with a focus on citable content blocks, FAQs, and structured data. But he keeps returning to the same warning:
“Don’t just focus on your own site. Focus on what’s happening around you and who else is talking about you, because this makes up to 85% of AI citations.”
For software vendors, that means the review platforms, comparison sites, and communities discussing your product are no longer just social proof. They are the source material AI engines synthesize answers from. (This matches what we see in OtterlyAI’s own citation data across engines: the large majority of citations for brand-related prompts come from third-party domains, not the brand’s own site.)
Marvin’s advice for software vendors: start review generation on day one
Asked what early-stage vendors should do, Marvin’s answer is unambiguous: don’t wait. (watch from [5:42])
“Don’t wait until you have 10 clients, 50 clients. Start early with the review generation engine. When you get your first pilot customers, get your software listed and have those pilot customers review you.” His platform guidance is pragmatic: if the German-speaking market matters to you, OMR Reviews; if the US market matters, G2 and Capterra. “All of them play a vital source in this AI search.”
Two more takeaways from this part of the conversation:
Quality beats quantity, by design. Only around 25% of reviews submitted to OMR Reviews actually make it onto the platform, because each one is checked for usefulness, length, and balance. Thin, incentivized review padding won’t survive the filter, and it won’t help you in AI answers either.
Sentiment is the KPI to watch. With AI engines summarizing what the internet says about your product, Marvin now considers review sentiment one of the top KPIs for software vendors, arguably more actionable than raw review count.
The bigger picture: software spend is growing, but it’s moving
Marvin closes with a market view that should sharpen anyone’s urgency: software spend is still growing strongly year over year (he cites roughly 50% growth), but the distribution of that spend is changing rapidly. Legacy tools are losing; AI-native tools are winning.
His closing advice to vendors: “Make sure you’re ahead of the change. Make sure your software is AI-ready. Make sure you use AI to your advantage.”
Key takeaways from the interview
Mid-funnel trust content wins twice. The neutral comparison content that won Google’s mid-funnel is exactly what AI engines cite today.
Google is still the #1 answer engine. AI Overviews reach more buyers than ChatGPT. Optimize for both, and accept that zero-click is the new normal.
DACH is about 2 years behind the US, which is a gift. At 25% AI-first buyers (vs. 51% in the US), DACH vendors still have time to prepare. That window is closing.
Up to 85% of AI citations are off-page. Digital PR, communities, Reddit, and review platforms shape your AI visibility more than your own website does.
Start review generation with your very first customers. Reviews on platforms like OMR Reviews, G2, and Capterra are direct source material for AI answers.
Sentiment is the new top KPI. AI engines summarize opinion at scale. What’s said about you matters as much as whether you’re mentioned.
FAQ: AI search and software buying
How many software buyers start their research in AI tools?
According to data cited by Marvin Müller in this interview, 51% of software buyers in the US already start their research in AI tools such as ChatGPT. In the DACH region, a recent OMR Reviews study puts the figure at around 25%, lower than the US but growing quickly.
What is the most important answer engine for software vendors?
By query volume, Google remains the most important answer engine: most buyers still start in Google, but now receive AI-generated answers (AI Overviews / AI Mode) instead of classic blue links. ChatGPT follows as the second most important starting point. A complete GEO strategy covers both, plus engines like Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot.
Why do review platforms matter for AI search visibility?
AI engines build answers primarily from third-party sources. In Marvin Müller’s estimate, up to 85% of AI citations point to off-page content such as media coverage, community threads, and review platforms. Reviews on platforms like OMR Reviews, G2, and Capterra therefore act as direct source material when AI engines answer questions like “What is the best [category] software?”
What should early-stage software vendors do first?
Start review generation immediately, without waiting for a large customer base. Get listed on the review platforms relevant to your market (OMR Reviews for DACH, G2 and Capterra for the US) and ask your first pilot customers for detailed, balanced reviews. In parallel, make your own site citable: clear FAQ content, structured data, and content chunks that LLMs can quote directly.
How is GEO different from SEO?
SEO (search engine optimization) targets rankings and clicks in classic search results. GEO (generative engine optimization) targets being mentioned and cited inside AI-generated answers from engines like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. The disciplines overlap heavily. As OMR Reviews’ experience shows, strong SEO foundations transfer well to AI visibility, but GEO adds off-page emphasis: sentiment, third-party citations, and community presence.
Want to see where your brand shows up in AI answers, and who’s being cited instead of you? Track your AI search visibility with OtterlyAI across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and more.
This interview is part of our series with marketing leaders navigating the shift to AI search. Subscribe to the YouTube channel to catch the next one.
