10 things you need to know about AI search if you run a business

In short: More and more customers ask ChatGPT or Gemini about services, and see an AI answer at the top of Google before they click anything. For AI to recommend your business, it has to find it, understand it and trust it. Here are 10 things that decide that, from SEO (still the foundation) to checking whether AI knows you exist at all.

New to GEO? Start with what GEO is and how it differs from SEO. For how to write the actual copy, see how to write website copy that AI will cite. This post is the bigger picture.

1. SEO didn't die - AI finds sources through search engines

If your site isn't in search results, it has little chance of showing up in AI answers, because ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews largely rely on search results when people ask about businesses and services. Your page title, meta description and URL are the first things a machine reads. “Commercial van wraps in Austin - prices and examples” says everything. “Home” says nothing.

2. People read the AI answer, not your website

Some people get their answer in AI Overviews or a chat and never click. So fewer visits doesn't always mean your site is losing - sometimes it's shown more often, the customer just gets the answer right away. What matters is whether your business name is in that answer. On my own online store, GEO pushed impressions up sharply while clicks rose only a little, but the visitors who came were ready to buy and sales grew.

3. AI trusts sites that cover a topic properly

One article rarely makes you a trusted source. A group of related posts can. Pick a core topic and write posts around the specific questions customers ask, each linking to the main one and to its neighbors.

4. GEO isn't geo-targeting, but location still matters

GEO means Generative Engine Optimization: visibility in AI answers. It often gets mixed up with geo-targeting. Location matters for a different reason - when someone asks AI for a business “near me”, the model needs to know where you operate. Keep your city in your copy and footer, keep your Google Business Profile complete, and use the same name, address and phone number everywhere.

5. Structured data tells machines who you are

Schema.org markup describes your page directly: this is a business, here's where and when it operates, this is an article and here's who wrote it. It won't rank you on its own, but it removes guesswork. At minimum: LocalBusiness or Organization on the homepage, BlogPosting on posts, FAQPage on Q&A sections.

6. AI doesn't see images - it reads their descriptions

AI understands images mostly through alt text, file names and captions. “IMG_2041.jpg” with no alt says nothing. Add short descriptions or transcripts to videos too. It also makes your site accessible for screen reader users.

7. People ask AI in full sentences

Nobody types “van wraps Austin” into a chat. They ask “where can I get my work van wrapped in Austin and how much does it cost?”. Questions like that belong on your site, in headings and FAQs. The best source is your customers: calls, emails, reviews.

8. AI can get your business wrong

AI builds answers from many sources at once, so it can show old opening hours, a wrong address or a service you don't offer, usually because outdated data is still out there somewhere. Ask ChatGPT and Gemini about your business now and then, fix wrong data at the source, and fact-check anything you write with AI before publishing.

9. Automate publishing, not thinking

Tools like n8n or Make are great for repetitive work: publishing, sharing posts to social media, reports. Content is different. AI doesn't know your prices, your work or your customers' questions. A site written entirely by automation looks like hundreds of others, and AI has no reason to recommend it.

10. You measure results differently now

Traffic alone isn't enough, because some customers meet your business in an AI answer and never visit. In 2026 Google added a generative AI performance report to Search Console that shows how often a link to your site appeared in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Clicks from those features still show in the regular Performance report. I explain how to read this report and what else to measure in how to check whether AI recommends your business. On top of that, ask the same customer questions in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity once a month, and ask new customers how they found you.

Where to start

If you only have time for one thing this week, run a test. Ask ChatGPT and Gemini three questions your customer would ask, like “who does [your service] near me?”. See who they recommend and what they say about them. The gap between those businesses and yours is your to-do list.