Getting Found in AI Search

More and more people find a business by asking a question rather than typing a search. They ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity or Microsoft Copilot - or read the AI Overview at the top of their Google results - and get a short answer that names a handful of businesses.

It's one of the questions we're asked most often: "How do I make sure my business is one of the ones it mentions?" This page explains how these tools find businesses, what we build into every website to give yours the best chance, and what you can do yourself.

AI tools don't know about your business by magic. They build their answers from the same places a careful customer would look:

• Your website - AI companies run their own crawlers that read web pages, and many AI answers also draw on search indexes such as Google's and Bing's. If they can't read your site, the AI can't either.
• Your details elsewhere - your Google Business Profile, Facebook page, directory listings and reviews. AI tools cross-check these, and details that match everywhere make your business easier to trust.
• What your website actually says - AI answers favour pages that are clear and specific: what you do, where you do it, what it costs and who you are.

In other words, AI search isn't a separate world. Google's own guidance is that there is nothing extra to do to appear in its AI features beyond the basics of good SEO - which is why we don't sell "AI optimisation" as an add-on.

• Content AI tools can read - your text is in the page itself, not loaded in afterwards by JavaScript, which many AI crawlers don't run. What a visitor reads is what the AI reads.
• The door left open - your site lets Google, Bing and the AI search crawlers in, while keeping admin and private areas out. Some hosting and security services block AI crawlers by default without anyone noticing - we check.
• Structured data - behind the scenes, every page describes your business in a format machines understand: your name, address, phone number, opening hours, the services you offer and the areas you cover. An AI doesn't have to guess.
• One business, one identity - your name, address and phone number match everywhere, and your website is linked to your Google Business Profile and social pages. If you've traded under another name, we tell search engines it's the same business, so your history counts in your favour.
• Pages that answer real questions - a clear page for each service and each area you cover, prices where you're happy to publish them, and straight answers to the questions your customers actually ask.
• Fast, secure and easy to find - hand-coded pages that load quickly on any phone over a secure connection, with an up-to-date sitemap so new pages are found quickly.

You can see all of this on this website - it's built exactly the same way.

• Keep your Google Business Profile complete - correct opening hours, services, photos and categories. It's one of the first places Google looks for a local business.
• Ask happy customers for Google reviews - reviews are one of the clearest signs of a real, trusted business.
• Keep your details consistent - if you move, change your phone number or rename the business, update your Facebook page and directory listings too, and let us know so your website matches.
• Keep your website current - an out-of-date price or a service you no longer offer is exactly the kind of thing an AI will repeat. Tell us when something changes, or update it yourself if you have one of our CMS websites.

Nobody can guarantee your business will appear in an AI answer - not us, not anyone. The AI companies decide what their tools say, and the answers change from one person and one question to the next. Be wary of anyone who promises you a guaranteed spot in ChatGPT, or who says your website needs an expensive rebuild because it "can't be read by AI" - ask them exactly what's broken.

What we can do is make sure nothing on your website stands in the way, and that everything AI tools look for is there, clear and accurate. That's the best chance any business has - and it's the same work that helps you in normal search. For more of the background, read our blog post SEO and AI.

Is AI search replacing Google?
Not replacing - Google itself now shows AI Overviews above many of its results. People use both, so your website needs to work for both. The good news is that it's the same work.

Do I need to pay extra for "AI optimisation"?
Not with us. It's part of how we build every website - you shouldn't have to pay extra for something your site should have from the start.

Can you check my existing website?
Yes - get in touch for a free review. We'll tell you honestly whether anything is stopping search engines and AI tools from reading your site.

Can I stop AI tools using my website?
Yes. Most AI companies use separate crawlers for training their models and for search, so you can block training while still letting their search tools find you. Blocking everything means your business won't be mentioned in their answers.

Whether you need a new website or want to know how your current one looks to AI tools, get in touch - or see our SEO services.