Your Business could already be invisible to AI: Why AI SEO Matters

Businesses have always asked, “How do we rank higher on Google?”

Since the development of AI, a second question needs addressing: 

Can AI discover and recommend your business?

This is why AI SEO is vital for the development of your business.

People are increasingly relying on ChatGPT and other AI-powered systems to research products, services and seek recommendations. It doesn’t mean that Google will cease to exist. It means that people discover companies using different methods. 

A survey by Gartner reveals that 51% of consumers say generative AI has already changed how they research information: people now use more conversational, question-based queries rather than keyword searches. 

In any case, I have personally observed this shift.

How People Are Using AI to Find Businesses

To get an instant explanation about a particular matter, I turn to ChatGPT. To compare marketing platforms, gain insights or comprehend a certain topic, AI provides me with the quickest results. However, I still resort to Google to verify data, access websites and conduct further research.

AI is also becoming important to local businesses. According to Adobe, nearly 76% of marketers and entrepreneurs consider it vital for their brand to appear in ChatGPT responses. This highlights the growing need for businesses and marketers to adapt to remain visible and relevant.

This brings about a new problem.

Your company may have a great ranking on Google. But if the AI-powered search tools fail to provide users with your contact information when they ask questions like “Who are the best accountants in Brighton?” or “What SEO agency do I need?”, then chances are you will lose valuable clientele and opportunities. 

The good thing is that AI does not generate suggestions from scratch.

On the contrary, it collects information from various sources: your website, reviews, articles, directories, credible mentions, and your brand’s overall authority on the internet. Companies that regularly produce quality and original content are much more likely to be perceived as credible sources of information. As we explored in our article, Google’s Original Content Update Explained, creating genuinely helpful content is becoming even more important as AI search continues to grow.

Proper site architecture, useful content, sound technical basics and real expertise haven’t lost their importance due to the development of AI. On the contrary, they have become even more critical as it is these factors that help AI systems determine which companies should be recommended.

The only thing that is changing is that visibility is no longer limited to the Google search results page. It has become more extensive.

The Opportunity for Businesses

To avoid falling behind competitors, companies must understand the growing influence of AI and use various channels to increase visibility.

In case you are not sure about the visibility of your company among AI responses, now is a good time to get some information about it.

Analysing the ways AI perceives your brand will help to find weak spots in your visibility and give additional opportunities to increase it before other companies.

It’s precisely what we do at Brightwhale AI. Our AI SEO audit tells you how visible your company is in AI search platforms and how to improve your visibility there.