This week on The AI Search Briefing, I had some good news.
And, of course, I had some bad news.
But taken together, the five episodes delivered a much bigger message:
Small businesses have an opportunity in AI Search right now.
If you missed any of this week’s episodes, GO BACK AND LISTEN!
Here’s what we covered.
AI Can Recommend Your Business
We started the week with some very good news:
AI can recommend your business.
The bad news?
It can’t recommend a business it doesn’t understand.
When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode or another AI platform to recommend a business, that AI needs enough information to understand what the business does, who it helps, where it operates and why it may be a good recommendation.
That’s why clarity matters.
Your website and overall digital presence need to make your business understandable.
You Don’t Have to Outspend Big Companies
Next came another piece of good news.
Small businesses don’t necessarily have to match the massive advertising budgets of large companies to compete in AI Search.
But there was a catch.
You do have to out-teach them.
Every customer question you answer, detailed service page you create, helpful article you publish and useful video you produce gives search engines and AI systems more information about your business.
Your knowledge can become a competitive advantage.
Stop trying to outspend your competitors. Start out-teaching them.
Small Businesses Can Beat Big Brands
On Wednesday, we took that idea even further.
Big brands traditionally had enormous advantages.
More employees.
More locations.
More advertising.
More money.
But AI isn’t simply asking:
“Who’s the biggest?”
It’s asking:
“Who’s the best answer?”
That’s an opportunity for local businesses.
You know your customers.
You understand the problems they face.
You answer their questions every day.
You have experience, stories, reviews and expertise that a national brand may not be able to duplicate.
The challenge is getting that knowledge out of your head and onto the Internet where people, search engines and AI systems can find it.
Start communicating like the local expert.
AI Is Looking for Experts
Thursday’s lesson was simple:
Don’t just claim you’re the expert. Demonstrate you’re the expert.
Anybody can put “We’re the best!” on a website.
That’s a claim.
But detailed service pages, helpful articles, videos, customer questions and real-world examples can provide evidence of what you actually know.
AI isn’t necessarily looking for the loudest voice.
It’s looking for evidence.
If you want your business to be viewed as an authority, demonstrate that authority.
It’s Not Too Late
We ended the week with perhaps the most encouraging message of all.
It’s not too late to start preparing your business for AI Search.
AI Search is still evolving.
Businesses are learning.
Websites are improving.
And every day provides another opportunity to help your business become more visible, more trusted and more recommendable.
The businesses that ultimately succeed won’t necessarily be the businesses that started first.
They’ll be the businesses that start and keep improving.
Write this one on a Post-it note and slap it on the refrigerator:
The best time to prepare your business for AI Search was yesterday.
The second-best time is today.
The Bottom of the Bottom Line
If there’s one message connecting all five episodes this week, it’s this:
AI needs to understand your business before it can confidently recommend your business.
That means helping AI understand:
What you do.
Who you help.
Where you work.
What problems you solve.
What you know.
And what evidence exists that demonstrates your expertise and trustworthiness.
You don’t have to become the biggest company.
You need to become a business that’s easy to understand, trust and recommend.
And if you missed any of this week’s episodes…
GO BACK AND LISTEN!
Because next week we’re moving the conversation forward again.
Did Google Move the Finish Line?
For years, businesses worked toward one major search goal:
Get to the top of Google.
Imagine finally doing it.
Congratulations!
You reached Google’s Top 3.
You won the race.
Except…
What if Google moved the finish line?
That’s where we’re going Monday on The AI Search Briefing.
THINK Big! Be Trusted! Be Recommended!
Looking for help with AI Search? Contact Us
#AISearch #AISEO #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessMarketing #B2BMarketing #AIForBusiness #AIVisibility #AIRecommendations #ContentMarketing #7TrillionSEO
