How to Make Your Business Discoverable by AI

As more people shift from Google to AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity AI, visibility in these platforms is becoming more important than ever. Traditional SEO still matters, but the way customers find businesses online is changing — fast.

Why AI Search Matters for Your Organization

The good news? AI search, also known as Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), still pulls from the same web content that fuels traditional SEO. If you’ve invested in a solid SEO strategy, you’re already partway there.

What’s shifting is how people discover you. Some — though not all — of your potential customers will increasingly turn to AI tools instead of Google. That means your web presence can’t stop at your own website. You may need to layer in new tactics to ensure AI engines recognize and recommend you.

For example:

• If you run a restaurant, it’s no longer enough to rank highly on Google. You’ll also want to appear in trusted round-ups like “Top 5 Restaurants in Haliburton” that AI engines are likely to reference.

• Your Google Business profile and online reviews carry more weight than ever.

• AI tools also scan forums, social media, and Q&A sites — meaning your presence across the web can directly impact whether (and how) you’re mentioned in an AI-generated answer.

A Few Ways to Prepare for AEO

Here are some practical steps to boost your odds of being surfaced by AI-powered search:

✔️ Optimize for conversational queries. Think about how people naturally ask questions: “What are the best hiking trails near Haliburton?” instead of just “hiking trails Haliburton.”

✔️ Add FAQs to your site. Mirror those conversational queries and use schema markup so AI tools can better “read” and categorize your content. Here’s a helpful resource on schema markup.

✔️ Earn backlinks and citations. Secure mentions from reputable third-party sources — whether it’s media coverage, directories, or trusted blogs. Monitor where (and if) your brand is being surfaced in AI-generated answers.

Search is changing quickly. The businesses that embrace AEO early will have the advantage — showing up where people are already looking, getting noticed across more platforms, and ultimately turning visibility into new opportunities and customers.

✨ Want to see how AI can put your business in front of more customers? Let’s chat about a workshop or training for your team.