“Who’s a good electrician in Hobart?” A growing number of people are asking that question to ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews instead of scrolling through a list of search results. And instead of ten blue links, they get a short answer with a handful of business names.
If your business is one of those names, that’s a warm lead handed to you. If it isn’t, you may never know you missed out.
The good news is that showing up in AI search isn’t a dark art. It builds on the same foundations as good SEO for small businesses, with a few extra considerations. Here’s how it works.
What is AI search?
AI search tools answer questions directly in conversation rather than just listing websites. The main ones your customers are likely using include:
Google AI Overviews: the AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of many Google searches
ChatGPT: increasingly used for recommendations, comparisons and “who should I call” questions
Perplexity: an AI search engine that answers questions and cites its sources
Voice assistants: like Siri and Google Assistant, which give a single spoken answer
Optimising for these tools is often called GEO (generative engine optimisation) or AEO (answer engine optimisation). Different names, same idea: making your business easy for AI to find, understand and recommend.
How AI tools decide which businesses to recommend
AI tools don’t pick businesses at random. They draw on information available across the web, including:
Your website content
Your Google Business Profile and other listings
Reviews on Google and other platforms
Directory listings and mentions on other websites
Structured data that describes your business
The clearer, more consistent and more trustworthy that information is, the more confidently an AI tool can recommend you. If your details are patchy, contradictory or hard to find, you’re far less likely to be mentioned.
7 ways to improve your AI search visibility
1. Get your local SEO foundations right
AI search rewards the same things local SEO does. A complete Google Business Profile, accurate business details and a well-structured website are the starting point. If you haven’t covered these yet, start with our guide to SEO for small businesses.
2. Make your business details consistent everywhere
Your name, address, phone number, services and service areas should match across your website, Google, social media and directories. When AI tools find the same information in many places, it builds confidence that the information is correct.
3. Spell out exactly what you do and where
AI tools need clear facts to work with. Vague homepage copy like “We deliver excellence for our valued clients” gives them nothing to use. Be specific:
What services do you offer?
Which suburbs or regions do you serve?
Who are your typical customers?
What makes you different?
“We’re a licensed electrician servicing Hobart, Kingston and the Eastern Shore, specialising in residential rewiring and switchboard upgrades” is far more useful to both people and AI.
4. Answer questions directly
AI tools are built to answer questions, so content that answers questions clearly is more useful to them. Write pages and articles that respond to the things customers ask you:
How much does it cost?
How long does it take?
Do I need a permit?
What’s the difference between option A and option B?
Put the direct answer in the first sentence or two, then add the detail. This format works well for readers, Google and AI tools alike.
5. Add structured data to your website
Structured data (also called schema markup) is code that labels information on your website so machines can read it easily. LocalBusiness schema can tell search engines and AI tools your business name, address, opening hours, services and service area. FAQ schema can highlight common questions and answers.
It’s invisible to visitors but helps machines understand your business with less guesswork.
6. Build a strong review profile
Reviews are one of the clearest signals of trust. A healthy number of recent, genuine reviews, especially ones that mention specific services and locations, gives AI tools more confidence to recommend you. Ask every happy customer, and respond to every review.
7. Get mentioned in more places
The more often your business appears on reputable websites, such as local directories, industry associations, local news and community sites, the more evidence AI tools have that you’re a real, established business. Sponsoring a local sports club or being featured in a local publication can help here too.
What AI search optimisation can’t do
It’s worth being honest about the limits:
No one can guarantee AI recommendations. These tools change often and nobody controls their answers.
It’s not a replacement for SEO. Most AI visibility is built on strong SEO foundations. They work together.
It takes time. Like traditional SEO, improvements build gradually as information across the web becomes clearer and more consistent.
How to check if AI recommends your business
Try it yourself. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google questions your customers might ask, such as:
“Who are the best [your service] in [your suburb or city]?”
“Can you recommend a [your service] near [your area]?”
“What should I look for when hiring a [your service] in [your city]?”
Note whether you appear, which competitors are mentioned and what information is being shown about your business. Repeat every month or two to see how things change.
How Not Magic helps you show up in AI search
Not Magic is a Hobart-based SEO service for small businesses, built for both traditional search and AI search.
Local Tier: $250 per week. Covers the foundations AI search relies on: website audit, Google Business Profile optimisation, citation management, technical optimisation and monthly content.
Growth Tier: $379 per week. Everything in Local, plus weekly content and dedicated AI visibility engineering to help ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews understand and recommend your business.
No setup fees, no lock-in contracts and plain-English reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI search replacing Google?
Not replacing, but changing it. Google itself now shows AI Overviews on many searches, and more people are using tools like ChatGPT for recommendations. Small businesses benefit from being visible in both.
What’s the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO focuses on ranking in search engine results. GEO focuses on being cited and recommended in AI-generated answers. They share the same foundations, and GEO builds on good SEO.
Do I need a separate strategy for AI search?
Mostly no. Strong local SEO covers much of what AI tools look for. The extra work is in making your information especially clear, structured and consistent, and answering questions directly.
Can small businesses really compete in AI search?
Yes. AI tools often favour clear, specific local information over big brand names, which gives well-optimised local businesses a real opportunity.
The bottom line
AI search is changing how customers find local businesses, but the fundamentals haven’t changed much. Be clear about what you do and where, keep your details consistent, answer real questions, earn reviews and get mentioned in the right places. Do that well, and you give both Google and AI tools every reason to recommend you.