Your 5-minute guide to AI that actually helps small business owners.

Every week I dig through the noise to find AI updates and news to keep you updated. This week, we're looking at something that could have a bigger impact on your business than the latest AI tool: how customers are finding businesses like yours.

For years, the process was pretty straightforward.

Someone needed a service, so they went to Google, typed in what they were looking for, looked through the results, visited a few websites, did some research, and eventually contacted a business.

Google → search results → website → research → contact

You probably know this process pretty well. You've likely spent time making sure your business shows up in search results, your website looks good, and your contact information is easy to find.

But there's another way customers are starting that process.

Clutch's 2026 research found that 32% of AI assistant users now turn to an AI assistant first when they need information, compared with 28% who go to Google first. Among AI assistant users, 69% say they use Google less than they did before.

And they're not just asking AI random questions.

The most common uses include searching for information, getting recommendations, and comparing options—all things people tend to do before they contact a business.

That changes the customer journey. It now looks more like: AI search → comparison → recommendations → website/contact

So now a potential customer might ask questions like:

Instead of giving them ten blue links to sort through, an AI assistant not only gives them a handful of recommendations, it explains why each one might be a good fit.

This isn't simply about getting your business mentioned in ChatGPT. AI is increasingly being built into the places people already go to find information.

Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode can synthesize information from web sources and provide links to the sites supporting the answer. Google says these AI experiences are rooted in its existing Search systems and that traditional SEO best practices still matter.

AI assistants can also be used for recommendations and comparisons. Clutch's research found that 42% of AI assistant users use them for recommendations and 39% for brainstorming or comparing options.

And local discovery is becoming part of this shift, too.

New 2026 research cited by Cybertegic found that 45% of U.S. consumers had used AI tools for local business recommendations in the previous 12 months, up from 6% in 2025. Among those who had used AI for local recommendations, 63% said they trusted AI-generated recommendations.

That's a pretty significant change in how people can discover a business.

But there's an important catch.

AI doesn't magically know everything about your business. It has to find information somewhere.

Your website is one source. But so are business directories, review sites, and social media platforms like LinkedIn. It also looks at other websites that mention you, and the information attached to your online presence.

Clutch makes an important point here: being visible in an AI answer isn't enough if the information is wrong. Its research found that 56% of users regularly encounter incorrect or unhelpful AI responses. That means outdated or inconsistent information about your business can become a problem.

If your website says you serve Albany, your Google Business Profile says you serve the entire Capital Region, and another directory has an old address, which information is an AI system going to use?

It could be any of them, so the goal isn't to "trick" AI into recommending you. It's to make it easy for AI—and humans—to understand exactly who you are, what you do, who you help, and where you do it.

Here's the good news: you don't need to learn a new form of SEO or rebuild your entire website.

Start with the fundamentals.

Don't make visitors—and AI—figure it out. Your website should clearly describe your services, who they're for, the problems you solve, and the locations you serve.

Instead of:

"We provide innovative solutions designed to help your business thrive."

Say what you actually do.

"We provide bookkeeping and payroll services for small wellness practices with 3–10 employees."

The second version is much easier for a potential customer—and a search system—to understand.

Think beyond keywords. Think about the questions that people ask before they hire you. Then, put the questions and the answers on your website.

FAQs are an easy place to start, but don't limit yourself to a formal FAQ page. You can answer common questions throughout your service pages and blog content, too.

For example:

Then answer the question directly and simply. Avoiding as much jargon as possible. 

Check the basics:

Then look at the places where that information appears online.

Google specifically recommends keeping Business Profile information up to date as part of its guidance for appearing in AI features. AI systems will interpret information about your business from multiple sources, so consistency matters.

You don't need to publish a lot of content. Instead focus on creating blogs and posts that are useful to your potential customers.

Google's current guidance specifically emphasizes unique, valuable, people-first content and says businesses should focus on content that offers something beyond information that could easily be produced by anyone, and especially not by an AI model.

In other words: Don't create more content just to have more content. Create something worth finding.

This may be the least exciting recommendation on the list, but it's important.

If your website says you're a payroll specialist for small businesses but your social profiles describe you as a general accountant, you've made it harder for anyone—including AI—to understand exactly what you do.

Your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles, directories, and other important listings don't need to use identical wording.

But they should tell the same basic story.

Google itself says the fundamentals of SEO continue to be relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Its current guidance recommends the same things you've heard before: make your site crawlable, organize your content clearly, create helpful and reliable content, keep important information in text, maintain a good user experience, and keep business information up to date.

You aren’t choosing between Google and AI. You are making sure your business information is clear enough to be understood by both.

Before you hire an AI-SEO expert, check how your business is being presented. Start by asking Google AI Mode and your AI tool of choice something a potential customer might ask:

"Who are the best [your type of business] in [your location]?"

And see if you or your company is one of the recommendations and how it’s being presented. 

If your business isn’t being recommended, or if it is and you want to understand where the details are coming from, dig a little deeper by asking: 

Check any references, and then see what information you should refine or clarify to help both Google and AI tools present accurate information about your business. 

If you're missing, don't panic. AI recommendations can vary by platform, query, location, and timing. But it's useful information and you’ll have a better idea of what is being found. 

That's it for this week. Hopefully this gives you a clearer picture of what's changing in how customers find businesses—and a few practical things you can do to make sure your business doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

See you next week with more practical AI updates.

Yours in success,
Kathleen

P.S. Forward this to one business-owner friend who’s still “figuring out AI.” You’ll look like the smart one. 😊