How do customers find you on Google and in AI answers?

Customers find you on Google and in AI answers when your website says clearly what you do, where you do it and why someone should pick you, and when other trusted websites say the same things about you. Google and AI assistants such as ChatGPT both read the web and try to give each person the most useful answer they can trust. So the work is to make your business easy for them to understand and easy for them to trust. This post explains how each one chooses, and what you can change.

How does Google decide who to show?

Google tries to answer the question behind a search. When someone types "emergency plumber near me", Google looks for businesses that offer that service, are close to the person searching, and look real and active.

It judges this from four main sources:

• Your website. Does it say plainly what you do and where? Does it load quickly on a phone? Does each service have its own page?
• Your Google Business Profile. This is the free listing that shows on Google Maps and beside search results, with your hours, photos and reviews.
• Reviews. Google looks at how many you have, how recent they are and whether you reply to them.
• Other websites. Local directories, news stories and partner businesses that link to you or mention your name and address.

Each of these tells Google that your business exists, does what it says, and is still trading.

How are AI answers different?

AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity answer in full sentences instead of a list of links. When someone asks "what's a good cafe to work from near me", the assistant reads pages from across the web and writes a short answer, and that answer sometimes names businesses.

The person asking may never click through to a website. They get a recommendation, and then they call, walk in or search for that one name. If your business is not in the answer, you are not in the running.

To be named, your business needs to be described in plain words the assistant can read and repeat. Assistants favour pages that answer questions directly, state facts plainly and match what other sources say. A page that says "we are passionate about excellence" gives an assistant nothing to repeat. A page that says "we repair boilers and fix leaks across the west end, open until 10pm" gives it a fact it can quote.

What should your website say?

Write for the questions your customers ask you on the phone. For each main service, make a page whose first paragraph says what you offer, who it is for and which area you cover. Then answer the usual follow-up questions: what it costs, how long it takes and what happens after someone gets in touch.

A few habits help with both Google and AI assistants:

• Put your business name, address and phone number on every page, written the same way each time.
• Use headings phrased as questions, such as "How much does a kitchen refit cost?"
• Keep pages fast and easy to read on a phone.
• Show photos of your own work and your own team, and quote real reviews, instead of stock images.
• Give a price, or a starting price, where you can. People and assistants both look for it, and a page without one often loses to a page that has one.

Does your website need anything technical?

A little, and visitors never see it. Three things matter most:

• Structured data. This is a short block of code that tells search engines your business type, address and opening hours in a format they read directly, instead of guessing from the page.
• A sitemap. This is a list of every page on your site, so search engines can find pages that nothing else links to.
• Crawler access. A crawler is the program Google or an AI company uses to read websites. Your site decides which crawlers it lets in.

Some businesses block AI crawlers by accident through a setting at their web host or in a security tool. If you want to appear in AI answers, check that setting, or ask whoever runs your website to check it.

Why do reviews and mentions elsewhere matter?

Anyone can say good things about themselves on their own website. Google and AI assistants give more weight to what other people say. A steady flow of recent reviews, and replies to them, shows that real customers use you now. A listing in a local directory or a mention in a local news story confirms your name, address and what you do.

Keep your details identical everywhere. If one directory has an old phone number and another spells your name differently, search engines are less sure the listings describe the same business.

How long does it take to show results?

Fixing the basics, such as a complete Google Business Profile and clear service pages, can help within weeks. Moving up for competitive searches usually takes several months of steady work: better pages, more reviews and more mentions on other sites. No one can promise the top spot on Google in a week, so treat that promise as a warning sign.

AI answers change quickly and are harder to predict. They draw on the same things Google does: clear pages, consistent details and a good reputation across the web.

What can you do this week?

• Claim your Google Business Profile and fill in every section, including photos and opening hours.
• Ask your five most recent happy customers for a review, and reply to every review you get.
• Check that the first sentence on your home page says what you do and where.
• Make sure your name, address and phone number match everywhere they appear online.
• Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend a business like yours in your area, and see whether you are named.

When is it worth getting help?

If you have done the basics and still do not show up, the cause is usually something you cannot see from the outside, such as a slow site, a crawler setting or missing structured data. Our Website & SEO audit costs $750 CAD, fixed. It looks at your site, your Google listing and your competitors, and tells you what to fix first. Ongoing search work with us starts at $499 CAD a month, and if your website needs rebuilding, new websites start at $1,500 CAD.

If you would rather talk it through first, book a call.