Being found on Google and in AI assistants: the basics for a business
Google Business Profile, a readable website, customer reviews, mentions on other sites: what makes a business show up on Google and get suggested by an AI assistant.
Two ways of being found
Your customers still search on Google, but they also put their questions to AI assistants. The two do not work in quite the same way, and much of the work is shared.
On Google: the business profile and the website
For a local search, the Google Business Profile matters as much as the website: category, service area, opening hours, phone, photos and reviews. A complete, verified profile is the first thing to do.
The website then has to say clearly what you do, for whom and where, with one page per service or trade, explicit titles and answers to the questions your customers really ask. It has to be fast, readable on a phone and served over HTTPS.
In AI assistants: be readable and be mentioned
An AI assistant answers from what it finds on the web. Its crawlers must be able to read your site, and the essentials must be written out in full: what you do, where, how to reach you, pricing or how a quote works.
But an assistant mostly recommends what other sources confirm. Customer reviews, professional directories, articles that mention you and links from your customers' sites weigh more than any technical setting.
What does not work
Repeating keywords, buying links or publishing empty pages no longer works, on Google or in AI assistants. Nobody can guarantee a first place either: be wary of anyone who promises one.
Where to start
Create and verify your Google Business Profile. Check that your site answers your customers' questions. Ask every satisfied customer for a review. List your business in the directories of your trade, with the same name, address and phone everywhere.
Results come within weeks for your own name, and over several months for more contested searches.
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