Try this. Open ChatGPT and ask: "Recommend a [your industry] in [your city]."
Is your business in the answer? Probably not. But your competitor might be.
We ran this test for a law firm in Rotterdam last month. Their direct competitor, a firm half their size with fewer clients and less experience, showed up in the answer. They didn't. The competitor's website wasn't better designed. It wasn't flashier. It was just clearer.
This isn't about who's the better business. It's about who AI can understand.
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Jump to the form ↓How people find businesses is changing
Google is still the biggest search engine. That's not changing tomorrow. But something new is happening alongside it.
More and more people are asking AI tools for recommendations instead of scrolling through search results. They ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini: "Who's a good accountant in Utrecht?" or "What's the best web design agency for startups?"
The AI doesn't give ten blue links. It gives one answer. Maybe two or three names. If you're not one of those names, you're invisible to a growing audience.
This is not replacing Google. It's adding a new layer. And most businesses have no idea it's happening.
Why your competitor shows up and you don't
We've audited dozens of websites. The businesses that show up in AI answers almost always do these five things better.
1. Their website clearly states what they do, for whom, and where
AI needs three pieces of information to recommend you: what service you offer, who you serve, and where you're based. If any of those are missing or vague, you won't come up.
Vague
"We craft innovative solutions for forward-thinking businesses."
Clear
"Van Dijk Legal is a business law firm in Rotterdam serving SMEs and startups."
2. They have structured data that AI can read
Structured data (also called schema markup) is a small piece of code behind your website that tells AI tools your business name, type, address, phone number, and services in a standardised format. Think of it as a name tag for your website that machines can read instantly. Most business websites don't have it.
3. They have an FAQ section with real questions and answers
When someone asks ChatGPT a question about your industry, it looks for websites that answer that exact question. If your site has an FAQ section with the five questions your clients ask most, you become a source AI can pull from. No FAQ? You're leaving recommendations on the table.
4. Their content is fresh
AI tools pay attention to recency. A website with a blog post from last month signals an active business. A site that hasn't been updated since 2023 looks abandoned. You don't need to blog every week. But having recent dates somewhere on your site matters more than you think.
5. They're consistent across platforms
If your website says "marketing consultancy", your LinkedIn says "growth agency", and your Google Business listing says "digital services", AI has three conflicting stories. It will pick the wrong one or skip you entirely. Your competitor uses the same description everywhere. That's why AI trusts them more.
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What you can do this week
You don't need a full website redesign. These three changes take less than a day and make a real difference.
1. Rewrite your homepage intro
One clear paragraph. Your business name, what you do, who you help, and where you are. That's it. This single paragraph is the most important text on your website because it's the first thing AI reads.
2. Add an FAQ section with your top 5 client questions
Think about what people ask you in every first meeting. "How long does it take?" "What does it cost?" "Do you work with [specific type of client]?" Answer each one in 2-3 sentences on your website. When someone asks an AI the same question, your answer becomes a source it can reference.
3. Sync your business description across all platforms
Open your website, LinkedIn, and Google Business side by side. Make the description match everywhere. Same name, same services, same location. This takes 20 minutes and gives AI one consistent story about your business instead of three conflicting ones.
Your competitor isn't doing anything magical. They just made it easy for AI to understand their business. That's the entire advantage. And the good news is that most businesses haven't done this yet. If you start now, you're ahead of the majority.
This shift is still early. The businesses that position themselves for AI search today will have a serious head start when it becomes the default way people find services. And that moment is coming faster than most people expect.
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