Thanos Gkomisis
3 Min Read
For years, the key question was whether a business appeared on the first page of Google. Today there's a second one. More and more customers don't open ten results. They ask an AI and get a single answer with three or four names.
The question might be asked in ChatGPT, in Gemini or on Google, where the AI Overview appears above the results. The logic is the same. The customer asks for a recommendation and the tool makes a first selection on their behalf. The businesses that appear there make the shortlist before a single website has even been opened.
Below, we explain where AI tools get their information, what usually keeps a business off the list and how you can check where you stand today.
The new "shortlist"
In traditional search, users saw a list of results, opened a few and compared them. The decision was built gradually. In AI search, much of that comparison happens before the first click. The answer summarises, filters and recommends.
This changes what visibility means. It's not enough for a business to exist somewhere in the results. It needs to be clear and trustworthy enough for a system to recommend it. A business that isn't mentioned in the answer often doesn't even make it into the conversation.
That doesn't mean traditional Google results stop mattering. A large share of traffic still comes from there. It means there's now a second place where it's decided whether a business gets chosen.
A simple test any business can run
Before any strategy, it's worth seeing what the tools themselves answer today. The test takes a few minutes. All you need to do is ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google the questions a real customer would ask.
What's the best [industry] in [city]?
Which [industry] in [city] would you recommend for [specific need]?
I'm looking for [service] in [area]. What are my options?
What do customers say about [business name]?
The answers aren't always the same. They change depending on the tool, the wording and the moment. That's why a single question isn't enough to draw conclusions. But if your business doesn't appear in any of them while competitors do, that's a clear signal. The same goes if it appears with incorrect or outdated information.
Where AI tools get their information
AI tools don't "know" a business the way its customers do. When they answer questions about businesses, they usually combine information from various sources across the web. In most cases, there are four main sources.
The website. It's the most complete source on what a business does, for whom and where. The more clearly it says so, the more easily it can be used.
The Google Business Profile. Opening hours, category, services, photos, service area. For local searches, it's often one of the first things taken into account.
Reviews. Their number and how recent they are both matter, but above all what customers actually write. A review that mentions a specific service says more than a simple "great people".
Mentions on other sites. Directories, articles, partnerships, industry bodies. When different sources say the same things about a business, its picture becomes more credible.
None of these works on its own. Nor is there a trick that "puts" a business into the answers. What matters is the overall picture: complete, clear and consistent.
What usually keeps a business off the list
In the audits we run, the same findings come up again and again, in businesses across every industry.
All services on a single page. An accounting firm that handles payroll, tax returns and company formation, but describes them all in one paragraph, makes it hard for Google and AI to understand which question it's the right answer to. A page for each core service gives every need its own point of reference.
An FAQ that doesn't answer real questions. Many FAQs are written just so they exist. But customers ask "how much does it cost", "how long does it take", "what do I need to bring". When a site answers these clearly, it becomes a useful source for both people and AI.
A half-completed Google Business Profile. Wrong category, outdated hours, no services or photos. It's one of the easiest things to fix and one of the most often neglected.
An English version that isn't "visible". Many sites have English pages that aren't properly declared or aren't complete. For businesses with international customers, this means they're also missing out on searches in English.
SEO and GEO: the same foundations
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the term used for the work on a business's presence in AI answers. In practice, it isn't something entirely separate from SEO.
A site that reads correctly from a technical standpoint, pages that answer real questions and a business profile that inspires trust help with both. The difference lies mainly in what we track. Beyond rankings and clicks, we now also measure whether a business is mentioned in AI answers, and how.
That's why we treat them together. An improvement for SEO is rarely useless for GEO, and vice versa. You can read more about how search is changing overall in our article How SEO is changing with the rise of AI search.
What no one can promise
No one can guarantee a place in an AI's answers. The tools change often, answers vary from user to user and the criteria aren't public. Anyone promising a "guaranteed mention in ChatGPT" is promising something they don't control.
What can be done is to improve the odds, with the right foundations, ongoing work and measurement that shows what's changing.
How we work at DontMatter
At DontMatter, we start by measuring where a business currently appears on Google and which AI questions it is or isn't mentioned in. Next, we fix the site's technical issues, the Google Business Profile and any pages that don't clearly say what the business does. Then we build content that answers what customers are asking, written for people and understandable to AI. Every month, a report shows what has changed, with data from Google Analytics, Search Console and our tracking platform.
For those who'd like an overview first, with no commitment, the SEO/GEO Health Check includes a technical audit, a visibility assessment across Google and AI, and a priority list for the next 90 days.
Want AI to recommend you when someone searches for what you offer?
Get in touch and let's see where you stand today on Google and in AI.
