06/01/2026
For years, businesses have focused on one goal: ranking higher on Google.
That made sense because rankings determined visibility. If someone needed a contractor, accountant, attorney, or marketing company, they searched Google, reviewed their options, and decided which businesses deserved a closer look. Showing up meant you had a chance to compete.
What's changing is not the customer's need for information. It's where that evaluation process begins.
More people are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Google's AI tools the same questions they used to type into a search bar. Instead of starting with a page of search results, they're now starting with a handful of recommended businesses.
This is a critical shift for business owners who depend on search for traffic. When search results were the starting point, customers did most of the filtering themselves. They compared websites, read reviews, looked at services, checked credentials, and decided who looked trustworthy.
AI search works differently. For AI to recommend a business, it first has to understand the business. A website matters. So do reviews, service pages, FAQs, team bios, your Google Business Profile, social media activity, and mentions across other trusted websites. Together, these signals help build AI's confidence in the business behind the website.
Our recommendation? Stop treating SEO and AI search as separate initiatives. The businesses best positioned for long-term success are building connected digital ecosystems that help them rank well in search while creating the trust, consistency, and visibility that AI systems look for when making recommendations.�
TLDR: the goal is no longer to be ranked or recommended. It's to be ranked AND recommended.
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www.EXPRESEO.com | (908) 547-0770
