A business owner looking for financing might once have searched Google for “small business loans” and compared websites appearing in the results.
Today, that owner can ask ChatGPT, Google’s AI-powered search, or Perplexity a more specific question: “Which lenders offer working capital to construction companies with $2 million in annual revenue and less than three years in business?”
The response may identify lenders, compare eligibility requirements, explain financing options, and cite sources. The owner can begin evaluating providers before visiting a single website.
For companies that depend on online discovery, this raises an important question: When AI systems answer questions about your industry, is your business part of the information they use?
Businesses can improve their online presence by answering specific customer questions, documenting their expertise, and making essential information accessible to search systems. These practices can support AI search visibility, although inclusion is never guaranteed.
How AI Is Changing Customer Discovery
Traditional search generally presents links for users to explore. AI-powered search can assemble information from multiple sources into responses tailored to individual questions.
A prospective customer might ask for accounting firms experienced in restaurant acquisitions, construction companies specializing in healthcare facilities, or wealth advisers serving business owners preparing for retirement. These questions reveal requirements that broad keyword searches may not capture.
AI systems may draw from company websites, industry publications, professional profiles, reviews, and directories. Their sources and methods vary, and responses can change depending on how questions are worded.
Research suggests users also interact differently with search results when AI summaries appear.
A July 2025 Pew Research Center analysis found that Google users clicked traditional search links during 8% of visits involving AI-generated summaries, compared with 15% without them. Links cited within AI summaries received clicks during just 1% of visits involving those summaries.
The study examined browsing activity from 900 U.S. adults in March 2025 and identified an association between AI summaries and lower click rates. Its findings illustrate why businesses should consider how customers evaluate information before visiting a website.
Publish the Information Customers Need to Choose
A practical starting point is identifying the questions customers ask when comparing providers.
Consider a commercial lender advertising “fast business financing” and “flexible capital solutions.” Those phrases communicate broad benefits but reveal little about which businesses qualify or what financing options are available.
A construction company seeking working capital may need to know whether the lender works with government contractors, accepts outstanding invoices as collateral, finances equipment purchases, or has minimum revenue and operating-history requirements.
Publishing those details helps borrowers determine whether the lender meets their needs. It also provides information AI systems may retrieve when answering relevant questions.
The lender can strengthen its public information with examples of completed transactions, industries served, and explanations of its financing products. A case study involving a construction contractor could describe the financing challenge, transaction structure, and business outcome, subject to client confidentiality.
The same approach applies across professional services. An accounting practice could explain its experience advising companies through acquisitions or ownership transitions. An architecture firm could document completed healthcare developments, including project scope, technical responsibilities, and professional qualifications.
The objective is to replace broad claims with information customers can use to evaluate relevant experience.
Independent coverage can add context through industry publications, executive interviews, and credible third-party references, although it does not guarantee inclusion in AI-generated answers.
Google’s May 2026 guidance on generative AI search emphasizes valuable, original content and the continuing importance of established SEO practices.
For businesses, documenting genuine expertise and answering questions that matter during purchasing decisions remains a practical investment.
Make Your Business Information Accessible and Consistent
Publishing useful information is only part of the process. Customers and search systems must also be able to find and interpret it.
A company’s website remains an important source of information it controls. Services, industries served, locations, qualifications, leadership, and contact details should be clearly presented and kept current.
For the commercial lender, dedicated pages explaining financing products, borrower qualifications, and application requirements may be more useful than a homepage describing general financing solutions. Those pages should contain accessible text, clear headings, and links to related information.
Google’s AI Features and Your Website documentation explains that pages must be indexed and eligible to appear in Google Search with a snippet to qualify as supporting links in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
Google states that no special AI-specific markup is required. Its guidance emphasizes established practices such as crawlable pages, useful textual content, internal linking, and accurate structured data.
These requirements apply specifically to Google’s search products. Other AI platforms use different methods to discover and present information.
Businesses should also review their presence across relevant directories, professional profiles, and industry publications. A lender specializing in commercial construction, for example, should ensure its public descriptions accurately reflect its services.
Outdated information or conflicting claims can confuse prospective customers. Companies should also make the next step straightforward, whether that involves requesting a consultation, submitting an inquiry, or contacting a representative.
Measure Visibility Alongside Business Results
Businesses investing in AI search visibility need to assess whether their efforts produce meaningful results.
Start with a consistent set of questions reflecting how customers evaluate providers. For the commercial lender, these might concern financing for government contractors, working capital secured by receivables, or lending options for businesses with limited operating histories.
Test those questions across relevant AI platforms and record whether the company appears, how accurately its services are described, which sources are cited, and which competitors are mentioned.
Four measurements can help:
- Mention rate: The share of tested responses naming the business.
- Citation rate: The share of tested responses citing the company’s website or content.
- Competitive visibility: How frequently the business appears compared with selected competitors.
- High-intent question coverage: Whether the business appears in responses closely tied to purchasing decisions.
Use a consistent question set and testing approach when comparing results over time. Findings may still vary by platform, location, personalization, and wording.
These metrics provide directional insight, but visibility does not necessarily translate into customer acquisition. A business may appear in an AI response without receiving a website visit, while a customer may discover the company through AI and contact it later through another channel.
For that reason, businesses should evaluate AI visibility alongside qualified inquiries, consultations, and sales.
The commercial lender could compare changes in AI visibility with financing inquiries from its target industries. Tracking both would show whether visibility and relevant inquiries changed over the same period, without establishing the source of individual leads.
Where Businesses Should Start
Start with the questions prospective customers ask before inquiring. Check whether your website answers them, whether your claims have supporting evidence, and whether your company information is accurate across relevant sources.
Then test how AI platforms describe your business and track those observations alongside qualified inquiries and sales.
As AI becomes part of customer research, a clear public record of your services, qualifications, and experience gives prospective buyers more information to evaluate.
How visible is your business in AI search?
SBLK Ventures helps businesses assess how they appear across ChatGPT, Google AI search, and Perplexity, identify gaps in their online presence, and develop strategies to improve visibility.
