AI platforms don't necessarily discover and recommend businesses the same way traditional Google search works.
Make sure your website can be crawled and understood by AI search platforms.
Keep your business information accurate and consistent across the web.
Create useful, specific content that clearly explains what you do, who you serve, and where you serve them.
Traditional SEO still matters and provides an important foundation for AI visibility.
Track AI referrals so you can see whether platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are actually sending visitors to your website.
For years, getting found online primarily meant getting found on Google. That's still important, but customers are increasingly asking AI platforms questions they previously would have typed into a search engine. Instead of searching for a list of companies and comparing websites themselves, someone might ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot to recommend a business that provides a specific service in their area.
That creates a new challenge for businesses: How do you make sure AI platforms know enough about your company to include you in those answers?
The first thing to understand is that showing up in AI recommendations isn't exactly the same as ranking in a traditional Google search. AI systems may pull information from websites, search indexes, third-party sources, and other publicly available information when generating an answer. ChatGPT Search, for example, can surface and cite public websites that its search crawler is able to access.
Your website needs to clearly communicate exactly what your business does. That means having detailed service pages, accurate location information, useful descriptions of your products or services, and content that answers the types of questions your customers are actually asking.
Technical accessibility matters too. If search engines or AI crawlers can't properly access your website, they can't reliably use the information on it. Google similarly recommends making content crawlable, keeping important information available in text, maintaining accurate Business Profile information, and following established SEO best practices for its AI-powered search experiences.
Your own website is only part of the picture. AI platforms may reference information from multiple sources when determining what businesses are relevant to a question. The more clearly and consistently your business is represented online, the easier it is for these systems to understand who you are, what you offer, and where you operate.
This is one of the focuses of Modular Orange's AI Growth service. We structure and distribute business and website information to help improve visibility across the sources used by popular AI search platforms. The process is ongoing because AI platforms, search indexes, and the information they reference continue to change.
AI visibility doesn't mean SEO is suddenly irrelevant. In fact, the two increasingly work together. Google specifically states that its existing SEO best practices remain foundational for visibility in generative AI search experiences.
A technically healthy website, useful content, clear page structure, strong local information, and proper indexing can all make it easier for both traditional search engines and AI-powered tools to understand your business.
You also need a way to measure whether any of this is working. Modular Orange's AI Growth Plan includes Google Analytics setup and monthly AI traffic reporting so you can see referrals coming from platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. It also includes Google Search Console setup and our SEO Boost to help improve how search engines discover and understand your website.
If you want to start positioning your business for the way people are searching now, talk to Modular Orange about upgrading to AI Growth. If you need the AI service but not a website, we can help you with that, too. Get in touch with us today.
Does SEO still matter for AI search?
Yes. Strong SEO fundamentals such as crawlability, useful content, accurate information, and proper indexing remain important, especially for AI experiences that rely on search indexes.
How do I know if ChatGPT is sending visitors to my website?
Referral traffic from AI platforms can be tracked through Google Analytics. Modular Orange's AI Growth Plan includes monthly reporting specifically focused on AI traffic.
Do I need to change my entire website for AI search?
Usually not. The goal is to improve how your existing website and business information are structured, discovered, and understood while continuing to strengthen the site's overall SEO foundation.