How to Show Up in AI Search

How to Get Found in AI Search Engines Like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini

AI Search Has Arrived

Remember when we used to Google everything? It's wild how fast that habit is changing. More and more people are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot to get instant, helpful answers—without ever clicking through to a website. Some are even using newer tools like You.com and Claude to dig deeper, summarize content, or just explore ideas.

This shift is already changing how your customers find products, research services, and make buying decisions. And while big companies are rushing to keep up, smaller businesses are often left asking:

How do we show up in these new AI-driven search experiences?

The good news? You don’t need a massive budget or an in-depth SEO audit (although understanding what keywords are most valuable for you will help). You just need to understand how these tools work—and create the kind of content they’re looking for.

In this post, I’ll break it down in simple terms and give you some practical tips you can use to start showing up in AI search—starting today.

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What Are AI Search Engines—and Why Should You Care?

AI search engines are tools that use artificial intelligence to understand what people are asking and respond in plain, helpful language. Instead of giving you a list of links like Google always has, these tools summarize what they find and deliver a direct answer.

Say you’re wondering what CRM software to use for a small business. You might ask ChatGPT or Perplexity, “What’s a good CRM for a business with under 10 employees?”—and it’ll give you an instant, summarized answer without you needing to click around.

These tools are changing the game:

• They favor clear, helpful content over keyword-heavy fluff.

• They pull from trusted, high-quality websites—especially blog posts, FAQs, and explainer articles.

• They’re already shaping how people make decisions, especially for B2B and service-based businesses.

If you're a small business, this can be a big advantage. You don’t need to outrank the giants—you just need to clearly answer the kinds of questions your ideal customers are already asking.

Next up, let’s break down how these AI tools actually discover your content—and what makes them choose one page over another.

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