AEO is Here: How Small Businesses Can take advantage of the Era of AI in Search
Imagine a customer asks Google’s AI who to buy from — and your business isn’t mentioned. That’s a lost sale you’ll never even know about.
This is the new reality of AI search.
Instead of browsing a list of websites, people are increasingly getting direct answers from their search engine’s AI. If your brand isn’t in those answers, you’re invisible. The way forward is Answer Engine Optimisation. It’s not about replacing SEO, it’s about what to layer on top of it.
The good news? For small businesses, clever tactics can level the playing field. With the right approach, you can sit alongside bigger competitors as both seen and trusted.
From SEO to AEO: What’s Really Changed
SEO rewarded rankings. In the era of AI, search engines reward authority.
Search Engine Optimisation: Get your site on page one.
Answer Engine Optimisation: Get mentioned in the answer itself.
Instead of ten blue links, AI often surfaces just four or five brands. Each one gets visibility; the rest don’t. But unlike SEO, AI isn’t driven solely by backlinks or ad spend. It weighs trust signals: consistent data, authentic content, and customer sentiment.
Note: SEO isn’t dead. Your site still needs clean structure and crawlability. Answer Engine Optimisation builds on this foundation.
Seen and Trusted: The New Baseline
Think of it like this:
Seen = AI mentions your brand.
Trusted = AI cites your brand as the credible source.
You need both. Being seen but not trusted means you’re easy to ignore. Being trusted but not seen means no one else can find you. It’s not enough to be mentioned; you also need to be the source AI relies on. This is your chance as a small business. The “AI visibility window” is wide open. Early movers who get their house in order now can secure a durable advantage.
Case in point: A September 2025 SEMrush study shows only 6–27% of the most-mentioned brands also rank among the top sources AI cites, proving that “being seen” and “being trusted” are two different battles. It even notes Zapier is the #1 cited source in digital tech but only #44 in brand mentions, a clear example of trusted without broad visibility. 
Content is Still King: But it Has to Feel Human
AI models lean heavily on community content like Reddit, Quora, and forums. But they don’t treat all posts equally: recent, highly upvoted, and widely shared content carries more weight.
What works for small businesses?
Encourage customer reviews on public platforms (Google, Trustpilot, Yelp). Don’t let them sit in private emails.
Show up in discussions. Answer questions in forums with the same tone you’d use chatting to a neighbour.
Work with creators. Audiences trust them more than brands, and AI recognises their authority. A Dublin wellness brand could collaborate with a yoga creator, for instance — not just for reach, but because AI will treat those conversations as credible signals.
Case in Point: Social Media Today reported that Reddit is now the second most-visited website in the US, driven by AI referrals and Google’s exclusive data licensing deal .
Technical and Transparency Essentials
Your website doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be easy for AI (and people) to read:
Keep it simple: Make sure your key information — prices, menus, services, FAQs — is written as plain text on the page, not tucked away in images or fancy pop-ups. If you can read it without clicking, AI can too.
Use structure: Ask your web person to add “labels” behind the scenes (called schema). These are just markers that tell search engines “this is our price list” or “this is our FAQ.” It helps AI know what’s official.
Be upfront with pricing: If you don’t show prices, AI will look elsewhere — often on Reddit or forums where people are guessing. That can backfire. A café that lists its seasonal menu and prices clearly is more likely to be cited than one that hides them.
Case in Point: TechCrunch noted that YouTube just rolled out “likeness detection” and automated translations with schema-style tagging for video metadata, showing platforms are actively building trust and factual structure into how content is cited
Customer Health: Your Hidden AI Search Signal
AI doesn’t just check your website. It pays attention to what your customers say and how they behave. That’s where customer health metrics come in. They’re early warning signs of how likely your business is to earn positive mentions and reviews, which AI models then pick up.
Think of these as early-warning signals. A healthy customer base leaves positive reviews, joins discussions, and mentions you repeatedly — all signals AI uses when deciding who to trust.
How Small Businesses Can Measure Customer Health
Time to Value (TTV): This is how quickly a customer feels the benefit of what you offer. The shorter the gap between purchase and that “aha” moment, the happier they are — and the faster they’ll leave good reviews.You don’t need fancy software. Just ask new customers: “How quickly did you get what you needed?” or “How soon did our product/service make a difference?” Even a quick follow-up email or a 2-question survey gives you a rough TTV.
Customer Health Scores: Think of this as a temperature check on loyalty. Are people sticking around, coming back, and recommending you? A high score means steady positive sentiment, which boosts trust signals in AI. Big companies use dashboards, but you can build your own pulse check:
Track repeat customers (how many buy again within 3 or 6 months).
Monitor average star ratings across Google, Trustpilot, or Facebook.
Spot trends — if scores dip, it’s an early signal something’s off.
Product-Qualified Leads (PQLs): These are people who’ve already tried your service or product and want more. They’re proof that you’re delivering real value — and their feedback often shows up in public forums and review sites. This simply means customers who’ve had a taste and come back for more. You can measure it by:
Counting free trial users who convert to paid (if you’re SaaS or subscription).
Watching workshop participants who book again.
Tracking how many first-time buyers take up a second product within a set time.
Case in Point: Spotify and TikTok’s Big on BookTok hub shows how community-driven recommendations turn into structured playlists, reinforcing that what customers rave about publicly becomes the discovery layer for platforms
Five First Steps for Small Businesses
Want to act now? Start with this checklist:
Run a test query. Ask ChatGPT or Google AI Search about your sector. Are you mentioned?
Publish basics. FAQs, menus, and pricing should be live and structured clearly.
Secure one review. Ask a happy customer to leave a review somewhere public this week.
Join one discussion. Post a useful, non-salesy answer on Reddit, Quora, or LinkedIn.
Reach out to one creator. Choose someone in your niche whose audience overlaps with yours.
AI search isn’t a future worry. It’s happening now. But for small businesses, this isn’t bad news — it’s a leveller.
Focus on authentic content, technical clarity, and customer health, and you’ll give AI every reason to both see and trust your brand.
If you want a strategy that cuts through the noise, CHC can help you prepare your business for the new search era. Just get in touch.
