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Search is changing. People aren’t just typing keywords into Google anymore. They’re asking AI tools for recommendations, comparing businesses and getting answers without necessarily visiting a traditional search results page. Here’s what that means for your business and how to improve your chances of being discovered.
Imagine a potential customer wants to find a digital marketing agency in Cape Town.
A few years ago, they might have searched Google for “digital marketing agency Cape Town” and browsed through several websites.
Today, they might ask ChatGPT:
“Which digital marketing agencies in Cape Town specialise in websites, SEO and Google Ads for medium-sized businesses?”
Or they might use Google’s AI-powered search features to compare providers and understand their options.
Instead of receiving only a list of websites, they may get a written answer containing information gathered from different online sources, along with links to relevant businesses.
For companies that depend on their websites to generate enquiries, this introduces an important question:
How do you make sure your business can be found when potential customers search using AI?
The answer starts with good SEO, but there are additional considerations worth understanding.
What is AI search?
AI search refers to search experiences that use artificial intelligence to interpret questions, gather relevant information and generate responses.
Two important examples are:
ChatGPT Search
ChatGPT can search the web to help answer questions, research topics and compare options. Where relevant, its responses can include links and citations to websites.
Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google’s AI-powered features can generate summaries and responses using information from its search systems, with supporting links to relevant sources.
These experiences can help people research products, compare service providers and understand complicated subjects without working through multiple conventional searches.
For businesses, this means that simply appearing on page one of Google isn’t the only consideration anymore.
Your online information also needs to be accessible, accurate, useful and easy to understand.
Can you actually rank in ChatGPT?
Not in quite the same way as traditional Google search.
ChatGPT can recommend businesses and reference websites in its answers, but there isn’t a public ranking formula that allows companies to guarantee a particular position.
Recommendations can vary depending on the question, the available sources and the context of the search.
Similarly, Google doesn’t guarantee inclusion in AI Overviews or AI Mode, even if a page performs well in organic search.
That doesn’t mean businesses are powerless.
There are practical ways to improve how effectively search platforms can discover, understand and evaluate information about your business.
Here are the areas we recommend focusing on.
1. Make sure AI search engines can access your website
Before worrying about content, you need to establish whether search engines can actually access your website.
Search platforms rely on crawlers and other information sources to discover content.
If important pages are blocked, inaccessible or difficult to process, their visibility may be limited.
For Google, this means reviewing fundamental technical SEO requirements such as:
- Ensuring important pages can be crawled and indexed.
- Checking for accidental noindex instructions.
- Using appropriate canonical URLs.
- Maintaining clear internal links.
- Making important content available as readable text.
- Reviewing server and firewall configurations.
ChatGPT Search has a crawler called OAI-SearchBot, which is designed to help websites appear in ChatGPT search results.
Website owners should check that this crawler isn’t unintentionally blocked by their robots.txt settings, hosting environment or security services.
It’s worth noting that OAI-SearchBot is separate from GPTBot, which is associated with crawling content for potential use in AI model training. Website owners can configure these permissions independently.
Why it matters: If your website cannot be accessed properly, even excellent content may struggle to appear in relevant search experiences.
2. Clearly explain what your business does
One of the simplest improvements you can make is also one of the most overlooked.
Your website should clearly explain your products, services, locations and the customers you serve.
Avoid relying entirely on vague marketing headlines.
For example, consider these two descriptions:
“We create innovative digital experiences that transform your brand.”
Versus:
“We’re a Cape Town-based digital agency specialising in website development, SEO, Google Ads and custom software for South African businesses.”
The second description provides more useful information about the business.
That doesn’t mean every headline needs to be long or filled with keywords. It means your website should have sufficient supporting content to explain what you offer.
Service pages should answer basic questions such as:
- What does this service involve?
- Who is it suitable for?
- What problems does it solve?
- What is included?
- Where do you provide the service?
- How can someone enquire?
Why it matters: Clear information makes your business easier for customers and automated systems to understand.
3. Create content that answers real customer questions
AI-powered search is particularly useful for people asking detailed questions.
Instead of searching for “website developer”, someone might ask:
“Should I use Shopify or WooCommerce for a South African online store?”
Or:
“How much should a professional company website cost in South Africa?”
These questions create opportunities for businesses that publish genuinely useful information.
Your blog shouldn’t exist solely to repeat keywords.
It should address the questions customers ask before deciding to work with you.
For example, a website development agency could publish articles explaining:
- The difference between a website redesign and a complete rebuild.
- Whether WordPress, Shopify or Webflow is better for a particular business.
- What affects website development costs.
- How website performance impacts enquiries and conversions.
The key is to provide meaningful answers rather than producing large volumes of generic content.
Why it matters: Content that genuinely helps customers understand a topic can create more opportunities for your website to be discovered and referenced.
4. Demonstrate genuine experience and expertise
AI can produce a general explanation of almost any topic.
What it cannot replace is your business’s actual experience.
This makes original content particularly valuable.
Instead of publishing another generic article about improving website performance, consider showing the work involved in fixing a genuine performance issue.
Explain the problem, your approach, the technical changes and the results.
Where appropriate, include:
- Original case studies.
- Real project examples.
- Before-and-after comparisons.
- Screenshots or demonstrations.
- Expert commentary.
- Measured results with appropriate context.
For example, an accounting firm could publish practical guidance based on recurring questions it receives from clients.
A logistics company could explain common shipment delays and how its team helps customers avoid them.
A software development company could document how it solved a complicated integration problem.
These experiences provide information that generic AI-generated articles are less likely to offer.
Google’s own AI search guidance places particular emphasis on valuable, original content that goes beyond information available everywhere else.
Why it matters: Original expertise gives customers a stronger reason to trust your business and provides search platforms with useful information to discover.
5. Build a consistent online presence
Your website isn’t necessarily the only source of information used when someone searches for your business.
Search systems may also discover information from business directories, professional profiles, relevant publications, reviews and other publicly accessible sources.
This makes consistency important.
Your business name, services, contact details and location should be accurate across the platforms where your company is represented.
For South African businesses, this could include your Google Business Profile, relevant industry directories, professional association listings and LinkedIn company information.
It’s also worth building genuine visibility beyond your own website.
That might mean contributing expertise to industry publications, earning relevant editorial coverage or having your work referenced by credible businesses and organisations.
These activities should be driven by real relationships and useful contributions, not artificial attempts to manufacture mentions.
Why it matters: A well-maintained and credible online presence makes it easier for potential customers to verify information about your business.
6. Use structured data correctly
Structured data is additional information added to your website’s code to help search engines understand specific details about your content.
For example, relevant structured data can describe your organisation, services, articles, products or business information.
This often uses a format known as Schema.org markup.
Depending on the type of website, useful implementations may include:
Organisation structured data: Information about the business, such as its name, website and official identity.
LocalBusiness structured data: Relevant details about a business with a physical presence.
Article structured data: Information about an article, including its headline, author and publication date.
Product structured data: Relevant product information for eligible e-commerce pages.
Structured data needs to accurately reflect information visible on the website.
It’s also important to understand its limitations.
Google has explicitly stated that there is no special structured data requirement for appearing in its AI search features.
Adding schema won’t automatically make ChatGPT recommend your business or guarantee a position in Google AI Overviews.
However, correct structured data remains a worthwhile part of a broader technical SEO strategy.
Why it matters: Clear, accurate website data supports search engine understanding and can enable relevant search result features.
7. Don’t neglect traditional SEO
With all the conversation around AI search, it’s easy to assume traditional SEO is becoming irrelevant.
It isn’t.
In fact, Google has confirmed that its established SEO best practices remain important for visibility in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Technical SEO, helpful content, internal linking and the overall quality of your website still matter.
Businesses should continue investing in:
- Well-structured service and product pages.
- Relevant content that satisfies search intent.
- Clear navigation and internal linking.
- Mobile-friendly website experiences.
- Fast, reliable website performance.
- Accurate titles and metadata.
- Proper indexing and technical maintenance.
These aren’t separate strategies competing with AI search.
They’re foundational activities that support visibility across different search experiences.
Why it matters: A technically sound website with valuable content gives your business a stronger foundation for both conventional and AI-powered search.
8. Keep your business information accurate and current
AI-powered search can be used to answer very specific questions.
Does a business offer a particular service? Which locations does it serve? Does it have experience with a certain platform?
If your website doesn’t answer these questions clearly, potential customers may struggle to find the information they need.
Regularly review your core pages to ensure they’re accurate.
Update services that have changed. Add newly introduced capabilities. Remove outdated claims and revise information that no longer reflects your business.
For local businesses, maintaining an accurate Google Business Profile is also important.
Your online information should reflect what your business can actually deliver today.
Why it matters: Outdated or inconsistent information makes it harder for customers to assess whether your business is relevant to their needs.
9. Track your visibility in AI search
One of the challenges with AI search is measuring its impact.
Traditional SEO tools have generally focused on rankings, impressions, clicks and organic traffic.
AI search introduces additional ways people can discover your business, some of which don’t immediately result in a website visit.
Fortunately, measurement is improving.
In June 2026, Google announced dedicated Generative AI performance reports within Google Search Console, providing greater visibility into how websites appear in AI-powered search features.
These reports include information such as impressions, pages, countries and dates. Google confirmed that the reporting had rolled out worldwide by the end of August 2026.
Businesses can also review website analytics for referral traffic from AI platforms where that traffic is identifiable.
An effective measurement approach could include:
- Reviewing Google’s Generative AI performance reports.
- Monitoring organic visibility and enquiries.
- Checking identifiable referral traffic from ChatGPT and other AI platforms.
- Testing relevant customer questions periodically.
- Tracking whether AI-referred visitors become leads or customers.
Manual question testing can be useful for research, but results may vary and shouldn’t be treated as a fixed ranking.
Why it matters: The objective is not simply to get mentioned by AI. It’s to attract relevant customers and generate meaningful business opportunities.
10. Avoid shortcuts that promise guaranteed AI rankings
As AI search has grown, so has the number of services promising to make websites appear in ChatGPT or dominate AI-generated answers.
Be cautious about those claims.
There is no reliable shortcut that guarantees your business will be recommended in a particular AI response.
Likewise, Google has warned against several popular misconceptions about optimising specifically for generative AI search.
For example, Google doesn’t require a special llms.txt file, separate AI-focused website copy or a particular content-chunking technique for inclusion in its AI search features.
These are not substitutes for good technical SEO and useful content.
Be particularly cautious of services that guarantee specific AI mentions, recommend generating hundreds of near-identical articles or claim access to secret ranking signals.
A stronger approach is to focus on the fundamentals: accurate business information, accessible website content, genuine expertise and a credible online presence.
How long does it take to appear in ChatGPT or Google AI Search?
There isn’t a fixed timeframe.
Search platforms need to discover and process information before they can use it, and inclusion is never guaranteed.
Some technical changes may be detected relatively quickly, while broader content improvements and reputation-building efforts can take considerably longer.
For businesses starting from a weak SEO foundation, the first priority should be fixing technical problems and improving important website pages.
For businesses with established websites and strong content, the opportunity may be to refine existing information, address content gaps and measure how visibility develops.
AI search optimisation should be treated as ongoing work rather than a once-off technical change.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to rank higher in ChatGPT’s organic answers?
There isn’t a paid placement option that guarantees a higher position in ChatGPT’s organic search answers. Organic results and any separately labelled advertising placements are distinct.
Is AI search optimisation different from SEO?
The terms Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) are often used to describe work focused on AI search visibility. However, many of the fundamentals overlap with established SEO practices, including technical accessibility, authoritative content and clear business information.
Does my website need a special AI plugin?
No. There is no universal plugin required for websites to appear in ChatGPT or Google’s AI search features. The priority is ensuring your website is accessible, technically sound and contains useful, accurate information.
Can a small South African business appear in AI search results?
Yes. Publicly accessible websites can be eligible for discovery regardless of business size. Visibility depends on the relevance of the business and its content, technical accessibility and the search platform’s systems.
Should businesses stop investing in traditional Google SEO?
No. Traditional SEO remains important. The best approach is to build a strong SEO foundation while adapting your content and measurement practices to changing search behaviour.
The future of search is changing, but the fundamentals still matter
AI is changing how customers discover information and evaluate businesses.
For South African companies, this creates an opportunity to rethink how their websites communicate expertise, explain services and support the customer decision-making process.
But getting found through AI isn’t about chasing every new technical trend.
It’s about making your business easier to discover, easier to understand and easier to trust.
A strong website, effective technical SEO and genuinely useful content remain some of the most valuable investments you can make.
Help your business get found with Digital Fold
At Digital Fold, we combine website development, technical SEO and digital strategy to help businesses strengthen their online presence.
As search technology changes, we help businesses build websites that are technically sound, clearly structured and designed around the information their customers actually need.
Whether you’re looking to improve an existing website, strengthen your SEO or understand how AI search may affect your business, we can help you identify the next steps.
