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While Google still dominates online search, AI is changing the way people discover businesses, both in traditional search engines and AI chatbots. Instead of a list of links, search platforms can deliver summaries like Google’s AI Overviews or conversational responses like ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity. These AI responses answer questions directly by aggregating information from across the web, including business websites like yours.
For service-based business owners like therapists, consultants, and creative freelancers, that shift means there are new ways for clients to discover you. But to get mentioned and recommended in AI responses, your site needs to be clear, trustworthy, and AI-friendly.
Below are some basics on how AI SEO works and how to start optimizing your site to appear in these newer tools.
What is AI SEO or AIO?
AI optimization (AIO) or AI SEO is the practice of making your website easier for AI tools to crawl and feature in their responses, similar to how SEO optimizes for traditional search results. You’ll see it referred to as AIO across Squarespace, but because it’s a relatively new subject, you may see it called GEO (generative engine optimization), AEO (answer engine optimization), or LLMO (large language model optimization) elsewhere.
Traditional SEO focuses on getting your website to rank higher in search results. AI SEO focuses on helping your business get included in AI-generated answers and summaries. The goal is the same: Help people find your business online and build trust with them.
Right now, many strategies that apply to SEO can also apply to AIO, but it’s an evolving space. To stay visible in AI search results, you need to be ready to adapt how you structure, describe, and talk about your services online.
Read our intro to preparing your site for AIO
How service providers show up in AI search
AI search tools and chatbots don’t just link to products, businesses, or websites. They also summarize service listings and offer recommendations based on what they find online. Responses can change every time you ask a platform the same question, and results might be customized to your search history.
AI tools can show your business in different ways, depending on what someone is searching for and how your business is mentioned across the web.
Here are a few ways you’re likely to appear as a service provider:
Direct business recommendations: Your business name, description, and website link might appear in a short list with others offering similar services.
Map listings: If your business has a physical location, you might appear on an interactive map listing your business hours, contact information, and website information.
Review overviews: AI tools often pull from online reviews or directory listings to describe what your business does or how it’s perceived.
Summarized content: Blog posts or service pages that answer questions clearly may be quoted or paraphrased as part of an AI-generated explanation. Your site would be linked as a source in this case.
The more clearly you explain your services, and the more your business is mentioned elsewhere, the more likely you are to show up in one or more of these result types.
AI visibility vs. AI search traffic
It’s important to understand the difference between visibility and traffic when it comes to AI search. Visibility means your business is mentioned or cited in a result. Traffic means someone actually clicks through to visit your website.
You might appear in an AI search result without seeing more website visitors. Since AI results are longer and summarize more website content, it’s possible someone is getting the information they wanted without clicking through to your website. But that still matters: Visibility in answers builds awareness and trust that can lead to traffic or bookings later.
7 ways to prepare your business for AIO
AI search tools look at many of the same signals that matter for traditional search. But how AI displays results and chooses what businesses to show can have implications for how you optimize your online presence.
The main thing to remember: The clearer and more consistent your online presence is, the better positioned you’ll be to appear in AI search responses.
1. Fill your website with clear, complete information
Make sure your homepage and service pages explain what you do and who you help. Use clear, complete descriptions for your services and simple language.
Include the basics:
Your name and business name
What services you offer and what each includes
Where you work or serve clients
How to contact you or book a session
Organize your web pages in a way that’s easy for both people and machines to read: Use labels and headings for key business details like contact information, and include FAQs or answers to common questions about your services. This clear structure makes it easier for AI tools to pick up the right information and repeat it for searchers.
2. Build your local credibility
If you serve clients in a specific area, make sure that’s visible across your site and online profiles. Local cues help AI tools match your business to nearby searchers, which can help you show up in map-style results.
Try adding:
Your city or region on your homepage and service pages
A contact page with a map or address block
Local keywords naturally placed in your copy, like “massage therapist in Portland” or “photographer serving Atlanta”
On top of this, make sure your business details are accurate and complete across popular business directories like Yelp, Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, and Bing Places. You want to make sure that no matter where AI pulls information from, it’s correct.
3. Use conversational language
AI tools often answer natural language questions like “Who offers online coaching for creatives?” or “Where can I book a couples therapy session near me?”
You can optimize for these searches by answering real questions in your website content in complete, simple sentences. For example:
“I offer virtual nutrition coaching for individuals and families.”
“This service is ideal for small businesses looking for custom logo design.”
Consider adding a FAQ section that mirrors how someone might talk about or search for your service. This makes it easier for AI to recognize your relevance to a wide range of searches.
For example, you might include FAQs like, “How does online coaching work?” or “Do you offer virtual therapy sessions?” Consider common questions you get about your business as a starting point.
4. Build off-platform references
Mentions of your business beyond your website help reinforce your credibility. AI tools scan the wider web to check what others are saying and could repeat what people say about your business in their responses.
To build a stronger off-site presence:
Ask happy clients to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, or niche directories.
Contribute answers or advice to forums like Quora or Reddit when relevant.
Pitch yourself to be featured in niche blogs or community newsletters.
Collaborate with others in your field to be featured in roundups or lists.
Partner with local businesses for co-marketing or giveaways.
Join your local small business or event directories.
These references act like votes of confidence for your business and reinforce the message you want to send about your services. That can influence which businesses AI recommends in a response or how they categorize your business in a “Best for”-style response.
5. Publish helpful, experience-driven content
Sharing useful content is a way to demonstrate your expertise and increase your presence in AI search results. One of the most common ways to do this is with blog posts answering common client questions. For example, a dietician might share recipes or create blogs like, “How much protein do you need per day?”
If blogging doesn’t feel like a fit for your business, you could focus on:
Service pages with detailed explanations of your approach
Checklists or guides related to your field
Testimonials that share client outcomes
Recaps of client projects and success stories
Even one or two helpful posts can make a difference in how AI tools understand and recommend your business.
6. Keep your content fresh and accurate
AI tools often prioritize linking to websites that have been updated recently in an attempt to ensure they’re delivering the most updated information. Updating your website regularly signals that your business is active and reliable. It also ensures that AI tools are sharing the right information about your business.
That doesn’t mean you need to make changes constantly. Instead, aim to:
Refresh your homepage and service details at least every few months
Update your contact info, pricing, or schedule whenever it changes
Add new content when you launch a service, host an event, or see a new client trend
Check your off-website profiles for necessary updates every few months
These small changes can help your business stay visible and relevant.
7. Keep an eye on what’s working
Once you start working to improve your visibility, keep tabs on where you stand. While there are paid tools out there for tracking AI visibility, browsing results yourself can help you stay informed.
These searches help you identify gaps in your online presence and help you understand if you need to strengthen it.
Use search analytics tools. Use Squarespace Analytics or Google Analytics to track how people are finding you.
Search for your business. Search ChatGPT, Gemini, Google, or Perplexity and analyze what comes up. If you're mentioned, look at how you’re shown in results. If not, consider what you might be missing that the businesses shown do have.
Ask questions you’d want your business to show up for. For example, “What are the best wedding florists in San Diego?” or “Where can I get gluten-free brunch in Denver?” Ask the same questions on a regular basis to analyze any changes.
Notice how results populate. Are you getting map results, conversational answers, or organized lists? If you’re not showing up, can you do anything to try to appear in similar content?
AI search isn’t replacing traditional search results, but it’s reshaping how information is collected, trusted, and shared. Remember, you don’t need to do everything at once. Begin with a few key updates to your website, then focus on improving your local signals and off-site presence.
AIO is developing alongside AI search platforms, so best practices may change over time. You can find our newest content in our AIO hub and trust Squarespace to keep blogs updated as information changes. No matter how search evolves, the businesses that show up clearly, confidently, and consistently will always stand out.