Your Business Isn't Showing Up in AI Search. Here's Why GEO matters.

Amanda Goodfellow
1 day ago
4 min read

Let's talk about the thing that's gobbling up your Google traffic.

AI search.

You've seen it. You type something into Google and before you can even clock the first real result, there's this little sparkly blue icon and a whole paragraph just... answering your question. No clicking required. No scrolling. Just an answer.

That's Google's AI Overview. And it is absolutely wild how fast it's changing the way people find local businesses.

The question is: is YOUR business showing up in it?

Search changed while you were making content

For years the goal was simple. Rank on page one. Get reviews. Put some money into Google Ads so you have a better chance of showing up first.

That still matters. But it's not the whole game anymore.

People are typing their questions into ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews and getting direct answers — with business recommendations, phone numbers, and booking links — before they've visited a single website.

They ask a question in plain language and the AI tells them exactly where to go, who to call, and sometimes even how to book.

For local service businesses this is either the best thing that's ever happened to your marketing or a giant flashing neon sign that your website isn't built for the internet we actually live in.

Spoiler: most websites aren't. But we'll get to that.

Okay but let me show you something cool

One of my clients is Sidney by the Sea Dental Clinic in Sidney, BC. I built their website.

Go ahead and Google "book a dental cleaning in Sidney" right now. I'll wait.

a screenshot of an organic search on google showing the AI overview, highlighting good GEO practices

Yeah. That's them. First thing Google's AI recommends — before the map pack, before anyone else. By name. With specific details about their 90-minute hygiene appointments, their new patient policy, and the Canadian Dental Care Plan. Google's AI is practically booking the appointment for people.

Did that happen because Sidney by the Sea got lucky? No.

Did it happen because they paid for ads? Nope — AI Overviews are organic. You can't buy your way into them. You have to earn it.

It happened because their website was built to be found — by Google, by AI tools, and by real humans who are just trying to get their teeth cleaned.

So what actually makes you show up?

Great question. Here's the unsexy truth: it's not one magic thing. It's a bunch of deliberate, specific stuff that most websites completely skip.

Schema markup.

This is structured code built into your website that tells Google — and AI tools — exactly what your business is, what you do, where you are, and how to reach you. It's invisible to your visitors. It's incredibly visible to search engines. Most small business websites have none, or just the bare minimum their platform auto-generates, which doesn't do much. Every site I build includes it.

Specific, plain-language content.

AI Overviews pull from content that directly answers questions people are actually asking. "We offer 90-minute hygiene appointments and accept new patients" gets surfaced. "We provide comprehensive patient-centered care in a welcoming environment" gets ignored. Say what you do. Say it clearly. No vague fluff.

Entity clarity.

Your business name, address, phone number, and services need to be stated clearly and consistently — on your website and across the web. AI tools cross-reference sources. Inconsistency makes them nervous. Consistency makes them confident enough to recommend you.

A solid Google Business Profile.

AI Overviews for local businesses pull heavily from GBP. If yours is half-finished from 2019 with three photos and no hours listed — we need to talk.

None of this is complicated. All of it is skipped constantly. Which is honestly great news for the businesses that do it right.

GEO: the buzzword that's actually real

You might start seeing the term GEO thrown around — Generative Engine Optimization. It sounds like a buzzword (and it kind of is) but the concept underneath it is genuinely important.

GEO is how you make sure AI-powered search tools can find, understand, and recommend your business — not just Google's traditional blue links.

Here's the thing though: GEO and SEO aren't that different. Most of what makes a website rank well on Google also helps it show up in AI search. The main additions are comprehensive schema markup, content written to directly answer questions, and making sure your business information is airtight everywhere it lives online.

The businesses winning the next decade of local search are building for both right now. Not waiting until AI search feels "mainstream enough to matter."

It's already mainstream. That screenshot is proof.

What this means for your website specifically

If your website was built a few years ago by someone who "handled the SEO" — it was probably optimized for a version of search that's already changing. Page titles, a few keywords, maybe some backlinks. A solid start. But not enough anymore.

If your website was built by the cheapest option available — it likely has none of this infrastructure at all. It might look beautiful. But to AI search tools it's essentially a pretty ghost.

And if you DIY'd it on a template — same situation. The design might be gorgeous. But the foundation underneath determines whether anyone actually finds you.

The good news? This is all fixable. It just has to be built correctly.

Here's what I actually do about it

Every website I build through the Magic Site Package includes full SEO and GEO setup baked into the foundation — not an add-on, not an afterthought, not something I'll "get to eventually."

Keyword research tailored to your services and location. Optimized page structure. Comprehensive schema markup. Sitemap creation. GA4. Google Search Console. And GEO optimization so your business shows up wherever people are searching next — including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews.

Sidney by the Sea is showing up in AI search because their site was built right.

Yours can be too. ✨

→ Book a Strategy Spark Session — let's talk about what your website is missing and what it would take to get you in the results that actually matter.