The way people search online is changing… quickly! If you’ve spotted those little AI-generated summaries sitting at the top of your search results, that’s them in action. AI search is now front and centre, helping users find answers before they’ve even clicked a single link.

This is a big shift, and it’s something businesses – especially small ones – need to pay attention to.

Unlike traditional search, which simply listed websites based on keywords and backlinks, AI search goes a step further. It summarises, recommends, and prioritises content from all over the web – including your website, social media, reviews, and anywhere your brand is being talked about.

So, if your site isn’t sending out the right signals, you could be left out of the conversation entirely. Visibility isn’t just about showing up on page one anymore, it’s about being understood and trusted by the tools that are doing the summarising.

It’s a level playing field, for now.

Here’s the exciting part. As this is such a new field, it gives us the opportunity to get ahead of the game right now. We are all learning this together, and no one really knows exactly where it’s going to go. That means small businesses have just as much chance as the big-budget brands to make smart, strategic changes – changes that could have a long-lasting effect.

The reason traditional SEO works well for big budgets is that it often relies on scale – publishing frequent content, building backlinks, and competing for high-volume keywords over time. These strategies absolutely work, but they can be time-consuming and costly, which gives larger companies an advantage. AI search, on the other hand, is shifting the focus. It rewards clarity, structure, and genuine authority, which means smaller businesses now have more opportunity to stand out with smart, well-built websites.

It’s not about doing everything at once – just a few clear steps in the right direction

A well-built website doesn’t need to be fancy, but it does need to be structured in a way that makes sense to both people and search tools. That means clean page layouts, consistent branding, clear headings, and content that answers real questions. It should also load quickly, work on mobile, and include trust signals like testimonials or case studies.

Here’s the thing – none of this is new. These are the same solid web practices we’ve always recommended, forming the technical backbone of traditional SEO.

But in the past, if you weren’t investing in backlinks, paid ads, or churning out weekly blog posts, these technical details may have felt like they wouldn’t make much difference. Many small businesses simply didn’t prioritise them, because without a big budget, SEO felt out of reach.

Now, with AI search on the rise, those same basics suddenly matter more than ever. AI tools rely on clear structure, strong signals, and well-organised content to understand and quote your site – even if you’re not ranking at the top of Google.

That means you don’t need to outspend the big brands. You just need a site that’s built well, structured clearly, and genuinely helpful to your audience.

Behind the scenes, things like structured headings and schema markup give your content an extra layer of clarity. They help AI understand what your site is about, how it’s organised, and why it should be trusted, which makes it more likely your content will be picked up and recommended.

But don’t wait too long…

Right now, AI search is mostly organic. It’s all about quality content, clear messaging, and trustworthy signals. That means small brands can compete on a fairly level playing field with the big guys.

But that might not last forever.

Big tech companies are already exploring ways to monetise AI search, and it’s likely we’ll start seeing sponsored AI answers and paid placements similar to Google Ads. In fact, Google’s experimental Search Generative Experience is already displaying ads within AI summaries. Microsoft is doing the same through Bing’s AI results.

This shift could mean that early movers – businesses that improve their websites now – will have a long-term advantage. The sooner your site starts showing up in AI results, the harder it will be to dislodge later.

The 3 Rs of being AI-ready

At Red Swirl, we keep things simple and practical. To get your site ready for AI search, we focus on the Three Rs – recognition, reputation, and recommendations. These three ingredients help your website rise to the surface when AI is deciding what to show, summarise, or suggest.

Here’s a quick look at what they mean:

• Recognition: Your brand needs to be easy to identify and understand – by both people and machines. This includes consistent branding, clear messaging, and clean structure throughout your site.
• Reputation: Trust matters. AI looks for credible, well-reviewed, and reliable sources. If your site includes testimonials, case studies, and content that shows you know your stuff, you’re already ahead.
• Recommendations: Word-of-mouth has gone digital. When people talk about you online – in reviews, blogs, forums or social media – AI takes note. It pays attention to who’s mentioning you and what they’re saying. Social media activity, brand mentions, and shares all contribute to how your business is seen online. While AI tools may not always index every social post, they take cues from what’s being said about your brand across platforms – which means your online presence needs to be consistent, connected, and credible.

Each of these areas can be improved with small but meaningful changes, and over the next few weeks, we’ll take a closer look at how you can do just that.

Next week: How to make your brand more visible and recognisable to AI-powered search tools. Deep dive into brand clarity and structure.