How to Get Found Online: Old Search vs. AI Search

Ask a robot for pizza

Imagine you are hungry. You pick up a phone and ask, "What is the best pizza place near me?" A robot answers in one second. It names just one or two places.

Now imagine you own a pizza shop. Would the robot say your name? If not, that hungry person may never find you.

That is what this article is about. For years, businesses worked hard to show up on Google. Now many people ask AI helpers, like ChatGPT, instead. Getting found is changing, and the rules are a little different.

The old way: climbing the list

Have you ever searched Google and only clicked the first few links? Most people do. That is why being near the top matters so much.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It means making your website easy for search engines to find and like. Think of it as a race up a ladder. The higher your page is on the list, the more people click it.

Here are the main ways people climb that ladder:

• Keywords: Using the words people type, like "pizza in Denver."

• Backlinks: Getting other websites to link to yours. Each link is like a vote that says, "This site is good."

• A healthy website: Pages that load fast and work well on phones.

• Google Business Profile: A free listing that puts a shop on Google Maps.

The goal is simple. Rank high, and people click.

The new way: getting picked by AI

What if there were no list at all? With AI search, there often isn't. The AI reads lots of websites, then writes one short answer.

So the goal changes. You are not trying to be first on a list. You are trying to be named or quoted in the answer. Some people call this GEO, short for generative engine optimization. "Generative" just means the AI writes, or generates, its answer.

And it is growing fast. A big survey of 1,002 American adults by BrightLocal found that 45% of people used AI tools to find local businesses in 2026. Just one year before, it was only 6% (BrightLocal). That is more than seven times as many people in one year!

Votes vs. chatter: what is different?

Here is a surprise. In AI search, being talked about can matter more than being linked to.

Think about your school. A backlink is like a teacher writing your name on the honor roll. A brand mention is like kids all over school saying, "That pizza place is great!" Old search cares most about the honor roll. AI listens to the whole hallway.

One more tip: AI likes facts it can repeat. Numbers, quotes and clear sources make your page easier for an AI to use. You will see the proof in the science section below.

Small shops, big chance

Does this mean Google Maps is over? Not at all.

People still double-check. In a 2026 BrightLocal survey, 75% of shoppers who found a local business with AI looked it up on Google or Maps before contacting it (eMarketer). So your Google listing is still your front door.

But getting picked by AI is harder. BrightLocal reports that fewer than half of the businesses at the top of Google's local results also show up in AI recommendations (BrightLocal).

What helps a small shop stand out?

• Be specific. Don't just say "pizza." Say "wood-fired, gluten-free pizza, open late."

• Get reviews. 97% of people read reviews for local businesses, and AI reads them too (BrightLocal).

• Match everywhere. Use the same name, address and hours on every site.

What do scientists say?

How do we know any of this is true? Let's look at the evidence, like a detective.

Clue 1: The Princeton experiment. Scientists from Princeton, Georgia Tech, the Allen Institute for AI and IIT Delhi tested nine ways to change web pages. They checked which changes made AI answers use those pages more. Adding statistics, quotes and sources worked best, raising visibility by up to 40%. Small websites gained the most (GEO paper; Search Engine Journal). The study was shared at a major computer science conference in 2024.

Clue 2: The 75,000-brand study. The SEO company Ahrefs studied 75,000 brands. It compared different signals with how often Google's AI Overviews named each brand. Think of a score from 0 to 1, where 1 means "they always go together." Mentions around the web scored 0.66. Backlinks scored only 0.22 (Ahrefs).

A detective's warning. These clues are strong, but not perfect.

• Going together is not the same as causing. Kids who carry umbrellas often get wet. Umbrellas don't make rain! Ahrefs says this too: its study shows a link, not proof of cause.

• Some studies come from companies. Ahrefs sells SEO tools. Its data is useful, but it is not a university study.

• AI changes fast. What works today could change next year.

Win at both: a simple checklist

Good news! You don't have to pick one. Most things that help with old search help with AI search too.

• Fill out your Google Business Profile completely, with hours, photos and services.

• Ask happy customers to leave reviews.

• Write pages that answer real questions in plain words.

• Add facts, numbers and sources to your pages.

• Describe exactly what you do and who you help.

• Keep your name, address and phone the same everywhere.

• Get your business mentioned in local news, blogs and community sites.

• Keep earning links from trusted websites.

• Ask AI tools about your type of business and see who they name.

The big idea

Remember the hungry person asking a robot for pizza? Next time, the robot might say your name.

Old search helps people find you. AI search helps the robot trust and recommend you. The best plan is to do both: build a strong website, and get people talking about you all over the internet.

Sources

• Aggarwal, P., et al. (2024). GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. Princeton University and partners, KDD 2024.

• Search Engine Journal. Researchers show how to rank in AI search.

• Ahrefs (2025). An Analysis of AI Overview Brand Visibility Factors (75K Brands Studied).

• BrightLocal (2026). Local Consumer Review Survey.

• BrightLocal (2026). Local SEO Statistics.

• eMarketer (2026). Shoppers use AI to find local businesses, then double-check on Google.