Most business websites were built to rank on Google and convert human visitors. That’s still important. But AI search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews have different requirements, and most websites fail them. Here are some strategic AI search optimizations and how to fix them without rebuilding from scratch.
We audited numerous small business websites last quarter with a specific focus: can AI systems easily understand and cite this business? The results weren’t great. Even sites that ranked well on Google often failed basic AI readability tests.
The good news is that most fixes are straightforward. The bad news is that almost nobody is doing them yet.
Why AI Search Has Different Requirements
When a human visits your website, they can infer a lot from context. They see your logo and understand it’s a roofing company. They read between the lines of your service descriptions. They navigate around looking for what they need.
AI systems don’t work that way. They need explicit, structured information. They can’t interpret that roof photo. They need text that says “hurricane-resistant roofing installation in Stuart, Florida.” They don’t browse your site looking for details. They extract whatever information is clearly presented and move on.
This fundamental difference explains why sites that look great and rank well can still be invisible to AI recommendations.
The Five Most Common Problems (And How to Fix Them)
Problem 1: Vague Service Descriptions
Look at your services page right now. Does it say something like “We offer quality roofing services to meet your needs,” or does it say “We install, repair, and replace shingle, tile, and metal roofs for residential and commercial properties in Martin County, St. Lucie County, and Palm Beach County, Florida”?
The first version sounds fine to humans. We understand what “quality roofing services” means. But AI systems have nothing specific to extract. When someone asks ChatGPT for a roofing company that installs metal roofs in Stuart, your business won’t appear because you never explicitly stated that’s what you do.
The Fix
Rewrite service descriptions to be explicitly specific. List every service type. Name every service area. Include the problems you solve, the methods you use, and the results you deliver. More detail is better. AI can extract what’s relevant, but it can’t infer what you didn’t say.
Before: “Professional HVAC services for your comfort needs.”
After: “We install, repair, and maintain air conditioning systems, heat pumps, and furnaces for homes and businesses in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie, and surrounding South Florida communities. Our services include emergency AC repair, seasonal maintenance, duct cleaning, and new system installation for both residential and commercial properties.”
Problem 2: Missing Schema Markup
Schema markup is code that tells search engines (and AI systems) exactly what your content means. It’s the difference between a page that contains your address and a page that explicitly declares “this is a local business located at this specific address with these hours and these services.”
About 72% of websites ranking on Google’s first page use schema markup. For local businesses specifically, the LocalBusiness schema can significantly improve how AI understands and cites you.
Most small business websites lack schema or use a very basic implementation that omits critical information.
The Fix
At a minimum, implement the LocalBusiness schema that includes your business name and type, address, phone number, hours of operation, service area, services offered, and links to your social profiles and Google Business Profile.
For content pages, add FAQ schema for frequently asked questions and Article schema with author information for blog posts.
If you’re using WordPress, plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math can handle basic schema markup. For more complex implementations, you may need developer help.
Problem 3: Content That Buries the Answer
Traditional SEO content often builds to a conclusion. You start with context, add supporting information, and finally answer the question in the last paragraph.
AI systems prefer the opposite. They want the answer first, then supporting details. When ChatGPT is looking for information to cite, it’s more likely to pull from content that leads with clear, direct answers.
We call this “answer-first formatting,” and most business websites get it backward.
The Fix
Restructure your content to lead with answers. Every page should clearly state its purpose in the first 40-60 words. Use your headings to pose questions, then answer them immediately.
Before: “When it comes to choosing a roofing material, there are many factors to consider. Climate, budget, aesthetic preference, and long-term maintenance requirements all play a role. In Florida, hurricane resistance is especially important given our seasonal storms. After weighing all these factors, many homeowners find that metal roofing offers the best combination of durability and value for Florida homes.”
After: “Metal roofing is often the best choice for Florida homes because it resists hurricane-force winds up to 140 mph, lasts 40-70 years, and reflects heat to reduce cooling costs. Here’s what you need to know about choosing and installing metal roofing in South Florida…”
Problem 4: No LLMS.txt File
You’ve probably heard of robots.txt, the file that tells search engines what they can and can’t crawl on your site. LLMS.txt is an emerging equivalent for AI systems.
The LLMS.txt file sits in your website’s root directory and provides AI systems with a structured overview of your business: what you do, who you serve, what makes you different, and where to find key information on your site.
This isn’t yet a universal standard. AI providers haven’t formally committed to using it. But early adoption data shows promising results. One case study reported a 600% increase in GPTBot (ChatGPT’s crawler) visits after implementing LLMS.txt.
The Fix
Create an LLMS.txt file in your website’s root directory. Include a clear business description, your primary services, your service areas, your key differentiators, and a sitemap linking to your most important pages.
If you’re using WordPress with Rank Math, the plugin now includes LLMS.txt generation. Otherwise, it’s a simple text file you can create manually or with developer help.
Problem 5: Inconsistent Information Across the Web
AI systems don’t just look at your website. They pull information from Google Business Profile, Yelp, industry directories, social media profiles, and any other place your business is mentioned online.
When that information is inconsistent (different phone numbers, old addresses, variations in your business name), it creates confusion. AI systems may present incorrect information or simply not cite you because they can’t determine what’s accurate.
We often find businesses with their name spelled three different ways across various directories. That’s a problem.
The Fix
Audit every online mention of your business. Your name, address, phone number, and website URL should be identical across all fields. Not similar. Identical.
Claim and update profiles on Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, LinkedIn, and industry-specific directories. Check data aggregators such as Data Axle and Localeze, which feed information to many other directories.
This is tedious work, but it’s foundational. Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information hurts both traditional local SEO and AI visibility.
The Quick Audit: Check Your AI Readability in 10 Minutes
Before diving into fixes, assess your current state. Here’s a quick audit you can do right now:
- Ask ChatGPT about your business by name. Is the information accurate? Is there any information at all?
- Ask ChatGPT for your service type in your city (“best [your service] in [your city]”). Do you appear? If not, who does, and why might they be getting cited?
- Read your website’s first paragraph on key pages. Does it clearly state what you do and where you do it within the first 60 words?
- Check your Google Business Profile. Is every field filled out? Are your services listed? Is your service area defined?
- Google your business name plus your city. Do the results show consistent information, or are there discrepancies?
If you found problems in any of these areas, you know where to start.
Prioritizing Your Fixes
Not everything needs to happen at once. If you’re working with limited time and budget, here’s the order we typically recommend:
First priority: Fix your Google Business Profile. It’s free, it’s relatively quick, and it has an outsized impact on both local SEO and AI visibility.
Second priority: Rewrite your homepage and primary service pages to lead with clear, specific information. This is where AI systems look first.
Third priority: Implement LocalBusiness schema markup. This can often be done through plugins if you’re on WordPress.
Fourth priority: Clean up your directory listings. Start with the major ones (Yelp, Facebook, industry-specific directories) and work outward.
Fifth priority: Add LLMS.txt and continue optimizing AI citations.
The Payoff: What AI-Ready Websites Get
Businesses that optimize for AI visibility see several benefits beyond just appearing in ChatGPT recommendations:
Better Google rankings. Many of these optimizations, especially schema markup and clear content structure, also help traditional SEO.
Higher quality traffic. People who find you through AI recommendations often have higher intent. They’re not browsing. They asked a specific question, and AI said you’re the answer.
Future-proofing. AI search is growing rapidly. The businesses that build AI-friendly foundations now will benefit as adoption increases.
Competitive advantage. Most of your competitors aren’t doing this yet. Early movers capture market share before the space gets crowded.
AI Search Optimization: How Growth Squad Can Help
We’ve built AI readiness into our standard website and SEO services because we saw this shift coming. Every website we build and every optimization project we take on now includes the elements that make businesses visible to AI systems.
That starts with LLMS.txt files. We now include LLMS.txt files in all our website builds and can add them to existing sites as part of our optimization work. Each file is tailored to your specific business, services, and service areas. It’s not a generic template. It’s a structured document that provides AI systems with the information they need about your business.
Beyond LLMS.txt, we handle the full range of AI visibility work: comprehensive schema markup implementation, answer-first content restructuring, NAP consistency audits across directories, and ongoing monitoring of how your business appears in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews.
We also make sure the traditional SEO foundation is solid. AI visibility builds on top of good local SEO, not instead of it. Google Business Profile optimization, technical site health, content strategy, and link building all still matter. We handle those, too.
Not sure where your website stands?
We offer a comprehensive AI readiness audit that evaluates your website against all five problem areas covered in this article. You’ll get a clear report on what’s working and what’s missing, along with a prioritized action plan to improve your site’s visibility to AI search systems.
Contact us to schedule your AI readiness audit and find out how your website measures up.
