Founder & CEO – ROI Growth Agency | 1300 650 274 | Bachelor of Business in Marketing25+ years digital marketing experience
5 Things Most Business Owners Don’t Know about AI Search
1. Your AI Traffic Is Invisible
ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity referrals show up as “direct” in Google Analytics. The worst part is, AI often uses cached data and never visits your site at all. You’re influencing sales without seeing any clicks. Track what you can, but focus on whether inquiries are increasing, not where Analytics says they came from.
2. AI Prioritises Your Website Over Your Reviews
AI tools don’t weigh your Google reviews like search rankings do. They rely on what’s actually written on your website: clear descriptions, pricing, and structured content. Your website copy is now your primary discovery asset. Make it clear and complete.
3. AI Gets Business Info Wrong – And There’s No Fix
AI can serve outdated hours, wrong pricing, or old locations with total confidence. No “suggest an edit” button exists. Add schema markup to your website. It’s the only way to help AI parse your info correctly.
4. Being Quoted > Being Clicked
Users get instant AI answers without visiting sites. If you’re mentioned in the response, you win. If not, you don’t exist. Optimise to be cited, not just ranked. Use natural language, answer questions on your site, and get mentioned by authoritative sources.
5. AI Hallucinates – And It Can Damage Your Brand
When uncertain, AI models generate plausible-sounding answers that mix partial truths or pure invention. Your business can be misrepresented simply because the AI filled knowledge gaps. Keep information identical across your website, Google Business, and all directories. Less ambiguity = less hallucination.
