Why Your Business Needs to Get Ready for AI Search Right Now

Written by Ewan Watt – Founder of ROI.com.au Growth Agency, 25 years SEO and Digital Marketing Experience

Let’s Talk About What’s Really Happening with Search

If you’ve been running a business for a while, you know how important Google is for getting customers. But here’s the thing – search is changing dramatically right in front of us, and most Australian businesses haven’t even noticed yet.

When someone searches on Google now, they’re not just getting a list of websites anymore. They’re getting direct answers from AI. And if your business isn’t the one being cited as the expert in those AI answers, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity.

Here’s what’s happening: 52% of Google searches now show AI-generated answers at the top of the page. These answers cite 2-3 businesses as the trusted experts. If you’re one of those businesses, you get higher-quality traffic that converts better. If you’re not, you’re competing for the leftovers.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Traditional SEO was about getting to the top 10 results. Now it’s about being THE answer that AI gives to people’s questions. When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI about your industry, you want your business to be the one they reference as the go-to expert.

The best part? 88% of Australian businesses haven’t figured this out yet. That means there’s a window of opportunity right now that won’t last forever.

So What Exactly Is AI SEO?

Let me explain this in simple terms. Traditional SEO was about making Google understand your website so it would show up in search results. AI SEO is about making AI systems understand that you’re the expert they should cite when people ask questions in your field.

Think about it this way:

Old way: Someone searches “best accountant Sydney” → Google shows 10 accounting websites → Person has to click through and compare

New way: Someone asks “What should I know about tax deductions for my small business?” → AI gives a detailed answer → AI says “According to [Your Business Name], a leading Sydney accounting firm…”

See the difference? In the old way, you were competing with 9 other results. In the new way, you ARE the answer.

Why AI Citations Are Gold

When an AI system cites your business, it’s essentially giving you an endorsement in front of thousands of potential customers. People trust AI recommendations, and they arrive at your website already believing you’re the expert. That’s why businesses getting AI citations see conversion rates that are 3 times higher than traditional search traffic.

How We Got Here: The Evolution of Search

Let me walk you through how we ended up at this point, because understanding the journey helps you see where we’re heading.

The Keyword Days (2000s)

Back in the early days, SEO was pretty simple. You figured out what words people were searching for, then you stuffed those words into your website as much as possible. It was crude, but it worked.

The Content Quality Era (2010s)

Google got smarter and started rewarding websites with genuinely helpful content. This is when we started seeing businesses create blogs, guides, and resources to establish authority. Quality became more important than keyword density.

The Intent Era (2020-2024)

Search engines began understanding what people actually wanted, not just what they typed. Featured snippets appeared, and Google started giving direct answers pulled from websites.

The AI Era (2024 and Beyond)

Now we have AI systems that can have full conversations with users and provide comprehensive answers while citing the most authoritative sources. This is where we are today, and it’s accelerating fast.

What This Means for Your Business

Each evolution made search more competitive, but also more rewarding for businesses that adapted early. We’re at one of those pivotal moments right now. The businesses that understand AI search and position themselves properly will dominate their industries. Those that don’t will wonder where their traffic went.

Understanding Google AI Overviews in Australia

You’ve probably seen these already without realising what they were. When you search for something on Google, you might see a grey box at the top with a detailed answer and links to sources. That’s an AI Overview, and they’re appearing on more than half of all searches in Australia now.

How These AI Overviews Actually Work

Google’s AI (called Gemini) looks at your search, understands what you’re really asking, then searches through millions of web pages to find the most authoritative information. It creates a custom answer and cites the sources it trusts most.

The key word here is “trust.” The AI doesn’t just pick random websites – it looks for businesses and content creators that consistently demonstrate expertise, particularly local Australian expertise.

What Questions Trigger AI Overviews

Based on what we’re seeing in Australia, AI Overviews are most common for:

“How do I…” questions (74% of the time)
“What’s the difference between…” comparisons (68% of the time)
Questions about Australian laws or regulations (65% of the time)
Health and medical questions (71% of the time)
Financial advice questions (63% of the time)
Legal information (69% of the time)

The Australian Advantage

Here’s something interesting: Google’s AI has a strong preference for Australian sources when answering questions from Australian users. It wants to cite businesses that understand Australian regulations, use Australian spelling, work in Australian dollars, and know the local context.

This gives Australian businesses a natural advantage, but only if they structure their content properly for AI to find and cite.

What Is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

This is the fancy name for optimising your content for AI systems, but let me break it down in plain English.

Traditional search engines like Google are essentially giant libraries – they index websites and show you the best matches for your search. Generative AI engines are more like having a conversation with an expert who has read everything on the internet and can give you custom answers.

How This Changes Everything

When someone asks ChatGPT, “What’s the best way to structure a business loan in Australia?”, it doesn’t just show them a list of websites. It creates a comprehensive answer and says something like, “According to financial experts including [your business name]…”

That’s a citation. And getting cited by AI is incredibly valuable because:

The user gets their answer immediately
They trust the AI’s recommendation
When they click through to your website, they’re already convinced you’re an expert
They convert at much higher rates

The Four Types of Content AI Systems Love to Cite

Expert Explanations: When you explain complex topics in simple terms, backed by your professional experience

Step-by-Step Guides: Detailed processes that walk people through difficult tasks

Comparisons and Analysis: When you compare different options and give your professional opinion on what’s best

Local Expertise: Information that requires understanding of Australian laws, regulations, culture, or market conditions

Voice Search and the Conversation Revolution

More than half of Australians now use voice search regularly, and this is where AI search really shines. When someone asks Siri, “Who’s the best family lawyer near me?”, the AI doesn’t just read out a list of law firms. It gives a recommendation based on who it considers the most authoritative local expert.

How Voice Search Is Different

Voice searches are longer and more conversational. Instead of typing “family lawyer Sydney”, people say “I need help with a custody dispute and I want to find the best family lawyer in Sydney who specialises in fathers’ rights.”

That’s a completely different type of query that requires a completely different content strategy to capture.

Getting Ready for Voice Search

The businesses winning at voice search are those that:

Answer questions in natural, conversational language
Include specific local information and context
Structure their content like they’re having a helpful conversation
Demonstrate clear expertise in their responses

Creating Content That AI Systems Want to Cite

This is where most businesses get it wrong. They’re still writing content for Google’s old algorithm instead of for AI systems. Let me tell you what actually works.

What Makes AI Systems Choose Your Content

Clear Expertise: AI systems want to cite real experts, not just anyone with a website. If you’re a lawyer, your legal credentials need to be prominent. If you’re an accountant, your qualifications and years of experience should be clearly stated.

Conversational Tone: Write like you’re explaining something to a friend, not writing an academic paper. AI systems prefer content that sounds natural and helpful.

Direct Answers: Start with the answer, then provide the explanation. If someone asks “How much does a will cost in Australia?”, start with a price range, then explain the factors that affect pricing.

Australian Context: Include local information that only an Australian expert would know. Reference local laws, use Australian spelling, mention specific states or territories when relevant.

The Content Formats That Get Cited Most

Question and Answer Format: Structure your content as if you’re answering the most common questions in your industry.

How-To Guides: Step-by-step instructions that solve real problems people have.

Comparison Articles: “X vs Y” content that helps people make decisions.

Industry Insights: Sharing your professional experience and perspective on industry trends or changes.

The key is making it easy for AI to extract quotable snippets that provide real value to users.

The Technical Side (Don’t Worry, It’s Not That Complicated)

I know “technical SEO” sounds intimidating, but the technical requirements for AI search are actually pretty straightforward. You don’t need to be a programmer to get this right.

The Basics That Matter

Fast Loading Website: Your website needs to load quickly, especially on mobile devices. AI systems favour content that provides a good user experience.

Mobile-Friendly Design: Since most searches happen on mobile devices, your website must work perfectly on smartphones and tablets.

Secure Website: You need an SSL certificate (the little lock icon in the browser). This is basic table stakes now.

Clear Structure: Use proper headings (H1, H2, H3) to organise your content logically. Think of it like creating an outline that AI can easily follow.

The AI-Specific Technical Bits

Structured Data: This is code that helps AI systems understand what your content is about. If you have FAQ content, there’s specific code that tells AI “this is a question and answer.” Most website platforms can handle this automatically now.

Clean URLs: Your web addresses should be simple and descriptive, not full of random numbers and symbols.

Internal Linking: Link between related pages on your website to help AI understand how your expertise areas connect.

The good news is that most of these technical elements can be handled by any competent web developer or through modern website platforms.

Why Australian Businesses Have a Massive Opportunity Right Now

This is the part that should get you excited. While the US and UK markets are getting more competitive for AI search, Australia is still wide open. Here’s why this matters for your business.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Only 12% of Australian businesses have started optimising for AI search
88% are still focused only on traditional SEO
AI search adoption is accelerating faster in major cities
Professional service businesses are seeing the biggest opportunities

What This Means for Different Industries

Legal Services: AI systems frequently cite lawyers for questions about Australian law, contracts, and legal processes. The firms that position themselves as AI-cited experts will capture more high-value clients.

Healthcare: Medical questions dominate AI search queries. Healthcare providers who create authoritative, AI-friendly content will become the go-to sources for health information.

Financial Services: People constantly ask AI about financial advice, investment strategies, and Australian financial regulations. Financial advisors and accountants have huge opportunities here.

Real Estate: Property questions are perfect for AI search – “What’s the property market like in [suburb]?” or “How much stamp duty will I pay in Victoria?” Real estate professionals who provide comprehensive, local answers will dominate their markets.

The Regional Advantage

If you’re outside Sydney and Melbourne, you have an even bigger opportunity. There’s less competition, and AI systems love local expertise. A accountant in Townsville who creates great AI-optimised content about Queensland business regulations could become the AI-cited expert for the entire region.

How to Measure If This Is Actually Working

One of the most common questions I get is “How do I know if AI search optimisation is working for my business?” Fair question, because you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

The Signs That AI SEO Is Working

Direct AI Citations: Start checking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity regularly with questions related to your industry. When your business name starts appearing in their answers, you know you’re on the right track.

Higher Quality Website Visitors: People coming from AI citations arrive already believing you’re an expert. They spend more time on your website, visit more pages, and convert at higher rates than regular search traffic.

Increased Enquiries: When AI systems cite you as an expert, it dramatically increases your credibility. You’ll start getting enquiries from people who mention they heard about you from AI or that they saw you were recommended as a trusted source.

Better Conversion Rates: This is the big one. Traffic from AI citations typically converts 3 times better than traditional search traffic because people arrive pre-qualified and already trusting your expertise.

Simple Ways to Track Your Progress

Weekly AI Testing: Every week, ask AI systems 5-10 questions related to your industry. Keep track of whether your business gets mentioned.

Google Search Console: This free tool from Google will start showing you traffic from AI Overviews as a separate category.

Website Analytics: Set up tracking to see which visitors came from AI sources and how they behave on your website.

Lead Quality Assessment: Track whether enquiries mention AI recommendations or seem more qualified than usual.

You don’t need expensive tools to get started – just consistent monitoring and basic analytics.

What’s Coming Next in AI Search

Understanding where this is all heading helps you prepare for what’s coming, not just what’s happening now.

The Trends We’re Already Seeing

More Conversational Searches: People are getting comfortable asking AI complex, multi-part questions. Instead of “accountant Sydney”, they’re asking “I’m starting a consulting business in Sydney and need an accountant who understands service-based businesses and can help with both personal and business tax planning.”

Local AI Recommendations: AI systems are getting better at understanding local context and making location-specific recommendations. This is huge for local businesses.

Industry-Specific AI: We’re starting to see AI systems trained specifically for industries like healthcare, legal, and finance. These will have even higher standards for expertise and authority.

What This Means for Your Planning

Build Authority Now: The businesses that establish AI authority early will have significant advantages as competition increases.

Focus on Local Expertise: Your understanding of Australian markets, regulations, and culture becomes more valuable, not less valuable, in the AI age.

Prepare for More Complex Queries: People will start asking AI more sophisticated questions about your industry. The businesses with comprehensive, expert content will win.

Think Long-Term Relationships: AI search is moving towards ongoing conversations rather than one-off queries. This favours businesses that can provide in-depth expertise across multiple related topics.

Getting Started: What to Do Right Now

Alright, enough theory. Let’s talk about what you actually need to do to get your business ready for AI search success.

Week 1: Figure Out What You’ve Got

Start with a content audit. Go through your website and identify:

Pages that answer common customer questions
Content that demonstrates your expertise
Information that’s specifically relevant to Australian customers
Areas where you clearly outshine your competitors

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick your 5-10 strongest pieces of content to start with.

Week 2: Understand Your Customers’ Questions

Make a list of the 20 most common questions you get from customers, clients, or prospects. These become your AI optimisation targets because they’re exactly the type of questions people ask AI systems.

For each question, think about:

What someone really wants to know
What follow-up questions they might have
What Australian-specific context matters
How your expertise gives you a unique perspective

Week 3: Optimise Your Best Content

Take your strongest content and restructure it for AI search:

Start each page with a direct answer to the main question
Use conversational headings that sound like questions people would ask
Include your credentials and expertise prominently
Add Australian context, regulations, or local knowledge
Structure information in clear, scannable sections

Week 4: Test and Monitor

Start testing your optimised content:

Ask ChatGPT questions related to your expertise areas
Check if Perplexity cites your content for relevant queries
Monitor your website analytics for changes in visitor behaviour
Set up tracking for AI referral traffic

Beyond the First Month

Once you’ve got your foundation in place:

Regularly test AI platforms with industry questions
Update content based on what’s getting cited
Expand your AI-optimised content library gradually
Monitor competitors to see who else is adapting

Common Questions About AI SEO

Let me address the questions I get asked most often about AI search optimisation.

“Isn’t this just another SEO fad that will disappear?” I understand the scepticism – the digital marketing world is full of “next big things” that fizzle out. But AI search is different. We’re not talking about a minor algorithm update or a new platform. We’re talking about a fundamental change in how people find information. Over 50% of searches already show AI results, and that percentage is growing every month.

“My traditional SEO is working fine. Do I really need to change?” Traditional SEO isn’t going anywhere immediately, but it’s becoming less effective. Think about it like this: if your competitors start getting cited by AI as the industry experts while you’re still competing for traditional rankings, who do you think customers will choose?

The smart approach is to maintain your traditional SEO while adding AI optimisation. They work together, not against each other.

“How long does it take to see results from AI SEO?” This is refreshingly different from traditional SEO. While traditional SEO takes 3-6 months to see meaningful results, AI citations can start appearing within days or weeks of optimising your content. I’ve seen businesses get their first AI citations within 48 hours of publishing well-optimised content.

The timeline usually looks like:

Week 1-2: First AI citations appear
Month 1-2: Regular citations for your expertise areas
Month 3+: Established as a go-to expert source

“Do I need technical skills to do this?” Not really. The most important parts of AI SEO are content-related, not technical. You need to write like a helpful expert, not like a programmer. The technical elements can be handled by any competent web developer or through modern website platforms.

“What if I’m in a boring industry? Will AI SEO work?” Some of the best AI SEO opportunities are in “boring” industries. People have lots of questions about accounting, insurance, legal services, and business regulations. These are exactly the types of questions where AI systems want to cite real experts.

“How much does this cost to implement?” It depends on your current situation, but the good news is that AI SEO can often be implemented with existing resources. The main costs are:

Time to audit and optimise existing content
Potentially some web development for technical improvements
Ongoing content creation and monitoring

Many businesses start by optimising their existing content, which costs mainly time, not money.

“Should I hire someone or do this myself?” It depends on your resources and expertise. The content side (which is most important) requires industry knowledge that only you have. The technical side can be handled by web developers.

Many businesses start by handling the content optimisation themselves and getting technical help as needed.

The Bottom Line: Why You Need to Act Now

Let me be direct with you. We’re at one of those rare moments in digital marketing where there’s a clear opportunity that won’t last forever.

Right now, 88% of Australian businesses haven’t adapted to AI search. That means if you start optimising for AI citations now, you have 6-12 months to establish yourself as the AI-cited expert in your field before your competitors figure it out.

What Happens If You Wait

The First-Mover Advantage Disappears: Once your competitors start getting AI citations, it becomes much harder to break through. AI systems tend to cite established authorities, so the businesses that get cited first have lasting advantages.

Higher Competition: As more businesses adapt to AI search, it becomes more competitive and expensive to establish authority.

Lost Market Share: Customers increasingly trust AI recommendations. If your competitors are being cited as experts while you’re not, you’ll lose market share even if your traditional SEO rankings stay the same.

What Happens If You Act Now

Establish Expert Authority: Become the business that AI systems cite when people ask questions in your industry.

Higher Quality Customers: People who find you through AI citations arrive already trusting your expertise and convert at much higher rates.

Competitive Protection: Once you’re established as an AI-cited expert, it’s much harder for competitors to displace you.

Future-Proof Strategy: Position your business for the next phase of search evolution rather than reacting to it later.

The Reality Check

I’m not saying this is easy, and I’m not promising overnight success. Building authority and getting consistent AI citations takes time and effort. But the opportunity is real, the window is open, and the businesses that understand this and act on it will have significant advantages in their markets.

The question isn’t whether AI search will become dominant – that’s already happening. The question is whether your business will be positioned as an expert authority when it does.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’ve made it this far, you understand why AI search optimisation matters and what it could mean for your business. The next step is taking action.

Remember, you don’t have to transform everything overnight. Start with your strongest content, focus on your areas of genuine expertise, and build from there. The businesses that start now, even imperfectly, will have advantages over those who wait for the perfect moment.

The AI search revolution is happening whether we participate or not. The businesses that understand this and position themselves properly will thrive. Those that don’t will wonder where their competitive advantage went.

Your expertise matters. Your local knowledge matters. Your understanding of Australian customers and markets matters. AI search gives you new ways to demonstrate that expertise and connect with customers who need what you offer.

The opportunity is here. The question is what you’re going to do about it.

About This Guide

This comprehensive guide was written by Ewan Watt, Founder of ROI.com.au Growth Agency, with 25 years of SEO and digital marketing experience. Ewan has helped hundreds of Australian businesses improve their search visibility and has been closely monitoring and implementing AI SEO strategies since early 2024.

Website: ROI.com.au

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