Is your business invisible to AI search? Why traditional SEO is no longer enough | Region Canberra
If your business isn’t optimised for the new era of AI-search, you might already be invisible. Photo: Region. For years, the gold standard of digital marketing was simple: get your business to the top of. . .
If your business isn’t optimised for the new era of AI-search, you might already be invisible. Photo: Region. For years, the gold standard of digital marketing was simple: get your business to the top of Google. But as artificial intelligence reshapes how consumers search for information, the digital goalposts have shifted. Today, when potential clients use a search bar, the first result is often AI-generated. Many go further, asking ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity to curate the best options for them. If your business isn’t optimised for this new era, you might already be invisible, warns one x Managing Director Adam Gill. “More and more customers are relying on AI when they choose, and it’s a slice of the market businesses can’t afford to lose,” he says. Bridging this gap requires a comprehensive digital audit. The review evaluates a client’s online footprint, conversion rates and AI search performance, revealing exactly how they rank against competitors. The result is a tailored strategy underpinned byhowmodern consumers interact with AI. “The way people search in Google versus an AI platform tends to be different. On Google, they might just type ‘lawyer Canberra’, while on a platform like ChatGPT, they tend to write full sentences like: ‘I run a business that looks like this, who is the best lawyer for me?'” Adam explains. “That prompts the AI to pull your entire digital presence on the internet as reference points — media articles, directory listings, information from your Google My Business profile, Google reviews and mentions on forums. ”But whether you’re targeting traditional algorithms or AI, the fundamentals of search engine optimisation are still everything. “Start with your website. A lot of business owners invest in building one, then just leave it,” Adam points out. “Google wants to see that you’re an active business. The best way to do that is to make sure your website is constantly updated, your social media presence is active, and you’re getting Google reviews and replying to them, ideally within 24 hours. ”Secure media coverage, get into directory listings, and maintain something Adam says is an underestimated tool for optimising local and AI searches — the Google My Business profile. “Most people just set that up and leave it, but adding photos, blog posts and social media posts is low-hanging fruit with a big payoff,” he says. one x Managing Director Adam Gill. Photo: Thomas Lucraft. Rather than relying solely on automated software, a digital audit will combine cross-platform tools with manual research, particularly when assessing a website’s technical health. The resulting report establishes a clear baseline SEO score and provides a deep analysis of the brand’s backlink profile — something that can carry real-world benefits or penalties for a business. “The backlink profile looks at which credible external sites are linking back to your website. The more quality links linking back to your website, the more it builds domain authority and the better you rank,” Adam says. “Conversely, we had a client with a great business with great Google reviews, but they weren’t coming up in AI search. Our audit revealed archived Reddit forums from before they took over the business, including one person’s negative review. AI looks at all of that. ”Beyond historical baggage, an audit should include a competitor analysis to close online gaps, a list of missed keyword opportunities, and a technical review to fix hidden issues that are leeching away a business’s rankings. “Google is very transparent; they will show you all the keywords that people are searching for regarding your service, the volume that people are searching every month, and where you rank against that. That’s a massive opportunity that people forget about,” Adam notes. Technical optimisation also heavily influences user experience, directly impacting search performance. “Readability and accessibility are big, right down to the right font for the colour of your background,” Adam says. “People can also fail to ensure they’re uploading images of the right size, or add page upon page without reviewing how their navigational menu works. All that can slow down the website and user navigation and carry penalties for your rankings. “Then there are meta descriptions — the information you put in the back end about what’s on that page. This is what Google uses to scan your website correctly and rank it appropriately to the most relevant keyword, so it’s pretty critical. ”To turn these insights into tangible growth, one x’s final report provides a practical SEO roadmap, a Google My Business strategy to capture local traffic and a targeted Google Ads campaign designed to maximise ad spend and generate high-quality leads. Clients also receive a performance dashboard that consolidates all communication channels into a single, centralised hub. “There is so much to SEO in the age of AI,” Adam says. “It helps to be able to monitor your reputation and see how everything works together, rather than in isolation. ”For more information, contactone x. Region Media Partner Content