Search optimisation for small business: SEO and AI search

Key points

• Search optimisation requires both traditional SEO for Google rankings and GEO for AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT.
• AI‑powered search engines can now generate complete answers directly in the results page, meaning users may never click through to a website. This makes it essential to create content that demonstrates authority and trustworthiness, to increase the likelihood of ranking in AI search.
• Strong SEO fundamentals remain essential – well-structured content and clear information benefit both traditional search engines and AI models.

A website is crucial for any small business, but it's the power of search optimisation that turns it into a true marketing asset, driving traffic to your website around the clock.

Search optimisation encompasses both traditional SEO (search engine optimisation) and the emerging field of generative engine optimisation (GEO). The higher you appear in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers, the more likely users are to discover your business.

What is search engine optimisation (SEO)?

Traditional SEO determines how high your website ranks on search engines such as Google. When someone searches for products or services like yours, SEO helps ensure your business appears prominently in the list of results. Because few people look beyond the first page of search results, ranking as high as possible is essential for attracting customers.

What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?

While traditional search engines display a list of links, AI-powered search tools provide direct answers by synthesising information from multiple sources. GEO is the practice of optimising your content to be selected, cited and featured in these AI-generated responses. When someone asks an AI assistant about services in your industry, you want your business to be part of the answer.

Note that in many cases, users may not click through to your website at all. With the rise of these "zero-click" searches your content needs to work harder to establish authority and trust so that you’re front of mind when users want to make a purchase.

Build your search presence from the ground up

Good search optimisation requires a good foundation. It's important your website is set up for both SEO and GEO implementation from the start as it can be a lot harder and more costly to retrofit later.

Take the time to really understand who your audience is and what information they’re looking for. When customers or AI agents land on your website, they should be able to find clear, well-structured information quickly and easily. Your content should be useful, engaging, factual and aligned with your business objectives.

For AI search optimisation, structure is particularly important. Use clear headings, concise answers to common questions, bullet points and authoritative information that AI models can easily understand and cite.

Helpful ANZ resources:

• How to set up a website for your small business

Develop your strategy with a search optimisation specialist

As any small business owner knows, it's a competitive world out there. Engaging a search optimisation specialist can put you ahead of the competition. These specialists are technical experts who will develop and implement best-practice SEO and GEO on your website, based on a personalised strategy. Shop around and choose a provider who understands both SEO and AI-powered search and suits your budget.

How to bring your search strategy to life

Getting started

• Ensure your business and search goals are aligned. Service provider businesses will require different strategies than product-based businesses.
• Set up a Google Business Profile and Google Analytics account.
• Set up Google Search Console, a free dashboard that enables you to monitor how your site is performing in search.

Traditional SEO activities

• Conduct keyword research to inform content production.
• Optimise on-page elements including URLs, headers and page titles, alt text, meta descriptions and all content. An AI agent like ChatGPT or Claude can be helpful in providing suggestions.
• A local SEO strategy is essential for businesses targeting local customers.
• Develop a link-building strategy:
  • Internal linking within your website enhances user experience and boosts search engine visibility.
  • External link building or backlinking involves getting reputable, high-quality websites to link to your website. This practice can be powerful when it's done well, however low-quality backlinks may negatively affect your SEO ranking.

AI search optimisation (GEO) activities:

• Create content that directly answers common customer questions in a clear, authoritative manner.
• Structure information with clear headings and concise paragraphs that AI models can easily understand.
• Include factual, up-to-date information with proper context.
• Add schema markup to help AI systems understand your content structure and business information. An AI agent should be able to help you add this to your page.
• Develop thought leadership content and expert insights that establish your authority in your field.
• Ensure your business information is consistent across all platforms.

Keywords and question-based content

Put simply, keywords tell users and AI systems what the content on your website is about. In traditional SEO, they're the words or phrases that users put into search engines. For AI search, you also need to consider natural language queries and questions people might ask AI assistants.

Traditional SEO keyword tips

• Conduct keyword research and identify recommendations relevant to your business. Semrush and Google's Keyword Planner tool can be helpful for traditional keyword research.
• Include keywords that relate to your business location and area of expertise. This is particularly important for local businesses.
• User experience should remain a priority – don't try to shoehorn keywords in where they don't naturally fit.
• Avoid overusing keywords or using the same keywords repeatedly. The quality of your content will be compromised, customers may lose trust in your brand and both Google and AI models may penalise you.
• Approach each page individually with different focus keywords. If you use the same keywords on different pages, they may negatively affect each other’s SEO impact.

AI search optimisation tips

• Structure content as direct answers to common questions. For example, instead of just mentioning "plumbing services," create content that answers "What should I do if my hot water system stops working?"
• Focus on natural language and conversational phrases. People ask AI tools questions differently than they type into search engines.
• Add FAQ sections to key pages. AI models prioritise concise answers to common questions.
• Build credibility by gaining mentions and links from reputable sources such as industry publications, review sites and social media.

Keep the engine running

Once your website is up and running, regular reporting and maintenance is key to boosting your ranking in both traditional and AI search. The search landscape is evolving rapidly as AI tools become more prominent, so staying current is essential.

• Fix technical SEO issues: Conduct periodic audits to identify and resolve technical problems such as broken links, crawling difficulties, missing or duplicate meta tags, images without alt text and URLs with non-descriptive characters.
• Regular reporting: Set up actionable insight reports covering both traditional SEO metrics and AI visibility.
• Stay current: Use reporting insights to update your website content regularly, including relevant keywords and answers to emerging questions.

Over time, your search results rankings and AI visibility are likely to improve, leading to increased web traffic and brand awareness. If you have the budget, we recommend bolstering your search optimisation work with advertising, which can include both traditional search ads and exploring opportunities in AI-powered platforms.

Helpful ANZ resources:

• Getting started with digital and social media advertising

The future of search

As AI-powered search continues to evolve, businesses that adapt their strategies now will be better positioned to capture customer attention. The fundamentals of good content remain the same: create valuable, authoritative content that serves your customers. The difference is that now you're optimising for both human searchers and AI systems that help people find answers.

By combining traditional SEO practices with forward-thinking GEO strategies, your small business can maintain visibility no matter how your customers choose to search.