The way customers find local businesses has changed faster in the past 18 months than in the previous decade. AI-powered search tools like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity now answer questions directly, often recommending specific businesses by name without users ever scrolling through a traditional list of links. For small business owners across Pennsylvania and beyond, this shift creates a simple but urgent question: is your business the one AI recommends, or is it the one AI skips?
ProfileTree, a web design and digital marketing agency that has completed over 1,000 projects for small and mid-sized businesses, has been tracking how AI systems choose which companies to feature. The pattern they've identified is clear — and it's one most small business owners can act on right now.
AI doesn't browse your website the way a customer does
When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI Overview "who's the best plumber near Lansdale?" or "where should I get my website built?", the AI doesn't just look at your Google ranking. It scans for structured, specific facts about your business: what you do, where you operate, how long you've been around, what makes you different, and what your customers say about you.
If that information isn't clearly written on your site — or worse, if it's buried in vague marketing copy — AI systems will recommend a competitor who spells it out plainly.
This is where many business owners get caught off guard. A website that looks great and converts well for human visitors can still be almost invisible to AI if it lacks the right kind of clear, factual content. The team at ProfileTree's web design division has been rebuilding client sites specifically with this AI readability in mind, structuring pages so that both human visitors and AI systems can quickly understand exactly what a business offers and why it stands out.
What AI looks for when it picks a business to recommend
AI recommendation engines tend to favour businesses whose websites include specific, verifiable details rather than generic claims. Statements like "we provide excellent service" don't register with AI the way "family-owned since 2004, serving Montgomery County with same-day emergency repairs" does.
The businesses that consistently show up in AI-generated answers tend to share a few traits. They state clearly who they are, what they do, and where they do it — usually within the first few sentences of their homepage and service pages. They back up claims with specific details: years in business, number of projects completed, qualifications, service areas by name. Their Google Business Profile matches their website almost word for word when it comes to services and descriptions. And they have a dedicated page — often called "Why Choose Us" — that consolidates all of this in one place.
That last point is becoming a quiet differentiator. AI systems treat a well-structured "Why Choose Us" page as a kind of cheat sheet. If you list your services, years of experience, awards, reviews, certifications, and differentiators all on one clear page, you're making it far easier for AI to recommend you accurately.
The review connection most businesses miss
Reviews have always mattered for local search. But AI systems use them differently than traditional search engines. Rather than just counting stars, AI reads the actual text of reviews looking for patterns: do customers consistently mention speed, quality, a specific service, or a location? Those patterns become the basis for AI's understanding of your business.
A restaurant with 200 reviews that repeatedly mention "best brunch in North Wales" has a much better chance of being recommended by AI for that exact query than a competitor with higher star ratings but generic review text. Encouraging customers to leave detailed reviews — not just ratings — is one of the most overlooked strategies for AI visibility.
Small changes that make a real difference
The good news for small business owners is that AI optimization doesn't require a complete website overhaul. Some of the most effective changes are straightforward.
Start by auditing your homepage and main service pages. Can someone — or something — read the first two paragraphs and know exactly what your business does, where you're located, and who you serve? If the answer is no, rewrite those sections with plain, specific language. Add an FAQ section to your key pages. AI systems are heavily biased toward question-and-answer formats. Think about the questions customers actually ask you on the phone or by email, and answer them directly on your site.
Update your Google Business Profile so that your listed services match the language on your website exactly. Inconsistencies between the two confuse AI systems and weaken your visibility. And consider adding structured data markup — the behind-the-scenes code that helps search engines and AI understand your content — to your most important pages. Your web developer or agency can handle this in a few hours.
Ciaran Connolly, founder of ProfileTree, puts it bluntly: "The businesses winning in AI search aren't doing anything mysterious. They're just being clearer, more specific, and more consistent about who they are and what they do — across every platform where AI might look."
Why this matters now, not later
Gartner has projected that a quarter of traditional organic search traffic will shift to AI-powered tools by the end of 2026. That's not a distant trend — it's already happening. Businesses that get their AI foundations in place now will have a compounding advantage as more customers rely on AI to make decisions.
For small business owners in communities like Lansdale, North Wales, and across the North Penn region, the opportunity is actually larger than it is for big brands. AI systems value specificity and local expertise. A local business that clearly communicates its community roots, specific service area, and genuine customer experiences has natural advantages that national chains struggle to replicate.
The shift to AI search doesn't have to be intimidating. It's really just the next version of what good business has always required: being clear about what you do, proving you do it well, and making it easy for the right customers to find you.
