Google recently sent out a newsletter to small businesses that, intentionally or not, reads like a cheat sheet for getting found in AI search. And with AI taking over more and more of local search — through Google’s AI Mode, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and a growing list of other AI tools — that’s a bigger deal than it might sound.
Here’s the shift. People aren’t just asking Google “where’s a good plumber near me?” anymore. They’re asking AI to find the best insured plumber who can fix a leaking Toto toilet at two in the morning. The questions are getting more specific, and the answers are getting more personal. If you want those tools recommending your business in 2026, they have to actually understand the little details of what you do. The good news: Google’s newsletter gave us some clear hints about how to make that happen.
The three things that help you show up in AI results
1. Get listed everywhere. AI often cites business directories like Apple Maps, Bing, and YellowPages as sources, leaning on them to learn who you are. The more directories you show up on — accurately and consistently — the more the AI trusts what it knows about you.
2. Add plenty of photos and videos. Google’s AI pays close attention to visual content, so don’t let your Business Profile’s photo section turn into the digital equivalent of an abandoned strip mall. Add your team, your products, your work, your location, your equipment — anything that helps both Google and your customers picture what you actually do.
3. Tell Google everything. Don’t just say you’re a “plumber” when you really handle tankless water heaters, bathroom remodels, emergency repairs, and installing those fancy toilets. Fill in your services, business description, products, and attributes so AI understands the full range of problems you can solve.
The takeaway:
AI can’t recommend you for something it doesn’t know you do. The more complete and detailed your online presence is, the more the AI has to work with when it decides which businesses to put in front of people. If you haven’t started optimizing for AI search yet, now’s a good time to get moving.
This is exactly the kind of work our Authority Platform is built around — keeping your listings consistent across the web, your profile full and current, and your business described in enough detail that Google and the AI tools can confidently recommend you. It’s less a one-time project than an ongoing habit, because the businesses that keep feeding AI accurate, complete information are the ones it learns to trust. Whether you tackle it yourself or let our team handle it for you, the goal is the same: when someone asks AI for the best in your field, your business should be one it actually knows enough to name.
