You want the right people to find your business, understand what you offer, and feel comfortable reaching out. That part hasn’t changed.
But when Google answers questions before someone even opens a website, or a customer turns to ChatGPT for help finding a business, it’s fair to wonder where your business fits into that experience.
Do you need different wording? Another tool? A whole new website?
I wouldn’t start by rebuilding everything. I’d start by looking at the information you already have and the questions your customers need answered.
There’s a timely reason to do that now. Google says its new Search Console controls and visibility insights for AI search rolled out worldwide on August 31, 2026. They give website owners more information about where their content appears, along with a choice about inclusion in those experiences. Google’s announcement
Here’s how I’d turn that update into something useful for your business, along with a separate check for ChatGPT.
First, check whether your pages can be found
Before rewriting your website for AI, have your web partner check the pages that matter most: your main services, your location or service area, and how to contact you.
Google says a page needs to be indexed and eligible to appear with a search snippet to be considered as a supporting link in its AI answers. Meeting those requirements still doesn’t guarantee it will appear. Google’s eligibility guidance
There’s also a setting under Search Console → Settings → Search generative AI. Inclusion is the default, although a child property can inherit its parent property’s setting. This isn’t a new sign-up everyone needs to complete. It’s something to check, especially if someone has been adjusting your search settings. Google’s control documentation
If those words already sound like a lot, here’s the question to send your web person:
“Can Google access and index my important pages, and have we unintentionally excluded them from AI search?”
You don’t have to learn every setting to ask a useful question.
What about being found in ChatGPT?
You might be wondering the same thing about ChatGPT: could someone find your business there, too?
ChatGPT can search the web and include sources in its answers. That gives us another reason to make sure your website is accessible and clearly explains what you do. OpenAI’s web search guidance
But Google’s settings don’t control ChatGPT. OpenAI uses a crawler called OAI-SearchBot to help surface websites in ChatGPT search. Its guidance recommends allowing that crawler in your website’s robots.txt file and allowing requests from its published IP ranges. Your web person can check both the site rules and hosting security settings.
Being available for search is different from allowing AI training. OpenAI handles those choices separately: a website can allow OAI-SearchBot while blocking GPTBot, the crawler used for content that may train its models. OpenAI’s crawler documentation
You don’t need to memorize those names. Here’s what I’d ask:
“Can ChatGPT’s search crawler reach my public website, and are our search and AI-training choices set the way we intend?”
That’s an access check, not a promise that ChatGPT will recommend you. I’d still focus on useful information a potential customer needs, rather than try to write a page that tells an AI to choose your business.
Answer the question behind the search
Picture someone looking for a place to host a small birthday party in Fremont. Finding a venue’s name is helpful. But before they inquire, they may want to know:
- How many people can the space comfortably hold?
- Can they bring their own food?
- Is there room for children and adults to gather?
- What’s included in the rental?
- How do they check availability?
That’s an illustrative example, not a description of a particular client’s business. The point applies to a photographer, a contractor, a shop, or a professional service, too.
Think about what you usually explain before someone decides to work with you. Does your website answer those questions, or does the customer have to message you for every detail?
I’d rather help you write one useful service page than add several pages that all say nearly the same thing. A heading like “What’s included in your rental” can do more for a person making a decision than another paragraph saying you provide exceptional service.
This is about giving people useful answers, not following a special AI writing formula. Google’s current guidance still points website owners toward helpful, original content and familiar SEO fundamentals. Google’s AI search guide
Let people see the work behind your words
You know details about your business that a generic article can’t supply.
Maybe you can explain why you recommend one material over another. Maybe your booking process has a step that makes customers feel more prepared. Maybe a few photos would show what visiting your space is actually like.
Those details belong on your website when they help someone make a decision.
For a project example, I’d keep it grounded: what was needed, what you did, and what the finished work looks like. Use real photos and get permission before sharing identifiable client information. You don’t need to turn every project into a long case study.
A useful place to start: one real example, a few clear photos, and a short explanation of the decisions behind the work.
Make sure your local information tells the same story
Open your website and Google Business Profile side by side. Check your contact details, current services, hours where applicable, and the places you actually serve.
If your website says you’re available by appointment but another listing suggests customers can walk in any time, that’s worth clearing up. If you travel to clients, explain that. If you serve Fremont and nearby communities but don’t travel across Nebraska, say where you can realistically go.
Google includes keeping local business information current in its AI search guidance. My practical recommendation is to make those details useful to someone planning their next step, not simply fill a page with town names. Google’s local business guidance for AI search
Look at the new report, but know what it tells you
Search Console’s Generative AI performance report for Search shows impressions for AI Overviews and AI Mode. In plain language, it measures appearances of links to your site in those features. You can review which pages appeared and compare dates, countries, and devices. Google’s report documentation
That’s useful visibility information. It is not a count of new customers or booked projects.
It’s also a Google report, not a combined picture of Google and ChatGPT. Keep that distinction in mind when someone reports on your “AI visibility.”
If you don’t see the report, don’t immediately assume your website is broken. Google says a site may not have enough impressions for the report to appear.
I’d save a starting point, note the date of any meaningful website changes, and review the same measures over time. Keep inquiries and booked work in a separate record. A change in impressions alone doesn’t prove that a website edit caused more business.
You can start with one page this week
This week, ask your web partner to check your Google AI inclusion setting and ChatGPT search access separately. Save a starting point from Google’s visibility report, if it’s available. Then choose one customer question your most relevant page still doesn’t answer.
You’ll have a clearer picture of where you stand and one useful improvement to make, rather than a long list of things you feel behind on.
Google says special AI text files and special structured-data markup aren’t required for its AI search features. There’s no need to treat every new acronym as another thing you have to buy. Google’s explanation of what isn’t needed
Your website should help someone understand your business and feel ready to take the next step. That’s worth working on however they find you.
If you’re in Omaha or eastern Nebraska and would like help deciding where to begin, tell me about your website. I’ll help you sort through what needs attention and what can wait.
This article covers Google’s AI search features and website access for ChatGPT search. Each platform has its own systems and controls. Sources checked September 28, 2026.