Being cited by AI: a small-business guide to AI search
Customers increasingly ask AI assistants instead of scrolling results. Here's how small businesses become a source those answers cite.
2026-10-28 · 6 min read
When someone asks an AI assistant for a recommendation, it builds an answer from sources it trusts. The businesses that get mentioned are rarely the biggest. They're the clearest.
Answer the questions people actually ask
Write pages that answer real questions directly, in the first sentence, then explain. Assistants quote clear answers; they skip vague marketing copy.
Be consistent everywhere
Your name, services, location and hours should say the same thing on your website, your listings and your social profiles. Conflicting facts make you harder to cite.
Keep the SEO basics
Fast pages, clean headings and structured data still matter. AI answers often draw on the same well-structured pages search engines reward.
Measure what changes
Check monthly how assistants describe you, and which questions you appear in. Small, steady improvements compound.
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