AI for Small Business Marketing: Get Found When Customers Ask AI for a Recommendation

A customer used to type "plumber near me" into a search bar and scroll. Now more of them open an AI assistant and ask, "Who's a good, fairly priced plumber in my town who works weekends?"

The AI gives an answer. The question is whether your business is in it.

New research this week shows why some businesses get left out. Corporate Insight, a research firm, tested how well ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity could find public information from financial companies' websites. The gaps came from three places: prices tucked into hard-to-read tables, details hidden behind logins, and vague language about fees. Their takeaway: many prospects now research through AI, so key details need to be in a form AI tools can actually read.

That study looked at financial firms, but the lesson fits any small business. If an AI can't find a clear answer on your site, it can't pass that answer to a customer. Here's how to fix it, no developer needed.

1. Answer the questions customers actually ask, in plain text

AI tools read words. They struggle with answers buried in images, PDFs, pop-ups or menus that need a click to open.

Write down the 10 questions customers ask you most. Then add a simple FAQ section to your website with a short, direct answer to each:

• "Do you work weekends?" "Yes, Saturdays 9 to 2."

• "What areas do you serve?" List the towns by name.

• "How fast can you start?" Give your usual range.

Short, specific sentences are easy for people to skim and easy for AI to quote.

2. Be clear about pricing, even if it's a range

Vague pricing was one of the gaps in the research. You don't have to publish an exact price list. But "Call for pricing" gives an AI nothing to work with.

Try a plain range and what affects it: "Most bathroom repairs run $150 to $400, depending on parts and time." If you truly can't share numbers, explain how you price: "Free estimate, flat fee quoted before we start."

3. Put your key details where anyone can see them

If your services, hours or service area live only inside a booking app, a members area or a social post, AI tools may never see them. Make sure your public website says, in text:

• What you do, in the words customers use ("furnace repair," not "HVAC solutions")

• Where you do it (towns, county, state)

• When you're open and how to reach you

• What makes you different, in one or two sentences

Keep the same name, address and phone number everywhere: your site, your free business profiles and your social pages. Matching details help AI tools trust they're all you.

4. Let real customers speak for you

AI recommendations often lean on what other people say. Ask happy customers for honest reviews on the free profiles you already have, and reply to them. Never write fake reviews or offer rewards for positive ones; only ask for honest feedback.

AI can help here too: "Write a short, warm thank-you reply to this review. Mention the service they named. Under 50 words." Read it, make it sound like you, then post it.

5. Check what AI says about you, once a month

This is the easiest step and the one almost nobody does. Open two AI assistants and ask:

• "What does [your business name] in [your town] do?"

• "Who would you recommend for [your service] in [your town]?"

Note what's right, what's wrong and what's missing. Then fix the gap on your website. Small changes add up over a few months.

Try this today (10 minutes) Open the AI assistant you already use and paste:"Here is the text from my website's homepage and services page: [paste]. Pretend you're a customer looking for [service] in [town]. What questions would you still have after reading this? List the top 5."Pick one question and add the answer to your site this week.

A quick safety note

Only paste public website text into AI tools. Keep customer names, contact details and private records out of any tool your business hasn't approved. And read every AI-written reply or page before it goes live. If you're in a regulated field like financial advice, insurance or healthcare, run website changes past your compliance contact first.

Be the easy answer

You don't need to game anything. You need to be clear. When your website plainly says what you do, where, when and for roughly how much, you're easier for customers to choose, whether they find you through search, a friend or an AI assistant.

Want a second set of eyes on how AI sees your business? Book a Complimentary AI Discovery Call.

Source: Corporate Insight research series on AI leaders in financial services (company release, Nov 5, 2026). Corporate Insight sells this research; findings reflect its own testing.