What is AI Search?

AI search is when people ask AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude for recommendations instead of using Google.

Example: Instead of Googling “best HVAC Phoenix”, someone asks ChatGPT:

“I need emergency AC repair in Phoenix. My compressor failed. Who should I call?”

ChatGPT gives a conversational answer with specific business recommendations.

Your business either appears in that answer or it doesn’t.

Here’s what you need to know in about 10 minutes.

How AI Search Is Different From Google

You type: “best pizza near me”

Google shows:

  • 10 blue links
  • Map with 3 local businesses
  • Ads at top
  • “People also ask” section

You do the work: Click through results. Compare businesses. Make a decision.

You ask: “What’s the best pizza place in Brooklyn for a date night? Somewhere quiet with good wine.”

ChatGPT answers:

“For a date night in Brooklyn, I’d recommend Lucali in Carroll Gardens. It’s intimate, cash-only, and known for exceptional thin-crust pizza. The atmosphere is quiet and romantic. They don’t take reservations, so arrive early. For a backup with wine pairings, consider Roberta’s in Bushwick, though it’s livelier.”

AI does the work: One conversational answer. Specific recommendations. Reasoning included.

The 7 Major AI Search Platforms

As of November 2024, these platforms handle most AI search traffic.

1. ChatGPT (OpenAI)

Market share: Largest AI search user base (100+ million weekly users)

How it works:

  • ChatGPT with search feature searches the web in real-time
  • Pulls from Google, Bing, and other sources
  • Synthesizes information into conversational answers

Business impact: Highest volume. Most consumer queries.

2. Perplexity

Market share: Second largest, growing fast (10+ million monthly users)

How it works:

  • Search-first AI platform
  • Always searches web in real-time
  • Cites sources directly
  • Good for research and fact-checking

Business impact: Users often comparison shopping or researching. High intent.

3. Claude (Anthropic)

Market share: Growing rapidly among professionals

How it works:

  • Can search web when needed
  • Strong at analysis and reasoning
  • Popular with technical users

Business impact: Professional and technical audience. B2B heavy.

4. Gemini (Google)

Market share: Large due to Google integration

How it works:

  • Built into Google search and Android
  • Direct access to Google’s index
  • Integrated with Google Business Profile

Business impact: Massive reach but less pure “AI search” behavior.

5. Meta AI (Facebook/Instagram)

Market share: Growing through social integration

How it works:

  • Built into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp
  • Uses Llama model
  • Social context aware

Business impact: Social commerce and local recommendations.

6. Grok (xAI)

Market share: Smaller but growing (X/Twitter integration)

How it works:

  • Real-time X/Twitter data access
  • Conversational search
  • Current events focused

Business impact: News and trending topics. Real-time needs.

7. DeepSeek

Market share: Smaller but technically strong

How it works:

  • Independent AI platform
  • Web search capable
  • Technical and research focused

Business impact: Niche technical audience.

How AI Search Actually Works (The Technical View)

Step 1: Understanding the Query

When someone asks ChatGPT a question, it analyzes:

  • Intent: What does the user actually want?
  • Context: What details matter? (location, budget, urgency, preferences)
  • Type: Is this informational, navigational, or transactional?

Example query: “I need a plumber in Seattle who can fix a burst pipe today and won’t charge me $500 just to show up.”

What AI understands:

  • Service: Plumbing
  • Location: Seattle
  • Urgency: Today (emergency)
  • Budget concern: Under $500
  • Trust concern: Transparent pricing

Step 2: Searching the Web

AI platforms search the public web. They check:

  • Google Business Profile listings
  • Business websites
  • Review platforms (Yelp, Google Reviews, industry sites)
  • Local directories
  • News articles
  • Social media mentions

They do NOT have a separate business database. They search the same web you can access.

Step 3: Evaluating Businesses

AI platforms evaluate businesses on:

Relevance:

  • Does this business provide the service?
  • Do they serve this location?
  • Are they available when needed?

Authority:

  • How many reviews?
  • What ratings?
  • Professional certifications?
  • Press coverage?

Specificity:

  • Do they specialize in what the user needs?
  • Do they mention similar customer problems?

Recency:

  • Is the information current?
  • Recent reviews?
  • Active website?

Verification:

  • Can multiple sources confirm this business exists?
  • Do details match across sources?

Step 4: Generating the Answer

AI synthesizes findings into a conversational answer.

Good answer includes:

  • 1-3 specific recommendations
  • Reasoning for each
  • Relevant details (hours, pricing indicators, specialties)
  • Alternatives if appropriate
  • Caveats or considerations

Your business appears if: Strong signals on relevance, authority, and specificity.

Your competitor appears instead if: They have better signals.

Why AI Search Matters for Your Business

The Shift Is Happening Now

2024 data:

  • 46% of consumers used AI for product research (up from 12% in 2023)
  • 62% of under-30 users prefer AI answers to search results
  • ChatGPT processes 1 billion+ requests per week

Projection: By 2026, 30-40% of search traffic shifts to AI platforms.

The Trust Factor

People trust AI recommendations differently than Google results.

Google: “Here are 10 options. You decide.”

AI: “Based on your needs, I recommend this business because…”

Psychological difference: AI recommendation feels like asking a knowledgeable friend. Google feels like reading a phone book.

Business impact: AI recommendation carries more weight. Appearing matters more than ranking #3 in Google.

The Persona Problem

AI search reveals a blind spot most businesses have.

Example: You’re an HVAC company in Phoenix.

Google search: You rank well for “HVAC Phoenix”

AI search with different personas:

  • “Emergency AC repair Phoenix Sunday” → Competitor appears
  • “HVAC Phoenix financing available” → You don’t appear
  • “AC repair Phoenix senior discount” → Different competitor
  • “HVAC maintenance Phoenix under $200” → Another competitor

Why this matters: Generic Google ranking doesn’t guarantee AI visibility across customer types.

Solution: Test with actual customer personas.

1. Complete Google Business Profile

AI platforms pull heavily from Google Business Profile.

Must-haves:

  • All fields completed
  • Accurate categories
  • Regular posts
  • Photos
  • Reviews

Why: This is the easiest signal for AI to find and verify.

2. Clear Website Content

AI reads your website like a human.

What works:

  • Clear description of what you do
  • Specific services listed
  • Location mentioned
  • Plain language (no jargon)

What doesn’t work:

  • Vague “solutions” language
  • Industry acronyms without definitions
  • Hidden services
  • Unclear location

3. Detailed Reviews

AI prioritizes reviews with specific details.

Generic reviews AI ignores:

“Great service! 5 stars!”

Detailed reviews AI uses:

“Called them for a burst pipe on Saturday night. Technician arrived in 45 minutes, fixed it in 2 hours, cleaned up the mess, and the price was exactly what they quoted on the phone. Saved our kitchen from flooding.”

Why: AI can match detailed reviews to specific customer problems.

4. Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data that tells AI exactly what your business does.

What it is: Special HTML code that defines your business type, services, location, hours, and more.

Why it matters: AI can read schema directly without guessing from unstructured text.

Priority: High. This is the fastest way to improve AI visibility.

Learn more: Schema Markup Explained

5. Authority Signals

AI looks for external validation.

What counts:

  • Press coverage
  • Professional certifications
  • Industry associations
  • Awards
  • Expert content (blog, guides, videos)

Why: AI needs to trust you before recommending you.

How to Test Your AI Visibility

You can test what AI platforms say about your business for $25.

Surmado Signal tests your AI visibility across 7 platforms using persona-based queries.

What you test:

  • “Best [service] in [city]” (generic)
  • “[Service] [city] [specific need]” (targeted)
  • “[Service] [city] [customer constraint]” (niche)

Example for HVAC company:

  1. “Best HVAC company in Phoenix”
  2. “Emergency AC repair Phoenix Sunday”
  3. “HVAC maintenance Phoenix under $200”

What you get:

  • Presence rate (how often you appear)
  • Share of voice (your mentions vs competitors)
  • Exact AI quotes
  • Gap analysis
  • Specific recommendations

Cost: $25

Timeline: Results in about 15 minutes

Test your AI visibility

AI Search vs Traditional SEO

The Similarities

Both rely on:

  • Clear content
  • Schema markup
  • Reviews
  • Authority signals
  • Mobile-friendly design
  • Fast load times

Good SEO helps AI visibility. They’re not separate strategies.

The Differences

FactorGoogle SEOAI Search
Result format10 blue links1-3 recommendations
Your controlOptimize for rankingsOptimize for being mentioned
Success metricRank #1-3Be in the answer
User intentUser reads and decidesAI recommends
CompetitionBeat 10 competitorsBe one of 1-3 mentioned
Persona targetingOne query at a timeMultiple personas simultaneously

Key insight: In Google, rank #1 wins. In AI search, being mentioned favorably matters more than position.

Common Misconceptions

”AI Will Replace Google”

No. They serve different needs.

Google is better for:

  • Shopping and price comparison
  • Local map exploration
  • Browsing options
  • Finding specific websites

AI search is better for:

  • Getting specific recommendations
  • Complex multi-criteria decisions
  • Understanding tradeoffs
  • Personalized suggestions

Reality: Most people will use both. Optimize for both.

No. Anyone claiming this is scamming you.

AI platforms do not have paid placement in conversational results. They search the public web and synthesize answers.

Read more: Can You Pay to Get Listed in ChatGPT?

”AI Search Is Too New to Matter”

It’s already affecting businesses.

Real examples:

  • Restaurant saw 30% drop in weeknight reservations. Reason: ChatGPT recommended competitor for “quiet date night spot.”
  • HVAC company got 15 emergency calls in one weekend. Reason: Perplexity started recommending them for “emergency HVAC Phoenix Sunday.”
  • Lawyer lost 3 consultations. Reason: Claude recommended larger firm for their specialty.

Timeline: This is happening now, not in 3 years.

”Only Tech Companies Need to Care”

Wrong. AI search affects local service businesses most.

Why: People ask AI for local recommendations:

  • “Best plumber near me who can come today”
  • “Divorce lawyer in Austin who’s affordable”
  • “Dog groomer Phoenix good with anxious dogs”

Impact: Local service businesses see the biggest shift in customer discovery.

What to Do This Week

Monday: Test Your Current Visibility

Run Surmado Signal with 3-5 customer personas.

See exactly where you stand across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok, and DeepSeek.

Cost: $25

Time: 15 minutes for results

Tuesday: Fix Your Google Business Profile

Complete all fields. Add photos. Create first post.

Time: 1-2 hours

Impact: Immediate improvement in discoverability

Wednesday: Check Your Schema

Run your website through Google Rich Results Test.

See what schema you have and what’s missing.

Alternative: Run Surmado Scan ($25) for complete technical analysis.

Thursday: Request Detailed Reviews

Email 3-5 recent happy customers.

Ask for detailed reviews: What problem did you have? How did we solve it? What was the outcome?

Time: 30 minutes to write email and send

Impact: Shows in 1-2 weeks as reviews come in

Friday: Content Audit

Review your homepage and service pages.

Ask: Can someone understand what I do in 10 seconds?

Rewrite headline and service list if needed.

Time: 2-3 hours

Impact: 2-3 weeks for AI to re-index

The Bottom Line

AI search is how customers find businesses in 2024 and beyond.

Your business either appears in AI recommendations or it doesn’t. There’s no page 2.

The signals that make you visible are:

  • Complete Google Business Profile
  • Clear website content
  • Detailed reviews
  • Schema markup
  • Authority signals

You can optimize these signals in 3-4 weeks for under $100.

Or you can wait and watch competitors capture customers you never knew you lost.

Next Steps

Start here:

  1. Test your AI visibility across 7 platforms ($25)
  2. Learn why ChatGPT recommends your competitor
  3. Read the 3-week fix plan

Technical deep dives: 4. Schema Markup Explained: What It Is and Why AI Cares 5. How AI Models Learn About Your Business

Avoid scams: 6. Can You Pay to Get Listed in ChatGPT?

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