AI Search Is Changing The Game For Small Businesses

By Jim Butz, Sales and Marketing expert with over 20 years of real world experience strategizing and executing sales and marketing plans for startups, small business and nonprofit.

The numbers tell the story: Google still processes 14 billion searches daily. But ChatGPT is now handling roughly 66 million searches per day—and that was back in September 2025. Those numbers for AI searches are climbing fast.

For small businesses, preparing for AI can feel overwhelming. I get it. But there's a real opportunity here that most people are missing.

The Old Game: Pay to Play or Get Buried

For the past two decades, traditional search has been dominated by whoever could crack the keyword game. This created a gold rush for service directories, lead generation platforms, and professional aggregators. Think Angie's List for home services, or any of the countless "Find a [Professional] Near You" sites that dominate page one of Google.

I call them Yellow Pages Sites.

Here's the thing: many of these organizations don't actually provide the service. They just corner the digital traffic and become the gatekeeper between consumers and the businesses doing the actual work. They've become the de facto choice for consumers, and they can make or break the small businesses they list and where they list them. There is nothing inherently wrong with this model. It's capitalism working as designed. But it comes with a cost:

• Paid subscriptions just to get listed

• Revenue sharing that eats into already thin margins

• Zero differentiation—you're just another name in a directory

  
  

What AI Changes (And Why It Matters)

AI search works differently. Instead of typing "find contractor near me," people are now searching like this:

"I have a hole in my wall from my three-year-old throwing a toy truck. It's drywall, about the size of a softball. Who should I call to fix this, and roughly what should I expect to pay?"

These are called long-tail searches. They're conversational. They're specific. And they don't reward generic directory listings—they reward actual expertise.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Claude that question, the AI doesn't just return a list of contractors. It synthesizes information from across the web to give a helpful answer. And if your business has published content that demonstrates real knowledge about that exact problem, you're more likely to surface. Google's been saying for years they want to "reward relevant content written for humans." AI is making that reality impossible to ignore.

So What Does "Getting Your Expertise Online" Actually Look Like?

This is where most small businesses stall out. "Create content" sounds like a full-time job. It doesn't have to be. Here's what works:

1. Answer the questions you get asked every week

• Blog posts, FAQ pages, short videos—doesn't matter the format

• "What causes foundation cracks in older homes in [my local area]?" is better SEO than "Foundation Services"

• You're already explaining this stuff to customers. Write it down. If someone has questions in person, people online have those questions.

2. Share your actual process

• How you diagnose issues

• What you look for during an estimate

• Why you recommend one approach over another

• This builds trust AND feeds AI systems looking for authoritative sources

3. Showcase your work with context

• Before/after photos with explanations

• "This looked like a simple leak, but here's what we actually found..."

• Case studies don't need to be formal—just real

4. Get consistent with local content

• Common issues in your specific area

• "Why basements in [Your City] flood every spring"

• Seasonal advice relevant to your market

5. Make it easy to find and act on

• Clear contact info on every page

• Mobile-friendly site (most searches happen on phones)

• Simple scheduling or quote request process

Are you actually putting this content out there?

Most small businesses aren't. Their websites contain the basics about themselves and their services (which is good and you need to have!).  They're busy doing the work, which makes sense. But here's the reality: if your expertise only exists in your head or in conversations with customers, AI can't surface it. Your competitors who ARE publishing—even imperfectly—will get found instead.

You don't need a content marketing team. You need to start documenting what you already know. Or reach out to a group like us at Anuncier. 

Start Small, Start Now

Pick one thing:

• Answer one common customer question in a blog post this week

• Record a 2-minute video explaining a common problem in your industry

• Write up one project you completed and what made it interesting

That's it. Do that consistently, and you're ahead of 90% of your competition. If this seems daunting, reach out to us and we are happy to talk about a plan to help. 

The AI search revolution is happening whether small businesses prepare for it or not. The good news? The barrier to entry isn't budget—it's just showing up and sharing what you already know.