The way people search for information online is changing fast. Alongside traditional search engines like Google, AI-powered tools - ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot - are now answering millions of questions every day.
For businesses of all sizes, this shift raises an important question: is your website set up to be found not just by Google, but by AI search too?
At Kall Kwik WGC, we work with businesses across the UK, helping them communicate more effectively. And increasingly, the conversation around visibility has moved beyond print and design into the digital world. So here’s a practical guide to help your website show up where your customers are searching – whether that’s a traditional search engine or an AI assistant.
How does AI search work and why does it matter for my business?
AI search tools read content across the web and generate a summarised answer, often citing specific sources. To get cited, your content needs to be clear, accurate, and genuinely useful.
Traditional search engines return a list of links. AI tools do something different: they synthesise an answer and attribute it to a source. That source could be your business – or a competitor’s.
AI tools favour websites that demonstrate expertise and trustworthiness. They look for content that answers real questions in plain language, rather than pages stuffed with keywords. This is good news for businesses that take their content seriously.
It’s also worth knowing that ranking well on Google is no longer enough on its own. Research by Ahrefs (2025) found that only 12% of URLs cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot appeared in Google’s top 10 results – which means your AI search visibility and your traditional search rankings can be very different things.
How should I write content so AI tools can find and cite it?
Use question-based headings followed by a direct one or two-sentence answer. This makes it much easier for AI systems to extract and cite the relevant section of your page.
Think about the questions your customers actually ask. What do they want to know before they buy? What problems are they trying to solve? Structure your content around those questions, and answer them directly, at the top of each section.
Consider how a firm of accountants might approach this. Rather than a vague heading like “Our services,” a heading such as “Can an accountant help me reduce my corporation tax bill?” followed by a clear, direct answer is far more likely to be cited by an AI tool. It matches how a potential client would phrase the question, and gives the AI something precise to work with.