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A Practical Guide To Getting Your Business Found On Google And AI Search
Want more local customers to find your business online? Discover how SEO, Google Ads and AI search can help you improve your visibility, build trust and stand out from the competition.
Running a small business is demanding enough without having to keep up with every change Google makes or work out how artificial intelligence is changing the way people search online.
You know your business, your customers and the services you provide. But when someone searches for what you offer, are they finding you — or are they choosing a competitor instead?
At Whizz Marketing, I help small businesses improve their online visibility, attract the right customers and make more of their digital marketing. With over 15 years of experience in SEO and Google Ads, I understand how search works, what influences visibility and how to turn website and campaign data into practical recommendations that support business growth.
Now, as AI continues to change how people discover and research businesses, I’m helping clients understand what these developments mean for them — and what they can do to stay visible in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
The good news? You don’t need to become a digital marketing expert yourself. You just need the right support and a strategy that makes sense for your business.
1. Get Found by More Local Customers
When someone nearby searches for a service you provide, you want your business to be one of the options they discover.
Whether you’re a tradesperson, professional service provider, retailer or local specialist, improving your visibility on Google can help you reach people who are actively looking for what you offer.
But local visibility involves more than simply adding your town to a few website pages.
It means helping Google understand what your business does, where you operate, which services you provide and why customers should trust you.
Depending on your business, this could involve:
- Local SEO: Improving your website’s visibility for relevant local searches, such as “electrician in Bideford” or “accountant near me”.
- Google Business Profile: Optimising your business listing so customers can find your services, contact details, reviews and location information.
- Website content: Creating useful service pages and location-specific content that answers the questions your customers are asking.
- Technical SEO: Making sure search engines can access, understand and index your website effectively.
- Customer reviews and reputation: Building confidence through genuine customer feedback and consistent business information.
These elements work together to strengthen your local presence and help potential customers find out more about your business.
2. Combine Organic SEO with Google Ads
There isn’t just one way to appear on Google. Organic search and paid advertising serve different purposes, and the right combination depends on your business, competition and budget.
Organic SEO: Building Visibility Over Time
Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps improve your website’s visibility in the unpaid search results.
It involves understanding what your customers search for, researching your competitors, improving your website content and addressing technical issues that may be limiting performance.
SEO is a longer-term investment. Results take time, and rankings can change, but a well-planned strategy can build a valuable source of relevant traffic and enquiries without paying for every click.
Google Ads: Reaching Customers When They’re Searching
Google Ads allows you to promote your business to people searching for relevant products or services, with targeting and budgets tailored to your objectives.
As a Google Partner Agency and Certified Google Ads Specialist, I help businesses plan, manage and improve paid search campaigns with a focus on attracting relevant visitors, generating enquiries and making advertising budgets work harder.
That means looking beyond clicks and impressions to understand which searches, adverts and landing pages are contributing to meaningful results.
For some businesses, paid search can provide additional visibility while their organic presence develops. For others, a strong organic strategy may be the priority. Often, the best approach is to use both channels strategically.
The important thing is to invest where the data suggests it can make the greatest difference.
3. What Does AI Search Mean for Your Business?
Search is changing. People increasingly use AI-powered features and conversational tools to ask questions, compare options and research businesses before making a decision.
Alongside traditional Google results, potential customers may encounter AI Overviews in Google Search or use tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to explore their options.
This creates new opportunities for businesses to be discovered — but it also raises an important question:
If someone asks an AI tool to recommend a business like yours, will your brand be visible?
There is no guaranteed formula for appearing in AI-generated answers. However, there are practical ways to strengthen the information and reputation signals that help search systems understand your business.
- Clear, helpful website content: Explain what you do, who you help, where you work and what makes your service different.
- Useful answers to real customer questions: Address common concerns, explain your processes and provide genuinely helpful information rather than writing content purely to target keywords.
- Consistent business information: Keep your website, Google Business Profile and relevant business listings accurate and up to date.
- Credibility and reputation: Encourage genuine customer reviews, demonstrate your experience and build relevant mentions of your business across trusted websites.
- Structured data: Where appropriate, use schema markup to help search engines interpret important information about your business and services.
- Relevant external citations and mentions: Build your presence through reputable local directories, industry websites, partnerships and other relevant sources that reinforce who you are and what you do.
These activities support your wider digital visibility. They can help search engines and AI systems make better sense of your business, although no individual tactic guarantees a mention or recommendation.
4. Build Brand Visibility, Not Just Rankings
One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make is focusing exclusively on where they rank on Google.
Rankings matter, but they don’t tell the whole story.
Your potential customers may discover your business through an organic search result, a paid advert, a Google Business Profile, a customer review, a recommendation on another website or an AI-generated answer.
They may encounter your brand several times before deciding to contact you.
This is why I look at the bigger picture: how easily your business can be found, how clearly your services are understood, what helps people trust you and what encourages them to take the next step.
For example, a local business might have a technically sound website but very little independent recognition online. Another might have excellent reviews but poorly optimised service pages. Both have opportunities to improve, but their priorities will be different.
Keyword and competitor research, website audits and performance analysis help identify those gaps. Rather than recommending the same checklist to every client, I use the available evidence to establish what needs attention first.
The aim is to make your business more discoverable, credible and competitive — not simply to produce more website traffic.
5. Practical Digital Marketing Support Without the Jargon
At Whizz Marketing, I believe good advice should be easy to understand and practical to implement.
I’ve spent more than 15 years working with small businesses, and as the founder of my own business, I understand the realities of managing budgets, competing priorities and limited time.
You don’t need another report full of technical terminology that leaves you wondering what to do next.
You need to understand what’s working, where you’re missing opportunities and which actions are most likely to improve your results.
That’s why my approach combines research and analysis with straightforward advice and a prioritised action plan. I’ll explain what I’ve found, why it matters and what I recommend doing next.
I also recognise that businesses have different needs. Some require a one-off website audit or keyword research; others need help with local SEO, Google Ads or a longer-term strategy that brings several channels together.
My support is flexible, with no long-term contracts, so you can get help with the areas that matter most to your business.
Based in North Devon, I work with local businesses and clients across the UK, providing experienced, personal support without the cost or complexity that can come with a larger agency.
6. Ready to Improve Your Online Visibility?
Whether you want to attract more local customers, improve your Google rankings, get better results from Google Ads or understand how AI search could affect your business, the first step is to understand where you are now and where the opportunities lie.
With the right foundations, a clear strategy and ongoing attention to how search evolves, you can strengthen your online presence and give more potential customers a reason to choose you.
You don’t need to chase every new trend or invest in every marketing channel. You need to understand what matters for your business and focus your efforts accordingly.
Let’s find out where your opportunities are.
At Whizz Marketing, I offer friendly, practical digital visibility support tailored to your business, your goals and your budget.
Whether you need a website audit, local SEO, Google Ads management or guidance on improving your visibility in AI search, I’d be happy to talk through your options.
Get in touch with Louise at Whizz Marketing to discuss how we can help your business get found, build trust and grow online.
Visit www.whizzmarketing.co.uk or call on 07814 391221.
