What is AI search and does it matter for my small business?

AI search means people asking assistants like ChatGPT, Claude or Google's AI features for recommendations instead of scrolling through results. It matters because those assistants name specific businesses in their answers. If your business information is clear, consistent and well structured online, you can be one of the businesses they recommend to customers in Northumberland.

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your business appear when people search on Google. GEO (generative engine optimisation, sometimes called AIO) helps your business appear when people ask AI assistants for recommendations. The good news is they build on the same foundations: a clear website, a complete Google Business Profile and consistent business details everywhere online. I look after both together.

How long does SEO take to work for a small local business?

Quicker than most people expect for local searches. Tidying your Google Business Profile can improve your visibility within days. Ranking your website for local phrases like your service plus your town typically takes weeks to a few months, depending on competition. My own site reached page one for Marketing Consultant Hexham in eleven days, though every business and market is different.

Do I need to understand any of the technical side?

No, none of it. I handle the technical work and explain anything you want explained in plain English. If you would like to learn, I offer training. If you would rather never hear the word schema again, that works too.

Get found on Google, on Maps and in AI search

When someone in Northumberland needs what you do, they search. On Google, on Google Maps, and increasingly by asking an AI assistant like ChatGPT a question such as "where should we stay near Hexham for a weekend away?". If your business is not part of the answer, the enquiry goes to someone else. Usually to a competitor who is no better than you, just easier to find.

I make sure you are part of the answer. This is what people in my industry call SEO (search engine optimisation) and, for the AI side, GEO or AIO (generative engine optimisation, or AI optimisation). You do not need to remember any of those terms. You just need to be findable, and that is the whole job.

What this actually involves

• Your Google Business Profile, properly done. Your profile on Google Maps and local search is often your most valuable free asset. I set it up or tidy it up, fill it properly, keep it active and help you gather reviews.

• A website that speaks your customers' language. I research what your customers actually type and ask, then make sure your website answers in the words they use, on pages Google can read and rank.

• Visibility in AI search. AI assistants recommend businesses they can understand and verify. I structure your information behind the scenes (the technical name is schema markup) and make sure your details match everywhere you appear online, so AI engines treat you as a trustworthy answer.

• A tidy digital footprint. Consistent listings in the places that matter, from local directories to maps services, all saying exactly the same thing about you.

• A monthly report you will actually read. A short summary in plain English. How many people found you, what they searched for, and how many got in touch.

Why local businesses are perfectly placed to win at this

Here is the good news. AI search and Google both love genuinely local, genuinely specific businesses. A national chain cannot say "family run barn conversion for couples, ten minutes from Hadrian's Wall". You can. Most small businesses in Northumberland have not caught up with any of this yet, which means the ones who act now get a real head start. My own website reached page one of Google for "Marketing Consultant Hexham" in eleven days using this exact approach.

How it can work for you

Done for you as an ongoing arrangement, set up then handed over with training, or started with a one off Visibility Review: I check how your business currently shows up on Google, on Maps and in AI search, then talk you through it face to face, in plain English, with a clear list of what to fix. It is a lovely low commitment way to find out where you stand.

Frequently Asked Questions

AI search means people asking assistants like ChatGPT, Claude or Google's AI features for recommendations instead of scrolling through results. It matters because those assistants name specific businesses in their answers. If your business information is clear, consistent and well structured online, you can be one of the businesses they recommend to customers in Northumberland.
SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your business appear when people search on Google. GEO (generative engine optimisation, sometimes called AIO) helps your business appear when people ask AI assistants for recommendations. The good news is they build on the same foundations: a clear website, a complete Google Business Profile and consistent business details everywhere online. I look after both together.

Quicker than most people expect for local searches. Tidying your Google Business Profile can improve your visibility within days. Ranking your website for local phrases like "your service plus your town" typically takes weeks to a few months, depending on competition. My own site reached page one for "Marketing Consultant Hexham" in eleven days, though every business and market is different.
No, none of it. I handle the technical work and explain anything you want explained in plain English. If you would like to learn, I offer training. If you would rather never hear the word schema again, that works too.

Want to know how findable you are right now?

Fill in the form and ask for a Visibility Review. I will check how your business shows up on Google, on Maps and in AI search, and talk you through the results in plain English. No jargon, no obligation.