When someone asks ChatGPT "best web designer in New Hampshire" or Perplexity "who does affordable websites near Bedford NH," something new happens. Instead of giving a list of links, these AI tools read websites, summarize what they find, and recommend businesses directly. Your website either shows up in that answer or it does not.
What Changed
Traditional search (Google, Bing) shows you a list of links and you click through. AI search tools read those pages for you and give you an answer. Google itself is doing this with AI Overviews at the top of search results.
This means two things for your business:
- Your website content matters more than ever. AI tools need clear, factual, well-structured information to cite your business. If your website is vague or generic, the AI skips you.
- Your technical setup matters. Some AI crawlers cannot run JavaScript. If your website is a single-page app without server-side rendering, AI bots may see a blank page where your business should be.
What AI Search Engines Look For
AI search tools prioritize websites that:
- Answer specific questions clearly. FAQ sections, how-to content, and direct statements work best.
- Use structured data. Schema markup (JSON-LD) tells AI bots exactly what your business does, where you are, and what you offer.
- Cite real sources. Content that references specific regulations, studies, or standards gets weighted higher than opinion pieces.
- Are crawlable. Your robots.txt file needs to allow AI bots like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and PerplexityBot to access your content.
What You Can Do Today
You do not need to rebuild your website. Start with these steps:
- Add an FAQ section to your most important pages. Write questions the way customers actually ask them.
- Add schema markup — at minimum, LocalBusiness schema with your name, address, phone, and services.
- Check your robots.txt — make sure you are not accidentally blocking AI crawlers.
- Write content that answers questions instead of content that just describes your services. "How much does a plumber cost in Manchester NH" beats "We offer plumbing services."
Every website we build at MayhemTBD comes with AI search optimization built in: structured data, FAQ schema, AI crawler access, and content structured for both humans and machines. If you want to check how your current site performs, request a free checkup.