By Sonia Urquilla, SEO Consultant, Founder of SEO by Sonia
A client told me a few months ago, half surprised, half thrilled: someone had just booked a call with her and mentioned that ChatGPT had recommended her. She hadn’t done anything differently that week. What had actually happened was months of quieter work finally showing up in a place she hadn’t been tracking closely.
Ai Recommendations Aren’t Random, And They Aren’t Reserved For Big Brands
There’s a common assumption that showing up in a ChatGPT answer or a Google AI Overview is either luck or something only large, well-funded companies get to do. Neither is true. AI tools are pulling from specific, identifiable signals across the web, and a small service-based business can absolutely build those signals on its own, often faster than a large company that hasn’t touched its website structure in years.
Clear Positioning Matters More Than Most People Realize
AI tools are essentially trying to match a person’s question to the clearest, most specific answer available. A website that’s vague about who it serves and what it actually does gives an AI tool very little to work with. A page that states plainly who you help, what problem you solve, and what makes your approach specific gives it something concrete to pull from and repeat back to someone asking for a recommendation.
Website Content Has To Actually Answer The Question Being Asked
I worked with a client whose site had plenty of content, but almost none of it directly answered the actual questions her potential clients were typing into search bars or asking AI tools. Once we restructured her pages around those specific questions, rather than general descriptions of her services, her visibility in AI answers changed within a few months, without a single new social media post.
Brand Optimization Counts More Than Most Business Owners Expect
AI tools cross-reference information about a business across multiple sources: your website, your Google Business Profile, reviews, directories, any media features or backlinks pointing to your site. When your name, service description, and location are consistent across all of those places, it builds a kind of trust signal that a single well-written homepage can’t create alone.
Reviews, Media Features, And Backlinks All Feed The Same System
A handful of strong reviews, a mention in an industry blog, or a link from a reputable site all tell AI tools the same thing a human would infer instinctively: other people vouch for this business. None of these have to come from a massive PR campaign. A single relevant feature or a cluster of genuine reviews can meaningfully shift how AI tools describe you.
Structured Data And Local Signals Do The Technical Part
Behind the scenes, structured data tells AI tools exactly what your page is about in a format they can parse instantly, and strong local signals (a complete Google Business Profile, consistent address and service details, location-specific content) tell both Google and AI tools where you actually operate and who you’re positioned to serve.
None Of This Requires Being A Large Brand
What it requires is a website and online presence built around the actual questions people are asking, structured in a way AI tools can read clearly, and backed by consistent, verifiable information across the web. That’s entirely achievable for an independent coach or consultant, and it’s exactly the kind of work that quietly keeps generating recommendations long after it’s done.
Sonia Urquilla is an SEO consultant and founder of SEO by Sonia, helping service providers get found, recommended, and booked through Google and AI search. Learn more about her AI search optimization services here: https://www.seobysonia.com/ai-search-optimization-search