Search engines now answer many questions themselves, with AI-written summaries above the links. For smaller companies, that changes where the clicks come from. It doesn’t change what earns them: useful pages, a clear local presence and a website search engines can read.

Below: what has changed, what still works, and a six-month plan you can follow.

The biggest change is that Google answers more questions on the results page, so simple questions send fewer visitors to websites.

  • AI Overviews. An AI-written summary at the top of many results, with links to the pages it draws on. It is available in Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands, in their own languages.

  • AI Mode. A conversational way to search, where people ask follow-up questions. It is available in the same countries and languages.

  • AI assistants. Many people also ask ChatGPT and similar assistants, which search the web and cite their sources.

What it means: questions with a short, factual answer bring fewer clicks than before. Searches where people compare options, choose a supplier or look for a business nearby still end on websites and business profiles, and those are the searches that bring customers.

Google says there is nothing special to do: the SEO that works for normal results also works for AI Overviews and AI Mode.

According to its guidance for site owners, a page only needs to be indexed and allowed to show a snippet. You don’t need special AI files or markup. Visits from these features are counted in Search Console, together with your normal search traffic.

What still works

For a smaller company, five things carry most of the weight.

Pages that answer real questions

Write for the questions customers actually ask you, and answer each one directly at the top of the page or section. A page that settles the question is the kind an AI summary links to.

Being the obvious local choice

Keep your Google Business Profile complete and current: opening hours, services, photos and replies to reviews. Many service searches are local, and the profile is often the first thing people see.

Proof that you know your trade

Show real examples, photos of your own work, customer stories and the people behind the company. Search engines look for signs that content comes from people with real experience of the subject.

A website search engines can read

Fast pages on a phone, clear headings, real text instead of text in images, a title and description for every page, and structured data where it fits. Link your pages to each other, so search engines and readers find their way.

Steady, useful publishing

A few good articles a month beat a burst of thin ones. According to Google, generating many pages without adding value may violate its spam policy on scaled content abuse, whether a person or an AI wrote them.

What to focus on now

Put your time where buyers search, not where the easy clicks used to be.

  • A page for each service, and for each area you serve, written for the searches that lead to a sale.

  • The questions buyers ask before they choose, answered on those pages: what it costs, how long it takes, what is included.

  • Your Google Business Profile and your reviews.

  • The right numbers: enquiries and calls from search, not just visitors.

  • Pages worth citing: clear facts, up to date, with the date and the people behind them visible.

A plan for the next six months

Start with the basics, then build on the searches that already bring enquiries.

  1. Month 1: the basics. Check that your pages are indexed, each has its own title and description, and they load fast on a phone. Set up Search Console if you haven’t.

  2. Months 1–2: your local presence. Update your Google Business Profile, and ask happy customers for reviews.

  3. Months 2–3: your service pages. Rewrite them around what buyers ask before they choose.

  4. Months 3–6: useful articles. Publish two to four a month, each answering a question you hear every week.

  5. Every month: measure. See in Search Console which searches bring enquiries, and improve those pages first.

This is the work our marketing agents do with you: research, drafts and page improvements, which you approve before anything goes live. See marketing, content and SEO.

Questions and answers

Is SEO dead because of AI?

No. Search still sends people to websites, especially when they compare options and choose a supplier. What changes is which searches lead to a click.

Do I need special files or markup for AI search?

Google says no. Pages that are indexed and allowed to show a snippet can appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with the same SEO as always.

Can AI write my SEO content?

It can do much of the work, as long as each piece is useful, accurate and checked by a person. Google allows AI-assisted content, but mass-produced pages without value may break its spam rules. Read AI content that still sounds like you.

How long does SEO take?

Usually months, not weeks. Track it monthly, and judge it by enquiries, not just by rankings.

Should I still write blog articles?

Yes, if they answer questions your buyers really ask. Articles that only repeat what everyone else says will get fewer clicks than before.

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