Will AI Search Tank Your Rankings?

A 15-minute DIY Visibility Test (do this today!)

1. “Who are the top [your service] providers in [your city, province]?”
2. “Best [your service] near me” (with location services enabled)
3. “What’s the price of [your service] in [your city]?”
4. “[Your brand] reviews”
5. “Contact [your brand]” and “Is [your brand] open now?”

Note whether your brand appears:

• In the answer box/summary text
• As a cited source (look for footnotes or link cards)
• In the follow-up suggestions or “people also ask” style questions
• On the first page of organic links (where applicable)

Where To Test:

• Microsoft Copilot — web & apps.
• Perplexity — fast answers with citations and “Pro” deep research.
• ChatGPT — general assistant; now supports browsing in many contexts.
• Andi — chat-first search with succinct answers.
• Gemini — Google’s AI assistant with deep Workspace integration.
• Grok — xAI’s assistant with real-time search.

Bonus engines worth sampling (optional):

• Brave Search – independent index + AI answers.
• You.com — chat-first assistant that began as a search engine.
• Phind — excellent for technical queries; still useful for general comparisons.
• Komo — lightweight, ad-free AI search.

What “Good” Looks Like In AI Search

When you run those prompts, aim for at least two of the following:

• Your brand is named in the answer (“Top providers include…”)
• Your content appears as a cited source (footnote or link preview)
• Your Google Business Profile (GBP), Bing Places, or Apple Business Connect details (hours, phone, address) are pulled correctly
• Your reviews (and star rating) are summarized accurately
• For local service queries, you show in map-style results or “near me” summaries

If you’re not seeing at least two of those signals consistently, you probably have content or entity gaps AI systems can’t confidently resolve.

Why AI engines choose (or skip) you

While each engine is different, several patterns are consistent:

• Clear, up-to-date answers win. Pages that concisely answer common questions (pricing ranges, service areas, turnaround times, “how it works”) are more likely to be quoted.
• Strong local entity data matters. Consistent NAP (name, address, phone), categories, hours, and service areas across GBP, Bing Places, and Apple Business Connect help engines disambiguate your business.
• Structured data = easier citations. Schema.org markup (Organization, Local Business, FAQ, Product/Service, Review, How To) helps machines extract facts cleanly.
• Authoritativeness and trust still rule. Independent press mentions, high-quality local citations, and honest review volume/sentiment reinforce credibility.
• Freshness is a tie-breaker. Recently updated pages—especially those with seasonal info, pricing, or inventory—tend to get preference when answers depend on “what’s true right now.”

A Simple Optimization Plan (Prioritized)

1. Own your “entity” everywhere.
   • Audit and fix your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and Apple Business Connect entries—categories, services, service area, hours, photos, attributes, and booking links.
   • Make sure your website’s footer and Contact page exactly match that NAP data.
2. Publish an AI-friendly “answers layer.”
   • Add or refresh concise pages that target conversational queries: “Pricing,” “Areas We Serve,” “How We Work,” “[Service] vs [Alternative],” “Emergency [Service] in [City].”
   • Include a TL;DR at the top (2–4 bullets) and a longer explanation below. This format mirrors how AI engines synthesize content.
3. Add/upgrade structured data.
   • Implement Organization or Local Business schema with social/knowledge profile links.
   • Use FAQ, Product/Service, Breadcrumb, Review, and How To where relevant.
   • Validate with schema testing tools and fix warnings.
4. Make reviews work harder.
   • Encourage recent reviews on Google and industry sites; respond thoughtfully (machines read tone).
   • Highlight representative reviews on key pages (and mark up with Review schema when appropriate).
5. Create a locally authoritative hub.
   • Publish a city/province guide or resource hub that naturally earns links (e.g., “Complete Guide to [Service] Regulations in Saskatchewan” or “Homeowner’s Maintenance Calendar for [City]”).
   • Cite official sources and keep it updated—AI engines love well-referenced explainer content.
6. Speed, UX, and mobile.
   • Ensure Core Web Vitals are in the green, pages are snappy on mobile, and interstitials/pop-ups don’t block content the engine is trying to read.
7. Bilingual checks if you serve francophone customers.
   • Provide key pages in English and French, and repeat your 15-minute test using French prompts for Québec and francophone markets.

Reading Your Test Results (and What To Do Next)

• You appear, but not as a cited source: Strengthen on-page clarity and structured data; add explicit stats, definitions, and process steps that are easy to quote.
• You appear only for brand queries (not “near me”): Fortify local signals (GBP/Bing/Apple), city-specific pages, and locally-relevant backlinks/mentions.
• Inconsistent hours, phone, or pricing: Fix your listings and make your site the source of truth—clean headings, consistent formatting, and structured data.
• Competitors dominate AI summaries: Identify the patterns they cover (pricing ranges, guarantees, certifications, comparisons) and cover them better—with evidence, visuals, and references.

What Does This Mean For Traditional SEO?

Think of AI search as an additional surface to win, not a replacement. Organic listings, the Map Pack, and referral traffic still matter; AI simply adds a “summary layer” that chooses which brands to feature and cite. If your site is the best, clearest source, you’re more likely to be included in that summary—and users who want details still click through.

Want a Hand? Sojourn Digital Can Help.

We work with Canadian businesses to audit AI-search visibility, repair local/entity data, and build the answer-rich content structures these engines favor—without neglecting classic SEO, Maps, and conversion UX. If you’d like, we can run the 15-minute test for your brand, share screenshots, and give you a prioritized 90-day plan.