Search has changed noticeably over the last couple of years. Google now shows AI Overviews at the top of many results, and a growing number of people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot or Gemini for recommendations instead of searching. For a small business in Suffolk, the practical question is simple: when someone asks one of these tools for a recommendation, will your business be mentioned?
This guide explains how these tools find information, what affects whether you are included, and what to do about it. It avoids hype. Much of what helps is also just good practice.
How AI search tools find information
Most AI search tools work in a broadly similar way. When you ask a question that needs current information, the tool runs searches, reads a selection of web pages and other sources, and writes an answer based on what it found. Some show links to their sources.
That means AI answers depend on what is written about you on the web. If your website, Google Business Profile, directory listings and press mentions all clearly say what you do and where, the tool has good material to work with. If information is missing, inconsistent or hidden behind clunky code, you are less likely to be mentioned, or more likely to be described wrongly.
Check what the tools currently say
Start by asking. Try questions your customers might ask:
- "Who are the best accountants in Bury St Edmunds for farmers?"
- "Recommend a dog-friendly pub near Woodbridge."
- "Which companies offer container storage near Felixstowe?"
Note whether you appear, how you are described, which competitors are mentioned and which sources are cited. Results vary from one try to the next, so run each question a few times and in different tools. It is a rough picture, not a precise measurement, but it is a useful starting point.
Make sure AI crawlers can read your site
Some websites block AI crawlers through their robots.txt file, sometimes deliberately and sometimes because of a default setting in a security plugin or hosting service. If a tool's crawler cannot read your site, it has to rely on what others say about you. Check your robots.txt and any firewall or bot protection settings.
Also check that your key content appears in the page's HTML rather than being loaded by JavaScript after the page opens. Some crawlers do not run JavaScript, so content loaded that way may be invisible to them.
Say the important things plainly
AI tools pull facts from pages. The clearer your pages state the key facts, the easier they are to use. On your main pages, make sure it is obvious:
- What you do, in plain words.
- Where you are based and which areas you serve.
- Who your services are for.
- What makes you different, stated as fact rather than slogan.
- How to get in touch.
Marketing language like "bespoke solutions for discerning clients" gives an AI tool nothing to work with. "Bookkeeping and tax returns for farms and rural businesses across West Suffolk" does.
Keep your details consistent everywhere
AI tools often cross-check information from several sources. If your website says you serve Ipswich, your Google profile says Colchester and an old directory listing has a previous address, the tool has to guess. Go through your main listings and make the details match.
Be mentioned by others
Mentions in local news, trade body directories, event listings and partner websites act as independent confirmation that your business exists and does what it says. They matter for traditional SEO and they matter for AI answers. Suffolk has plenty of opportunities: local business awards that genuinely exist, chambers of commerce, sector networks, charity partnerships and local media.
Use structured data
Structured data, or schema markup, is code that labels the information on your pages: business name, services, location, opening hours, reviews. It helps search engines read your pages accurately. It is not a guaranteed route into AI answers, but it removes ambiguity, and that is always helpful.
Reviews still count
When people ask for recommendations, AI tools often draw on reviews. A steady flow of genuine reviews on Google and relevant industry sites, with thoughtful replies, gives them more to work with. Never buy or fake reviews; aside from the ethical problem, it now carries legal risk in the UK.
What to expect
Nobody can promise you a place in AI answers. The tools change often, the answers vary, and the companies behind them do not publish exactly how they choose sources. Anyone guaranteeing results is overselling.
What you can do is make your business easy to find, read and verify. Those steps also tend to improve your standing in ordinary search results and make your website more useful to real customers. There is little downside.
A simple checklist
- Ask AI tools the questions your customers ask, and note what they say.
- Check robots.txt and bot protection settings.
- Make sure key content loads without relying on JavaScript.
- Rewrite your main pages so the key facts are stated plainly.
- Make your details consistent across all listings.
- Add structured data for your business and services.
- Keep earning genuine reviews and local mentions.
Our AI search optimisation service covers each of these steps.
A simple test you can run today
- Write down five questions a new customer might ask about your service and town.
- Ask each question in Google, ChatGPT and one other assistant such as Perplexity or Copilot.
- Note whether you are mentioned, whether the details are correct, and which websites are cited.
- Repeat in a month, because answers change.
What to fix first
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| You never appear | Thin pages, blocked crawlers or few mentions elsewhere | Strengthen key pages, check robots.txt, build local listings and links |
| Wrong details | Old directory entries or inconsistent information | Update listings and make your site's facts clear |
| Competitor cited instead | Their page answers the question more directly | Write a clear answer on your own page |
| Directory cited, not you | Directories are trusted sources | Make sure your directory listings are complete and accurate |
Examples from Suffolk sectors
A holiday let in Southwold is more likely to be suggested if its site clearly states that it is dog-friendly, how far it is from the beach, and how many it sleeps, in plain text rather than icons.
An engineering firm in Lowestoft is more likely to be named for "offshore wind maintenance suppliers in East Anglia" if its capability pages state services, standards and project types clearly.
A café in Woodbridge benefits most from an accurate Google Business Profile, recent reviews and photos, which AI tools often draw on for local suggestions.
The takeaway: AI search rewards the same things good SEO always has, with extra weight on clear, factual, consistent information. Make your key facts easy to find and easy to quote.
See our AI search optimisation service and our page on Lowestoft.