AI Is Deciding Which Businesses Win

Artificial Intelligence is changing how customers discover businesses online. When people ask tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google Gemini which business they should choose, those AI platforms make a decision: who gets shown, and who gets skipped.

That decision could be costing you customers every single day.

The good news? There’s a simple checklist you can use right now to see how AI views your business and what steps you need to take to rank higher.



Why AI Search Matters for Your Business

According to Pew Research, nearly 1 in 5 Google searches now include an AI-generated summary, and when they do, clicks to regular links drop by nearly half. Only about 1% of users click a link inside the AI summary.

To translate: If your business isn’t included in AI answers, you’re invisible! Even when customers are searching for what you offer.

And it’s not just Google. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey found that 54% of small business owners already consider AI key to growth, using it for content, marketing, and automation. AI is here, and it’s deciding which businesses get visibility.

The AI Ranking Checklist

Here’s a simple 3-step process you can try today:



1. Ask AI if your business shows up

Open an AI tool of your choice. I recommend Perplexity AI because it provides sources with its answers.

Type: “What are the top [your industry] businesses in [your city]?”

Do you show up? If not, that’s the first red flag.



2. Ask AI to rank your competitors

Next, prompt: “Rank these businesses on a scale of 1–10 and explain why.”

This gives you insight into what factors AI considers valuable. It might highlight things like:

• Strong Google reviews
• Clear service pages
• Local relevance

Consistent business information

• These are the same factors Google itself uses in local ranking—relevance, distance, and prominence.

3. Ask how to improve your score

Finally, prompt: “How can my business improve its ranking?”

AI will give you a list of actionable improvements, often the same ones we recommend to clients at Custer Marketing.

For example, AI may tell you to:

• Create separate service pages instead of one generic “Services” page. Like AI Optimization, Search Engine Optimization, and Web design.
• Add an FAQ section in plain language.
• Collect more customer reviews.
• Make your Google Business Profile more complete.

This feedback gives you a free, outside perspective of how your business stacks up and exactly where to improve.



Why this works

AI platforms train on massive amounts of data, including Google Business Profiles, reviews, websites, and trusted directories. If your business information isn’t clear, consistent, and relevant, AI can’t confidently recommend you.

By following this checklist, you’re not just improving your visibility on Google, you’re making sure AI-powered tools also recognize and recommend your business.

Don't let your competitors win by default

Your competitor may not have better products or services, but if AI understands them better, they’ll win the customer.

Run this checklist today, and take the first step toward being the business AI recommends.

Need help implementing these strategies? At Custer Marketing, we specialize in SEO and AI Optimization (AIO) to make sure your business is found where it matters.