Why Your Business is Invisible to AI (And How to Fix It)

Author: Daniel Thomas, Advantage Digital NZ

“For the last 15 years, the game was simple. Customer types "Roofing Auckland" into Google, and if you had the right keywords, you showed up. That game is changing fast.”

Most websites are built for Google keywords, not AI answers. To be visible in 2026, your site needs Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). This means structuring your content so tools like Chat GPT and Perplexity can read your data as facts, not just marketing fluff, and cite you as the authority

The Shift: From "Searching" to "Asking"

For the last 15 years, the game was simple. Customer types "Roofing Auckland" into Google, and if you had the right keywords, you showed up.

That game is changing fast.

Today, high-value customers (especially senior decision-makers) are bypassing the search bar. Instead of browsing ten different websites to find a phone number or a spec sheet, they are asking AI agents (like Chat GPT, Claude, or Apple Intelligence) to do the work for them.

They ask: "Who is a reliable roofer in Auckland with availability this week?"

If your website is full of pretty pictures but lacks structured data, the AI ignores you. You are invisible.

The Solution: What is AEO?

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the process of formatting your website so that AI models can understand, trust, and cite your content.

Think of it like this:

• SEO (Old Way): Trying to impress the Google Robot to get a click.

• AEO (New Way): Trying to give the AI Agent a direct answer.

When I build a site, I don't just want you to rank, I want you to be the Source of Truth. When an AI looks for an answer about your industry, it should pull that answer from your site.

3 Ways to "AI-Proof" Your Website Today

You don't need to rebuild your entire site to start fixing this. Here is a list I have made of three things you can do right now:

1. The "Q&A" Format AI models love direct questions and direct answers. Look at your service pages. Do you have a wall of text? Break it up.

• Bad: "We offer comprehensive roofing services..."

• Good: "What roofing services do you offer?" We specialize in concrete tile repairs and re-roofs...

2. Kill the Fluff AI is trained to ignore marketing jargon. Phrases like "World-class service" or "Passionate team" mean nothing to a machine. Replace them with facts: "25 Years Experience," "LBP Certified," "500+ Jobs Completed". Facts are citeable, fluff is not.

3. Trust Signals (The "Real" Factor) AI agents look for verification. They want to know you are a real business, not a drop-shipper. Ensure your footer clearly lists your physical address, and specific guarantees. This is your digital fingerprint.

The Bottom Line

The future of search isn't a list of blue links, it's a conversation. If your website can't speak the language of AI, you aren't just missing clicks, you're missing the easiest customers you'll ever get.

Not sure if Chat GPT can read your site? Send me an email via [email protected] or visit my websites Contact page https://www.advantagedigital.co.nz/contact.

I would be happy to run a quick audit on your current site and let you know how things look and what we could change.