The New Way Customers Find Businesses (And How to Get Picked)

By Rebekah, Content & Social Director

¡Hola! I'm Rebekah, the Content & Social Director here at Creative Bytes. I spend my days helping businesses tell their story online and making sure the right customers actually find them. Today I want to talk about something that's quietly changing the game for every business owner.

Okay, la verdad (real talk). Think about the last time you needed a plumber, a taco spot or a new dentist. Did you scroll through Google? Or did you just ask your phone? More and more of your customers are doing the second one. And that changes everything about how businesses get found.

The quick answer: Customers are asking AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI answers for recommendations, and those tools pick a few businesses to mention. Getting picked is called AEO (answer engine optimization). SEO gets you on the list. AEO gets you in the answer.

Here's what the numbers say

• In just one year, the share of people using AI tools to find local businesses jumped from 6% to 45%. (BrightLocal, 2026)
• When Google shows an AI summary, people click a website only 8% of the time, compared to 15% without one. (Pew Research)
• 74% of shoppers mostly care about reviews from the last 3 months. (BrightLocal, 2026)

Translation? If AI doesn't mention you, a lot of people will never even see your website.

So how do you get picked?

The good news: you don't need a big budget. Poco a poco, it adds up. You need to make it easy for AI to understand and trust you.

1. Answer the questions your customers already ask. "Do you deliver?" "How long does it take?" Put those answers right on your website, in plain words.
2. Keep your info the same everywhere. Same business name, address and phone on your website, Google, Facebook and Yelp. AI notices when things don't match.
3. Keep fresh reviews coming in. Recent reviews tell AI (and people) you're active and trusted.
4. Show there's a real person behind the business. Share who you are and what you know. That's exactly what these tools look for.

Try this today (it takes 2 minutes): Ask ChatGPT, "Who's the best [your service] in [your city]?" Did you show up? If not, you're not alone, and it's very fixable.

Quick questions we hear a lot

Is SEO dead? Nope! AEO builds on SEO. You need both.

Is this only for big companies? Not at all. Local questions are some of the most common ones people ask AI, so small businesses have a real shot.

Ready to get picked? That's exactly what we help businesses do. Take our 3-minute quiz to see where you stand, or check out our marketing services. We're grateful for every business we get to serve. We've got you. ¡Bendiciones!