Is AI Telling the Truth About Your Business? | Adopstar

Houston, We Might Have a ProblemAnchor link

Here's a little experiment for you. Open ChatGPT, type in "Tell me about [your business name]" and see what comes back. Go on, we'll wait.

Did it get everything right? Maybe it did. Or maybe it listed a service you stopped offering three years ago. Perhaps it gave your old address, quoted prices from 2022, or got you mixed up with a company with a similar name in another county.

This matters more than you might think. More and more people now ask AI tools for recommendations before they ever look at a website. If the answer they get about you is wrong, they won't ring to check. They'll simply move on to someone else, and you'll never know you lost them.This is why AI visibility for businesses is becoming an important part of digital marketing. It's no longer just about appearing in traditional search results. It's also about making sure potential customers can find accurate information about your brand when they use AI-powered search tools.

Why Does AI Get Businesses Wrong?Anchor link

AI tools like ChatGPT learn from huge amounts of text gathered from across the internet. The catch? A lot of that text is old. Some of it was collected months or even years ago, so the AI's picture of your business may be stuck in the past.AI tools use different combinations of previously learned information, web search results and other sources. Depending on the platform and query, the information they use may not always be current or consistent.

Even real-time web search tools like Perplexity can only work with what they find. If your details are different on your website, your Google Business Profile, an old directory listing and a news article from 2019, the AI has to pick one. It won't always pick the right one.

And when there are gaps, some AI tools fill them in with their best guess. They'll do it confidently, too. That's how you end up with a made-up opening time or a service you've never offered.

The most common mistakes we see include:

• Out-of-date prices, services or opening hours
• Old addresses or phone numbers
• Staff who left years ago still listed as the main contact
• Your business being confused with a competitor or a company with a similar name
• Old negative reviews given more weight than recent positive ones

The solution starts with checking your online information, correcting inconsistencies and making your website as clear and useful as possible for both customers and search engines.

Keeping an Eye on AI Is the New Reputation ManagementAnchor link

For years, looking after your online reputation meant checking your Google reviews, replying on Trustpilot and watching what people said about you on social media. All of that still matters. But there's now another voice talking about your business, and it's talking to a lot of people.

The good news is that you can keep tabs on it. Here's where to start:

1. Ask the questions your customers ask. Try prompts like "Who is the best accountant in Exeter?" or "What does [your business] charge for X?" in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. You can also check Google Search for AI Overviews when they appear.
2. Keep a record. Note down what each tool says once a month. You'll quickly spot patterns and see if things improve. Record any sources cited, too, and remember that results can vary between queries and platforms.
3. Fix the source, not just the symptom. If AI is getting something wrong, it's usually picked it up from somewhere. Update your Google Business Profile, directory listings, social profiles and any old pages on your own website.
4. Be consistent. Your business name, address, phone number and services should read exactly the same everywhere online. Small differences cause big confusion.

Think of it like tidying up your shop window. You wouldn't leave a faded "Closed for refurbishment" sign up for three years, so don't let your digital footprint gather dust either.

Schema Markup: Giving AI the Facts in Black and WhiteAnchor link

So how do you make sure AI reads your website properly? This is where schema markup comes in.

Schema markup is a bit of code added behind the scenes of your website. Your visitors never see it. What it does is label your information clearly, so search engines and AI tools know exactly what each piece of content is. Think of it as name badges at a networking event. Without them, everyone has to guess who's who. With them, there's no confusion.More precisely, schema markup is structured data that helps search engines interpret information on your website. It can clarify details about your organisation, services, products and published content, although it doesn't guarantee that AI tools will use or cite that information.

For example, without schema, a machine reading your site just sees the text "01884 123456". With schema, it knows that's your business phone number. The same goes for your address, opening hours, prices, reviews and the services you offer.

Useful types of schema for most businesses include:

• Organisation or Local Business - your name, logo, address, contact details and social profiles
• Service or Product - what you sell, with descriptions and prices
• FAQ - common questions and your answers to them
• Article - blog posts, including who wrote them and when
• Review - what your customers say about you

How Does This Help You Get a Link?Anchor link

AI search tools like Perplexity, ChatGPT search and Google's AI Overviews don't just give an answer. They also show where the answer came from, with links to the source. Every business wants to be that source.Clear, accurate website content and appropriate structured data can help search engines interpret your information. However, schema markup alone doesn't guarantee that an AI tool will trust your business or link to your website.

When your information is clearly labelled, it's much easier for these tools to understand it, trust it and credit you for it. Rather than pulling your details from a random directory, they're more likely to go straight to your website and send people your way.

We'll be honest here - schema isn't a magic button. Nobody can promise that an AI tool will link to you every time. But it removes the guesswork, and it works best alongside clear, well-written content. Pages that answer a question simply and directly, near the top, are far easier for AI to quote and link to than pages where the answer is buried halfway down.

Why AI Recommends Some Brands and Not OthersAnchor link

When someone asks an AI tool "Who's the best web developer near me?", it has to choose who to mention. It isn't picking names out of a hat. It looks for signs that a business is credible, and those signs will sound very familiar to anyone who knows their SEO.

Google calls them E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. E-E-A-T is a framework used in Google's search quality guidance, rather than a single ranking factor or a guarantee of AI recommendations. It still provides a useful way to assess the quality and credibility of your online content. Here's what each one means in plain English.

Experience - Have you actually done the thing you're talking about? Real case studies, project examples, photos of your work and first-hand stories all show AI that you're not just repeating what you've read elsewhere.

Expertise - Do you know your stuff? Detailed, accurate content written by named people with relevant skills and qualifications goes a long way. An author bio on your blog posts is a small change that makes a real difference.

Authoritativeness - Do others see you as a go-to source? Mentions in the press, links from respected industry websites, awards and guest articles all build your reputation beyond your own website.

Trustworthiness - Can people rely on you? This is the big one. Accurate information, genuine reviews, clear contact details, a secure website and transparent pricing all help. Google itself describes trust as the most important part of E-E-A-T.

Here's the key point. Strong SEO fundamentals can also support your visibility in AI-powered search. So the work that helps you rank on Google is the same work that helps you get mentioned by AI. Good SEO isn't going anywhere - it's simply found a new place to shine.

AEO vs GEO: Smart Speakers and Generative BrowsersAnchor link

You may have heard two new acronyms floating around. Don't worry, they're simpler than they sound.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and Smart SpeakersAnchor link

AEO is all about being the answer. When someone asks Alexa or Siri "What time does the garden centre in Cullompton close?", they don't get a page of results to scroll through. They get one answer, read out loud. You're either that answer or you're nowhere.Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) focuses on making your content easy to find, understand and use when people search for answers to specific questions.

To give yourself the best chance:

• Answer common questions in a sentence or two, in plain, everyday language
• Write the way people actually speak, as voice searches tend to be full questions
• Keep your opening hours, address and phone number up to date everywhere, including Google Business Profile and Apple Business Connect (which feeds Apple Maps and Siri)
• Use FAQ pages and schema so the short answer is easy to find

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation): Improving Your Visibility in AI SearchAnchor link

GEO works a bit differently. Tools like ChatGPT search (which grew out of OpenAI's SearchGPT trial) and Google Gemini write longer, more detailed answers. They pull information from several sources, mix it together and often list the websites they used.Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) focuses on improving your chances of being discovered, referenced or cited in AI-generated responses.

Here, the goal isn't to be the only answer. It's to be one of the trusted sources the AI draws on, quotes and recommends. To do that:

• Create in-depth content that really helps people, not thin pages stuffed with keywords
• Share your own data, results and opinions that nobody else can offer
• Use clear headings and short sections so AI can easily pick out the key points
• Get mentioned on other respected websites, as AI looks for agreement across source
• Make sure your important website pages are accessible to search engines and can be indexed

The two aren't rivals. A website that's clear, accurate and genuinely helpful will do well with both.

Don't Let AI Lose Your Brand in SpaceAnchor link

AI is already talking about your business, whether you're listening or not. The question is whether it's telling the truth, and whether it's sending customers to you or to your competitors.

At Adopstar, our team has spent years helping businesses climb the search rankings. Now we're putting that same SEO know-how to work on AI search. We'll look at how your business shows up in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google Gemini, spot anything that's wrong or missing, and give you a clear plan to put it right.Our AI Visibility Audit helps you understand how your business appears in generative search, identify potential gaps and uncover opportunities to strengthen your online presence.

Don't let AI misrepresent your brand. Book an AI Visibility Audit today and see exactly how you appear in generative search results. Your future customers are already asking the questions - let's make sure they hear the right answers.