🧋 Grab an iced coffee. Let's talk visibility!

For years, getting found online meant one thing: showing up on Google or a similar search engine. We all learned about keywords, local SEO, Google Business Profiles, and all the other little things that could help move our businesses closer to the top of search results.

But the way people search has changed.

Today, customers aren’t just turning to Google. They’re also asking AI tools like ChatGPT for recommendations, comparisons, and answers to everyday questions. And that creates a new challenge for business owners: Do you keep focusing on SEO, or do you need to start optimizing for AI search, too?

If you've spent years working on your SEO efforts, that shift might leave you wondering whether all the rules have changed.

Fortunately, you don’t have to choose. Strong SEO fundamentals still matter, and they also help AI search tools find, understand, and describe your business.

Many of the things that help customers find and trust your business through traditional search also help AI systems understand your business. The difference is that you may need to start thinking beyond the keywords people type and pay more attention to the questions they're asking and the information they need to make a decision.

Search for your own business, but do it as a customer would

If it doesn’t, don’t worry. 

Instead, look for what the businesses that do appear are doing well. Are they answering common customer questions on their websites? Do they have detailed service pages? Plenty of reviews? Clear information about who they serve and where they're located?

Now let’s put it into action

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🗝️ Hidden in Plain Sight

Somewhere in this newsletter, I've hidden a bunny that looks like this 🐰.

Think you've found it? Hit reply and tell me where it is.

Happy hunting!

Check out the latest articles published on Fit Small Business.

Brainstorm the questions your customers may be asking.

*Treat these as hypotheses, not verified search-demand data.*

Would You Dance for Free Coffee? 

What would you do for a free cup of coffee? At one Massachusetts cafe, the price was five seconds of dancing.

Coffee Milano Cafe in Middleborough posted a sign on its door inviting customers to show off their best dance moves for five seconds in exchange for a free coffee. Customers were told their performances would be recorded and could appear on the cafe’s social media pages.🐰

And people went for it.

Customers danced through the door, and the cafe turned the footage into a TikTok compilation. The video took off and eventually attracted more than 9 million views. The cafe gained thousands of followers, brought in new customers, and caught the attention of media outlets across the country. Most importantly, all that online attention translated into actual business. As a result, the cafe had its biggest sales month of the year.

What I love about this story is how simple the original idea was. There was no elaborate campaign or huge advertising budget. The cafe gave customers a small incentive to do something fun, then turned their participation into content other people genuinely wanted to watch.

There’s a lesson here for any small business. You don't have to copy the dance challenge, but you can give customers a reason to participate in your story. Think about an experience, challenge, contest, or unexpected moment you could create that people would actually want to share.

Sometimes, the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing at all.

Give customers something worth sharing. Think of a simple challenge, contest, giveaway, or unexpected experience that makes interacting with your business more fun. 

It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Sometimes, a little creativity is all it takes to get people talking.

Did you know?

🎧 The Neuron Podcast

If this week’s SEO vs. AI search conversation has you wanting to learn more, The Neuron is a podcast focused on all things AI.

In this particular episode, they discuss why AI is creating a "leaky bucket" problem that's breaking traditional search with SEO expert Mark Williams Cooks.

Why bookmark it: AI search is changing quickly, and this is an easy way to understand the issue without having to become an expert yourself.

I’d love to hear from you 

Was there something that resonated with you, or is there a topic you'd like me to cover in a future issue? 

Feel free to reach out to me anytime at rayanne.harmon@technologyadvice.com

Rayanne Harmon

Senior Small Business Writer and Entrepreneur

Rayanne Harmon is an entrepreneur and finance professional with decades of experience building businesses while working in banking, accounting, and business finance. Inspired by a family of entrepreneurs, she successfully owned and operated a photography studio for 20 years before launching a social media marketing agency dedicated to helping small businesses grow. Through Small Business Insider, Rayanne shares practical advice, real-world insights, and actionable strategies to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of starting, managing, and growing a successful business.

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