By Natalie Brown, Senior Account Executive
I’m lucky enough to live in a community with a small, local Facebook group and I often see posts asking other members for recommendations on everything from a good hairdresser, a local contractor, or a new doctor to restaurant or clothing reviews. While we’ve gotten used to relying on the experiences of others to help guide our choices, the other day, after soliciting suggestions for a reputable mobile detailing service, I started thinking about how more and more people have started asking an AI tool, instead of their friends, the question: “Is this business any good?”. For all types of businesses from retailers to mom-and-pop shops, their reputation is being checked before they even know someone is looking.
Fewer Visitors, Better Ones
AI still sends only a small share of website visitors (traditional search still drives far more traffic overall). In a recent study of 97 business-to-business websites and about 29 million visits, Orbit Media found that AI sources made up roughly 0.5% of traffic. Yet those visitors were about three times more likely to become leads than visitors from other sources. Three times more likely!
The conclusion we can draw here seems to be that when an AI tool recommends you by name, it has already done some of the trust-building for you. So how do you capitalize on this with these engaged and interested people who are primed to become your customer? Well, your website has to back up what the AI said.
What AI Needs Before It Recommends You
AI tools build a picture of your business from your website, reviews, online directories and social profiles. When that picture is unclear, inconsistent or out of date, it chips away at your credibility, and not just with people, but also with the AI tools that they are using.
The fix starts with the basics: the same business details everywhere, real customer reviews, clear descriptions of what you offer, and honest answers to the questions customers actually ask in a well-structured FAQ section.
A Five-Minute Test You Can Run Today
Open an AI tool and ask what it says about your company. Then ask what it says about your services. Finally, ask whether it would recommend you.
Wherever the answer is vague, outdated or inconsistent, that’s the part of your online presence to fix. A good rule of thumb is to always try more than one tool and ask your question more than once in a few different ways, since answers often vary from tool to tool and question to question.
Start With a Clear Message
Clear, consistent and current doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with strong message development driven by knowing what makes you different and saying it the same way everywhere. That’s what the Rasor SHARP Method helps organizations build.
But a foundation isn’t the finish line. It still takes ongoing attention to the details, from the words on your website to the information in every listing. Think of it as a trust journey, not a destination.
Rasor is an award-winning Cincinnati communications agency, delivering communications, design and public relations strategies to industries including healthcare, municipal and infrastructure and B2B/B2C. Want to learn more about how our message development and website development work can help you earn trust? Email us at info@gorasor.com or call 513-793-1234.