The short answer
Conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity have changed the first stage of research. Instead of opening ten search results, a buyer can ask "what should a 50-person manufacturer in Lagos look for in an ERP?" and get a summarised answer, sometimes with links to sources.
For organisations that sell to other organisations, this means:
- More research happens before a buyer ever reaches your website.
- Answers draw on content that is public, crawlable and clearly written.
- The buyers who do click through often arrive with more context and more specific questions.
- Accurate, consistent information about you across the web matters more, because assistants summarise what they find.
What has changed in how people find information
From keywords to questions. People type or speak full questions, including constraints (budget, state, industry, size). Content that answers real questions directly is easier for both people and systems to use. Many of these searches start on a phone, so pages that load quickly on mobile connections matter.
From lists to summaries. Assistants combine several sources into one answer. Being one of the cited sources can bring visibility even when fewer people click.
From one channel to several. Traditional search, AI features inside search, standalone assistants and assistants built into office software all influence research. No single tactic covers them all.
Verification still matters. AI answers can be wrong, outdated or incomplete, and published guidance on generative AI consistently advises checking AI-generated content against credible sources. Careful buyers still check vendor websites, reviews, references and contracts before deciding.
What the platforms actually say
Much advice about "optimising for AI" is speculation. The official guidance is more modest:
- Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode and no special markup needed; its normal search fundamentals apply (Google). Its generative AI guide adds that you do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special markup, and that structured data is not required for generative AI search (Google).
- OpenAI operates separate crawlers: OAI-SearchBot for surfacing sites in ChatGPT search, GPTBot for model training and ChatGPT-User for user-initiated requests. They are controlled independently, and sites that block OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers (OpenAI).
- Perplexity distinguishes PerplexityBot, used for search results rather than training, from Perplexity-User for user-initiated fetches (Perplexity).
- Measurement is emerging. Google Search Console offers a generative AI performance report that shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode (Google), and Bing Webmaster Tools has previewed AI citation reporting (Bing). Clicks and conversions from AI tools remain harder to track than traditional search.
None of these platforms offers a way to secure inclusion or citation, and anyone promising "AI rankings" is overstating what is possible.
Practical steps for your website
- Check crawler access. Review your robots.txt and firewall or bot-protection settings so you are not blocking search crawlers you want. Decide deliberately whether to allow training crawlers such as GPTBot; that choice is separate from search visibility.
- Make key facts easy to find. State clearly what you do, for whom, where you operate (for example, "organisations across Nigeria") and how to contact you. Keep this consistent across your website, Google Business Profile and directory listings.
- Answer real buyer questions. Publish pages that answer the questions your sales team hears: costs as ranges or cost drivers, timelines, requirements, comparisons and limitations. Specific, honest answers are more useful than generic marketing copy.
- Write clearly. Use descriptive headings, short paragraphs, tables for comparisons and plain language. This helps readers first, and makes content easier for any system to interpret.
- Keep content current. Date and review key pages. Outdated pricing models, services or contact details can be repeated by assistants long after you change them.
- Maintain technical foundations. Fast, mobile-friendly, accessible pages that render without heavy scripts are easier to crawl and better for visitors, especially on mobile data connections.
- Measure what you can. Watch Search Console, referral traffic from AI tools, and ask new enquiries how they found you.
AI-era discoverability check
- Search and AI search crawlers are not blocked by robots.txt or security tools.
- We have made a deliberate decision about AI training crawlers.
- Our home, about and service pages state clearly what we do and for whom.
- Business name, service area and contact details are consistent everywhere.
- We have pages that answer our most common buyer questions.
- Key pages show a reviewed or updated date and are accurate today.
- Our enquiry form asks how people found us.
What you cannot control
You cannot decide what an assistant says about you, whether it cites you, or how often its models are updated. Answers may mix your information with competitors' or with outdated sources. The practical response is to publish accurate, useful information, correct errors at their source (your site and profiles), and make sure the website converts the visitors who do arrive.
Next step
Our web development team builds fast, accessible, well-structured websites that are easy for people and search systems to understand. For the technical details, read helping search engines and AI assistants understand your business and our practical SEO guide.
Sources and further reading
Product capabilities and guidance change. These are the primary sources this article relies on, checked on the review date above.
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central
- Guide to generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central
- Overview of OpenAI crawlers, OpenAI
- Perplexity crawlers, Perplexity
- Generative AI performance report, Google Search Console Help
- Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools (public preview), Microsoft Bing Webmaster Blog
This article is general information, not legal, accounting or security advice for your specific situation. Examples are hypothetical unless stated otherwise.