Why Online Visibility Matters More Than Ever for Local Businesses

There was a time when a good location and a nice window display were all you needed. Walk-in traffic was king. But in 2026, your customers are deciding where to eat, shop and book before they even leave the house.

The new discovery funnel

Here's how people actually find local businesses now:

1. AI search. "What's the best coffee shop near me?" asked to ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overview.

2. Voice assistants. "Hey Siri, find a barber open right now."

3. Social media. TikTok and Instagram have become search engines for Gen Z.

4. Traditional search. Google Maps and local results still matter, but they're increasingly powered by AI.

If your business doesn't show up in these channels, you're invisible to a growing number of potential customers.

What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

You've heard of SEO, optimising your website to rank on Google. AEO is the next evolution. It's about optimising your business to be the answer when AI systems respond to a user's question.

When someone asks an AI "Where's the best pizza in Shoreditch?", the AI doesn't return 10 blue links. It returns one answer, maybe two. AEO is about making sure that answer is you.

What you can do today

• Claim and complete your Google Business Profile.

• Encourage reviews. AI models weigh review sentiment heavily.

• Keep your info consistent. Name, address and phone number should match everywhere.

• Create useful content. Blog posts, FAQs and guides signal authority to AI crawlers.

• Use structured data. Schema markup helps AI systems understand your business.

How Till helps

Till's AI Visibility feature monitors how your business appears across AI search engines and gives you a clear score. More importantly, it tells you exactly what to improve, from missing schema markup to review response rates, and can even generate optimised content for you.

You don't need to become an SEO expert. You just need Till.

Check your AI visibility →