Hey Reader,

A lot has changed in search this year.
​
And I get it. You're busy running a business. You're not spending your evenings reading Google updates or keeping tabs on the latest AI news (and you shouldn't have to).

You just know you want more of the right people finding your business.

You want your website to show up when someone searches for what you do. You want people to land on your site and think, "Yes, this is exactly who I've been looking for." And now, you're probably wondering how to get your business recommended when someone asks ChatGPT, too.

But with so much changing behind the scenes, it's hard to know what your website actually needs next.

Should you update your pages? Add new content? Focus on reviews? Change your keywords?

Throw it all out and start over because AI search is here now? (Please don't do that last one.)

The answer isn't the same for every website.

But I wanted to give you a peek at a few things that changed this year, because they show why your SEO may need a little love in Q4.

A few of the biggest changes this year

1. Google reshuffled its search results more than once

Google released a couple of core updates this year, which change which websites show up first in search.

How this may affect you:
​If your site hasn't been updated in a while, it may have slipped in the results. That means fewer people are finding you, even though nothing on your site looks different.

What you can do:
​Pick the one service page that brings in the most business and check four things:

• The top of the page says what you offer and who it's for in one sentence.
• Your services, pricing, and process match what you offer today.
• There's a clear button to book or reach out near the top and at the bottom of the page.
• Your SEO title (the blue headline people see in Google) includes your service and your location.

2. More people are searching with AI

AI Overviews now appear on nearly half of all Google searches, and more people are asking ChatGPT for recommendations instead of scrolling through search results.

How this may affect you:
​People are doing more of their research before they ever reach out. If your website isn't one of the sources those AI answers pull from, they may be comparing other businesses without ever seeing yours.

What you can do:

• Open a Temporary Chat in ChatGPT, so it isn't using anything you've told it before, and ask what your ideal client would ask, like "Who are the best [your service] in [your city]?" See whether your business comes up, and if it does, whether the description sounds like you.
• Want me to take a look for you? Reply with your website and the city you serve. I'll check a few searches across ChatGPT and Google's AI answers over the next week, then send you a quick video showing where your business is showing up and where there's room to grow. I'm opening this up to the first 5 people who reply.

3. Reviews now help decide who ChatGPT recommends

The question I've been asked more than any other this year is, "How do I get ChatGPT to recommend me?"

Part of the answer changed in July, when Yelp partnered with ChatGPT. Reviews, ratings, and photos now help shape who AI recommends.

How this may affect you:
​When people are comparing options, reviews are often what tips the decision. Now they also play a part in whether AI suggests you at all.

What you can do:

• Text two or three happy clients this week with a direct link to leave a Google review. You'll find the link in your Google Business Profile under "Ask for reviews."
• Ask them to mention the service they booked and the city they're in. Those details help both Google and AI understand what you do and where.
• Check that your business name, phone number, and location are written exactly the same on your website, Google Business Profile, and Yelp.

4. Google keeps clearing out low-quality AI content

Google has run spam updates in March, June, and August, and another one started September 24 and is still rolling out. Many of them target websites publishing mass-produced AI content. At the same time, AI writing tools like Claude have started adding invisible watermarks to the text they write.

How this may affect you:
​If you've used AI to help write your website or blog posts and never went back to make them your own, those pages may be losing ground.

What you can do:

• Read your homepage, about page, and main service page out loud.
• Highlight any sentence that could describe any business in your industry.
• Swap at least one of those sentences on each page for something only you could say, like a client story, a specific result, or how you actually work with people.

PS.

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Free Resources: Here are some FREE ways to help you with showing up online!

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