10/22/2025
Are you worried about AI when it comes to marketing your small or medium-sized business?
Well, if you're unsure how it's impacting your visibility and ability to generate leads online, read on.
I want to give you the confidence to understand what's happening and how to navigate it with a simple method that you can do right now for free.
But first, what do I mean when I say "AI"?
What I'm really talking about are what I call AI Products:
1. AI Overviews in search engines like Google
2. AI mode in search engines
3. AI chat and generative engines (like ChatGPT, Claude)
4. AI search engines and browsers (Perplexity's Comet, ChatGPT Brower, you.com)
And by the way, why does AI matter for marketing again?
•AI products use different methods than traditional search engines to determine what answers to provide users
•AI answers are often displayed differently in search and may alter typical user behavior ("zero click") vs. traditional search
•AI products are evolving rapidly
•It's possible that user behavior will shift and reliance on AI-generated answers will increase
Listen, there's really only ONE question to answer to figure out if AI really matters and how much you should do because of it:
How likely is my next customer to find me through an AI product?
Right now, open a notepad or write on a piece of paper a list of key phrases your next customer will use to find you. Then do the following checklist:
AI Overview Check
1. Go to google.com, first on your desktop, and then on your phone
2. Type in your key phrases, one at a time
3. For each search result, make notes: did an AI overview appear? Where was it on the page? Were you mentioned? Was there a link to your website?
4. Assign a score (1 - 5 with 5 being "most visible") for how visible the AI Overview was and how much it pointed users to your competitors or yourself
AI Mode Check
1. Go to google.com, first on desktop, then phone
2. Click on "AI Mode"
3. Repeat steps 3 & 4 from above
ChatGPT Check
1. Go to Chatgpt.com
2. Repeat steps 3 & 4 from "AI Overview Check"
AI Browser Check
1. Download Perplexity Comet or ChatGPT Atlas (Mac only right now)
2. Repeat steps 3 & 4 from "AI Overview Check"
Take notes from ALL of these and include the date, the key phrases used, the device, and the AI product. Bonus points for noting mentions of your brand, citations (links in the "sources"), what else was shown.
Now calculate your total score out of 25.
15 or above? Make an action plan to increase your visibility in AI products now.
14 or below? Schedule another check in 1, 3, or 6 months from now.
Need help in running this research, reviewing analytics for current impact, or coming up with your AI marketing action plan?
Let's talk.
https://calendar.app.google/rA83RwW8KpW8hSYR6
