What your competitors are doing in AI that you're not

If you've searched for your own business in ChatGPT and found a competitor listed instead, you already know something has shifted. The businesses getting recommended aren't always the biggest or the best. They're the ones who quietly sorted out a few specific things while everyone else was still focused on Google. By the end of this post, you'll know exactly what your competitors are doing that you aren't, and where to start closing the gap.

Why this matters more every month

The shift from search engines to AI assistants is happening faster than most small business owners realise. A customer who would have typed “best dentist near me” into Google last year now asks ChatGPT or Gemini the same question and gets one or two recommendations back instead of ten blue links. If your business isn't one of those one or two, you aren't on the shortlist.

Your competitors who've noticed this are already acting. They aren't necessarily spending more money. They're making specific, targeted changes that feed AI platforms the information needed to recommend them with confidence. AI My Site shows you exactly what those platforms can and can't see about your business right now, so you can stop guessing and start fixing the gaps that matter.

The businesses who move first tend to stay ahead, because AI platforms build trust in a recommendation over time. The longer a competitor is consistently recommended, the harder it becomes to displace them.

What your smarter competitors are actually doing

AI platforms reward businesses that make themselves easy to understand, easy to verify and easy to recommend. The businesses pulling ahead are doing the same handful of things well.

They're writing for the exact questions customers ask

Your competitors who are winning in AI aren't writing generic service pages. They're writing pages that directly answer the questions customers type into ChatGPT. A plumber in Leeds with a page titled “How much does a new boiler cost in Leeds?” gets recommended far more often than one with a page titled “Boiler Services”. The first reads like a useful answer, the second reads like a brochure.

Go and look at your top two competitors. Count how many of their pages are framed as answers to specific customer questions. If they have ten question-led pages and you have none, you've found one reason you're being skipped.

They're making their credentials impossible to miss

AI platforms look for proof that a business is real, qualified and trusted. Your competitors are putting their accreditations, years in business, professional memberships, client testimonials and case studies in places AI can actually read — on their About page, in their footer, on individual service pages.

Hiding your best credentials inside a PDF or a Facebook post means AI platforms don't see them. A florist in Bristol with “15 years delivering across BS1 to BS8, member of the British Florist Association, over 800 reviews on Google” written in plain text on her site gets treated very differently from one whose About page reads “We love flowers”.

They're keeping their business details identical everywhere

AI platforms cross-check your business name, address, phone number and opening hours across your website, Google Business Profile, directory listings and social profiles. If anything conflicts, the AI becomes less confident and recommends someone else. Your competitors who win in AI have audited these details and fixed every inconsistency, right down to whether they write “Street” or “St.”

They're adding the invisible signals AI platforms look for

Behind every well-recommended website is a layer of structured data that tells AI exactly what the business does, where it is, what services it offers and how to book. It's invisible to visitors but essential for AI. Your competitors' web developers, or tools, have added it. Most small business websites haven't. Checking your AI readiness score shows you which of these signals are missing from your site and how to add them on your specific platform.

They're building a presence beyond their own website

AI platforms trust businesses that show up in multiple places. Your competitors are getting mentioned in local press, writing guest articles on industry sites, being listed in niche directories and earning reviews on more than one platform. Each of these mentions is another piece of evidence to the AI that this business is real and worth recommending.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming you're already doing enough because Google works fine. Google ranking and AI visibility are two different games played by two different sets of rules. Being on page one of Google doesn't mean ChatGPT knows you exist.

• Trying to fix everything in one weekend. Pick the single highest-impact change first, give it time to settle, then move on. Businesses that sprint through a long list rarely know which changes actually moved the needle.

• Copying competitors without understanding why it works. Just matching a competitor's page titles or adding their keywords won't help if you haven't fixed the underlying signals. AI platforms reward real substance, not surface-level imitation.

• Only checking one AI platform. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity don't always agree. You might be visible in one and invisible in another. Test all four when you check where you stand.

How long will this take

The first changes you make, particularly to your on-page content and business consistency, can start showing up in AI responses within 30 to 60 days. More meaningful shifts — being recommended by name to general questions like “a good accountant in Cardiff” — typically take 60 to 90 days of consistent work.

Businesses that are starting from a very thin online presence should expect closer to the 90 day mark before they see real traction. The ones that stick with it month after month end up displacing competitors who stopped after the first quick win.

You now know what your competitors are doing differently in AI and where you can start catching up. The gap isn't about their business being better than yours. It's about them giving AI platforms a clearer, more consistent picture.

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