While I was building a client’s website recently, he asked why we were creating pages of information and content around his ideal customers’ industry.
It was a fair question. Why talk about the customer’s situation, concerns and questions when the website is there to explain what the business does?
My answer was simple: those details help connect what you offer with what someone is actually looking for. Before they enquire, people want to know whether you understand their problem, can help them and are the right business to contact.
Recently, that client called with an update. He had received a call from a prospect who searched for his industry and the work his business does, and reported that his website appeared first in Google’s organic results and was the first business featured in the AI Overview thus leading to a call and a red hot prospect. It was enough evidence to show that people are asking more detailed questions and comparing options through an AI generated summary before visiting a business website.
Over the past six months, Google has continued developing these experiences. In May 2026, it announced a redesigned search box supporting more detailed questions and different inputs, alongside an easier transition from AI Overviews into follow up conversations in AI Mode.
These changes build on a shift that started earlier. Traditional searches still matter, but business websites now need to support customers who research through both search results and AI assisted answers.
Here’s what that means for a website designed to turn interest into enquiries.
For your website, that means thinking beyond the name of your service. What prompts someone to look for it? What do they need to understand before choosing you? And what information will help them take the next step?
1. Search can start with a detailed question
Short searches such as “plumber Gold Coast” still have a purpose. However, AI search also allows people to describe their situation in more detail.
For example:
“What could cause my shower to lose hot water, and should I repair or replace the system?”
Google describes AI Mode as particularly useful for complex questions and comparisons that might previously have required several searches.
What to do on your website: Answer the questions customers ask before they enquire. Explain common problems, available options, pricing factors and what happens next.
A service page should give someone enough information to understand whether you can help.
2. Research can become a conversation
A customer can start with one question, then ask another without explaining everything again.
A question about website costs might lead to:
- What affects the price?
- Can I keep my existing content?
- Which platform suits my business?
- How long will the project take?
Google’s May updates made it easier to continue from an AI Overview into a conversation while retaining the context of the original question.
What to do on your website: Think beyond the first question. Include the information people need to compare options and make a decision.
You could answer those questions within a service page or connect relevant guides through clear internal links.
3. Some searches end without a website visit
An AI summary may give someone enough information to answer a basic question.
Earlier research provides evidence of this behaviour. Pew Research Centre’s analysis of US browsing activity from March 2025 found that users clicked traditional search results on 8% of visits with an AI summary, compared with 15% without one. This is historical US research, rather than a measurement of Australian search behaviour over the past six months.
Read the Pew Research Center analysis.
For business owners, the practical implication is that appearing in search does not always lead to a click.
What to do on your website: Give people useful reasons to visit beyond a general answer. Show actual projects, relevant experience, detailed service information and a straightforward way to request help.
If clicks fall, investigate the searches and rankings involved before assuming AI is responsible.
4. Customers have more ways to ask
Searching no longer has to begin with typed words alone.
Google’s May 2026 announcement described search inputs including images, files and videos, allowing people to provide more context about what they need.
For a business website, this makes useful visual content worth considering alongside written information.
What to do on your website: Include clear product photos, real project images and short demonstrations where they help customers understand your work.
Describe what the images show and provide the important information in text too.
5. Your website needs to make your business easy to understand
My practical recommendation is to review your website as if someone knows nothing about your business.
Can they quickly work out:
- What you offer
- Who you help
- Where you operate
- What experience supports your advice
- How your process works
- How to take the next step
Specific information is more useful than broad statements such as “quality solutions” or “exceptional service”.
Explain what those promises mean in practice. Show how you communicate, what a customer receives and how you approach the work.
What to do on your website: Make the next step clear and relevant to the page. Someone researching a service may need to ask a question, request a quote or arrange a consultation. Explain what happens after they contact you.
6. AI visibility still depends on solid website foundations
You may have seen claims that every business needs a completely new approach to appear in AI search.
Google’s guidance says established SEO practices remain relevant to AI Overviews and AI Mode. It does not require special AI optimisation or additional technical requirements. Pages must be indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet, and inclusion is never guaranteed.
Read Google’s guidance on appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
What to do on your website: Keep important information accessible, maintain useful internal links and publish accurate content based on your expertise.
Review older pages so they still reflect your services, team and process.
7. Show experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness
Google uses the term E-E-A-T to describe experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. It is a framework for assessing content quality, rather than a single ranking factor or a guarantee of appearing in AI answers. Google identifies trust as the most important element.
Read Google’s explanation of E-E-A-T.
For a business website, I recommend making these qualities visible through evidence.
Experience: show the work you have done
Share real projects, original photos and practical observations from your work. Explain the customer’s problem, your approach and the outcome.
This helps visitors see how your experience relates to their situation.
Expertise: explain who is behind the advice
Include relevant qualifications, licences and team backgrounds. Identify the author or reviewer of specialist articles where appropriate.
Give people a clear understanding of who is providing the information and what supports their knowledge.
Authoritativeness: show relevant recognition
Include genuine professional memberships, industry recognition and independent references to your work. Link to evidence where available.
Focus on recognition that is relevant to your services and customers.
Trustworthiness: make information accurate and transparent
Keep contact details, service information and policies current. Explain pricing conditions and guarantees clearly, cite reliable sources and avoid unsupported promises.
Visitors should be able to understand who they are dealing with and what they can expect.
What to do on your website: Review your About page, team profiles, service pages and articles. Add evidence that helps customers assess your business. If you use AI to draft content, have someone with relevant knowledge check its accuracy and add your own experience.
What should you prioritise now?
Start with the pages that matter most to your business.
Check which searches bring them impressions, whether the content answers those searches and how easily visitors can enquire.
Then improve the information customers need to decide. That may mean explaining costs, showing a recent project, answering a recurring question or making your booking process clearer.
Measure enquiries, bookings and sales alongside traffic. Those results help you understand whether your website is attracting the right people and supporting your business.
The question my client asked is a useful starting point for any website: why are we creating this content?
Each section should have a purpose, whether that is helping someone find you, understand your service, assess your experience or feel ready to contact you.
Want help deciding what to update? Share a few details about your website with Absolute Web Design. We will be in touch to talk through your priorities, options and next steps.