your potential clients are asking ai about you. are you in the answer?
picture your next client.
they need a lawyer, a realtor, a therapist, a contractor. so they pull out their phone and ask google or chatgpt. an ai answer pops up at the top with a few recommendations. they read it, pick a name, and make the call.
they never scrolled. they never clicked through five websites. they never saw you.
that's how a growing number of your potential clients are finding businesses right now. and if your name isn't in that answer, you're not in the running.
your potential clients aren't clicking anymore
here's the reality. SparkToro's 2026 research found that less than one third of Google searches still send a click to a website. and AI Overviews, which now show up on 20%+ of all searches, reduce click-through rates by nearly 60% when they appear.
research from Pew backs this up. when an AI summary is present, people click on organic results roughly half as often, dropping from 15% of visits to 8%.
so your potential clients are still searching. they're just making decisions before they ever reach your website.
being on page one isn't enough anymore
this is the part that surprises most business owners. you can rank on page one of google and still be left out of the ai answer your potential clients actually read.
only 37.9% of URLs cited in AI Overviews also rank in the top 10, down from around 76% in July 2025.
that's actually good news for smaller businesses. ai is pulling from a wider set of sources, which means you have a real shot at showing up if you give it something worth citing.
and it pays off. Seer Interactive found that being cited delivers 35% more organic clicks than not being cited.
why linkedin is where your potential clients will find you
if you've been ignoring linkedin, now's the time to stop.
a Semrush analysis of 325,000 AI search prompts found LinkedIn is the second most cited domain across ChatGPT Search, Google AI Mode, and Perplexity, ahead of Wikipedia, YouTube, and every major news publisher. and for professional topics, LinkedIn ranked as the number one most-cited domain across every platform examined.
that means when a potential client asks ai "who's the best estate planning attorney near me" or "which realtor knows this market," what you've posted on linkedin can shape the answer they get.
how to show up when your potential clients ask
you don't need a new website or a massive budget. you need to be clear, consistent, and genuinely helpful. here's where to start.
1. answer the questions your potential clients are already asking.
think about the questions you hear on every first call. turn each one into a blog post or faq answer. plain language, direct answers, no fluff. ai is built to answer questions, so give it your answers.
2. show up on linkedin with real expertise.
skip the generic updates. share real lessons from your work, clear opinions about your industry, and advice your potential clients can actually use. specific beats general every time.
3. publish consistently.
one great post a year won't do it. a steady rhythm of helpful content tells google and ai that you're an active, trustworthy source.
4. keep your business info consistent everywhere.
your name, services, location, and contact info should match across your website, google business profile, linkedin, and social accounts. when ai sees the same clear information everywhere, it trusts it.
5. earn reviews and mentions.
ai pays attention to what other people say about you. client reviews, testimonials, podcast features, and local press all make you more likely to be recommended.
6. search for yourself the way a potential client would.
ask chatgpt, google, and perplexity the exact questions your clients ask. is your business showing up? that's your new scoreboard.
the bottom line
your potential clients haven't stopped looking for you. they've just changed where they look.
the businesses that win this next chapter won't be the ones with the biggest budgets. they'll be the ones that show up consistently with clear, helpful answers to the questions their clients are already asking.
the answer is being written right now. make sure your name is in it.
want help getting your business in front of potential clients in ai search? let's talk. reach out at anthony@theabcfirm.xyz or contact us.
