How stay visible as AI reshapes searches

RECENT RESEARCH found that 69.5% of UK Google searches during the first four months of 2026 ended without a visit to another website. A key reason is the rise of AI-generated summaries in Google, which allow people to learn about a subject directly within its search results and reduce the need to click through to another site.

Someone looking for a cleaning supplier or trying to understand a particular solution can get much further through that process before even reaching a specific company website. Instead, they may gather information from an AI Overview within Google, powered by Gemini, or turn to AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Perplexity to ask a question. These platforms use large language models, or LLMs, to generate responses to the questions people ask. For example, a facilities manager researching robotic cleaning might ask how it works in a busy building before looking into suitable suppliers.

This makes online visibility commercially important for cleaning companies, because AI-generated answers can influence which businesses a potential customer becomes aware of and considers early in the buying process. If your business is not represented in the sources those tools draw from, then it may be missing from the response altogether, even when your expertise is relevant to the question being asked.Understanding how these answers are produced is a useful starting point for improving that visibility.

The shift from search results to AI answers

Traditionally, Google has shown users a list of websites it believes are relevant to what they have searched for. Search engine optimisation, or SEO, helps a business and its website appear in those results when what it offers is relevant to the search query. 

AI-powered search introduces a different type of visibility. An AI-generated answer brings informationtogether from several websites to respond directly to a question, which means a business can be mentioned within the response even when the person has not searched for it directly by name.

This is where generative engine optimisation, or GEO, comes in. GEO is the practice of improving how a business or its content appears within AI-generated answers. For an AI system to recognise when a business is relevant, it needs enough clear information online to understand what the business does and the expertise behind it. 

AI systems build that understanding from the information they can find about a business online. Your website gives them a direct source of information about what you do, while references on trusted third-party sites, such as a trade news publication, add context by showing how your business is discussed elsewhere or how you contribute to a given topic. When the same areas of expertise appear consistently across those sources, it becomes easier for AI systems to connect your business with relevant subjects.

SEO still plays an important role because GEO relies on many of the same foundations. For a page to be eligible as a supporting source in Google’s AI features, it needs to be included in Google’s index and meet its existing search requirements. Other AI platforms also use information from across the web when producing answers. 

For a cleaning business, the practical question is whether the information available online reflects the knowledge customers would encounter when speaking to your team.

Cleaning matters, but so does your online presence

Many businesses have considerable expertise that is barely represented on their websites, as their content is either outdated, too generic or light on detail, so it does not reflect the depth of knowledge within the business and team. A page might describe a company as innovative without explaining how its approach solves a customer’s problem. That leaves a prospective buyer with little to assess and gives search tools limited information to draw on.

The strongest content often comes from the questions customers are already asking, because those conversations show where people need more information and where the business has something useful to say. Bringing that knowledge onto the website helps make the company easier to understand. Returning to robotic cleaning as an example, a supplier could explain how its equipment operates in an occupied building. A case study showing how it performed at a customer’s site would give that explanation substance, helping a buyer understand whether the approach suits their own operation. The aim is to make the knowledge within the business available to someone discovering it for the first time.

Social channels can also support that by showing what the business is talking about now and giving spokespeople space to share their expertise. A regularly updated LinkedIn presence can add useful context around the subjects the business works in and point interested readers towards more detailed information on the website. How the business appears elsewhere online also contributes to how it is understood.

If AI is answering the question, is your business part of the answer?

Your own channels give AI systems useful information about your business, and references elsewhere online can add further context when a response is generated. Research analysing brand mentions found that 85% were attributed to third-party websites rather than the brand’s own domain. This shows how much information AI systems can draw from elsewhere online when building their answers.

For the cleaning sector, that gives trade media a significant role in how a business is understood onlineand provides a relevant place to share expertise with people researching industry issues. For example, an interview in a key publication can connect a company with a subject it knows well and provide another credible source of information about that area. Over time, consistent coverage around a particular area of expertise can build a clearer picture of what the business is known for and the context in which it is discussed. This already shapes reputation and sentiment with people, and AI systems are increasingly drawing on those same public sources when generating responses.

How to stay visible as search changes

SEO and GEO can sound technical, but a useful starting point is to consider what a potential customer can learn about your business online. Someone discovering you for the first time should be able to see how your expertise relates to their needs. Clear explanations help them make that connection, while the technical work behind SEO helps search engines find and access the information.

A lot of that information already exists within the business. The questions customers ask, the advice teams give and the knowledge that comes through in everyday conversations can all highlight what people need to understand before they feel confident in a supplier or product. Reflecting that expertiseonline gives potential customers something useful to work with and gives search and AI systems a clearer sense of where the business is relevant.

How people search will continue to develop, which makes this a good time to strengthen what is already there and bolster your online presence. If you are unsure what search engines or AI tools currently understand about your business, getting support can help identify where the gaps are. For cleaning businesses, the opportunity is to bring the knowledge behind the customer conversation into the places where that research begins. The commercial value is making sure potential customers can find your business while they are deciding who to work with.

Izzy Rylance is SEO lead at Rumpus

For more information, visit https://rumpuspr.com