How Google's Latest Update Impacts AI Search Results (And What Your Small Business Needs to Do)

If you've been relying on AI tools like ChatGPT to help customers find your business, there's been a significant shift that you need to know about. Google has quietly made a change that's reshaping how AI platforms access search results—and it could dramatically impact your online visibility.

What's Changed?

Google has started limiting what AI tools can see when they search for information. Previously, AI platforms could access up to the top 100 search results to determine what information to show users. Now, they're restricted to just the top 10 results.

This might not sound like a big deal, but it fundamentally changes the game for small businesses trying to get discovered online.

Why This Matters for Your Business

Here's the reality: most AI tools don't actually crawl and index the entire internet themselves. That would cost billions of dollars. Instead, they rely on existing search engines like Google and Bing to do the heavy lifting. When someone asks ChatGPT or similar tools for information, these platforms check what's already ranking well on search engines and use that to inform their responses.

It's actually a smart business strategy—let someone else do the expensive research and development, then leverage their work. This is something innovative businesses do all the time, whether it's checking what competitors rank for, analysing successful email campaigns, or studying high-performing Facebook ads.

The Problem for Page Two Rankings

If your website currently ranks on page two of Google (positions 11-20), you've just become virtually invisible to AI search tools. These platforms can now only see the top 10 results, which means if you're not on page one, you're not in the conversation.

For context, the top three results on Google capture about 70% of all clicks. If 1,000 people search for a keyword each month, roughly 700 of those clicks go to just three websites. The further down you rank, the fewer potential customers find you—and now, AI tools won't find you at all if you're not on page one.

What You Can Do About It

The good news? You don't need to compete for impossibly difficult keywords to succeed. Here are two practical strategies you can implement right away:

1. Target Keywords You Can Actually Rank For

Every industry has "easier" keywords that don't have massive competition. While most businesses chase keywords with thousands or tens of thousands of monthly searches, there's a smarter approach: focus on keywords getting between 20 to 100 searches per month.

Why aren't more businesses targeting these? Simple—they want the big wins and overlook the steady, achievable gains. But these smaller keywords add up quickly. Rank for 20 of them, and suddenly you're getting 1,000+ highly targeted visitors each month.

2. Move Your Page Two Rankings to Page One

This is what we call the "10X Traffic Method," and it costs nothing to implement. Here's how:

1. Log into Google Search Console (it's free if you haven't set it up yet)
2. Navigate to Insights, then click on Queries
3. Sort by position to find keywords where you're ranking between positions 11-20
4. Look for keywords with decent impressions—these are the low-hanging fruit

Once you've identified these opportunities, make simple optimizations to those pages:

• Add the target keyword one or two more times naturally throughout the content
• Ensure it appears in your title tag, meta description, and H1 heading
• If it's already in those spots, add a sentence or two that naturally incorporates the keyword

These small tweaks can be enough to push you from page two to page one, dramatically increasing your visibility in both traditional search and AI-powered results.

The Bottom Line

Google's update has raised the stakes for page one rankings, but it's also created opportunities for small businesses that are willing to be strategic rather than chasing every major keyword. By focusing on achievable wins and optimizing your existing content, you can position your business where it matters most—in front of customers when they're searching for solutions you provide.

Ready to improve your search rankings? Start by auditing what you're already ranking for in Google Search Console, and identify those page two opportunities. A few hours of strategic optimization could transform your online visibility.

Need help implementing these strategies for your business? Visit 20 Minute Marketing to learn more about our practical, results-focused approach to digital marketing.