A billion people a month are now searching Google with AI. If you're not being cited, you're not being found.

Google held its annual I/O developer conference this week, Ive just read through their email and the announcements related to its search engine buried inside it deserve more attention from small business owners than they're getting.

Here's the headline number.

Just one year after launching AI Mode, Google now has over one billion monthly users running searches through its AI. Query volume has more than doubled every quarter since launch, and last quarter the total number of searches hit an all-time high.

Read that again.

People aren't searching less because of AI. They're searching more. And the way they're searching has fundamentally changed.

What Google actually announced

There’s three things that I can see that matter for your business:

A reimagined Search box. It's the biggest change to the Search box in over 25 years. It dynamically expands so users can describe what they actually want in full sentences, not three-word keyword stubs. They can drop in images, files, videos, or pull from Chrome tabs as part of the query. The new default model is Gemini 3.5 Flash, rolled out globally from this week.

Conversational follow-ups. Users can ask a follow-up directly from an AI Overview and slide straight into AI Mode for a back-and-forth conversation. Google's own line is the one to pay attention to: "Your context stays with you, and as you explore more deeply, the links and supporting articles get even more relevant."

Search agents. Information agents that run in the background, monitoring blogs, news sites, social posts, finance data, and shopping listings for changes related to a specific question. They synthesise updates and send them to the user. Rolling out to Pro and Ultra subscribers this summer.

The bit small business owners need to actually understand

That line about "the deeper you dig, the more relevant the links" to me is the whole game.

SEO as we know it (what I’d' call old SEO) was about simply being ranked number one for "plumber Worcester" ro whatever your key search term is.

New AI search is about being the source Google's model trusts enough to cite when someone asks, "I've got an old radiator that hisses when the heating comes on, the pressure keeps dropping, and I think the boiler might need re-pressurising. Can someone in Worcester come and look at it this week, and what should I expect to pay?"

Those two queries are not the same.

The first is a keyword match. The second is a context-rich, multi-part question that Google's AI breaks down, reasons across, and answers by pulling specific snippets from specific pages, with links sitting alongside them.

If your website is built to rank purely for keywords, it might still rank. But it won't get cited. And the citation is where the clickthrough is beginning to live. Less for locally focussed businesses right now butI would epxect this to change.

Simply look at the adoption of ChatGBT, then look at how it moved so quickly to become used for search and you’ll see the pattern of how search is changing.

Why this matters more for small businesses than for the big players

Big brands have brand search baked in. People type "Screwfix" because they already know Screwfix. The vast majority of small business search opportunity has always sat in the long tail, the specific question, the local context, the niche problem.

That long tail is exactly what AI search amplifies. The deeper and more specific the user's question, the more likely Google's AI is to pull from a long, specific page on a small website rather than from a thin, generic page on a corporate one.

But only if the page actually exists, is structured properly, and is recognisable to the model as a credible source.

What to actually do about it

A few practical points, none of them new, all of them more urgent than they were a week ago:

• Write content that answers full questions, not keywords. If you sell replacement door locks in Manchester, you need a page that addresses "what's the best replacement door lock for a tradtional farm door in an old cottage", not just "door locks Manchester".

• Get your schema markup sorted. Structured data is how you tell Google's AI what your page actually is, who you are, what you charge, what other people have said about you. Without it, you're invisible to the model in any structured sense. Service schema, FAQ schema, review schema, organisation schema, product schema. All of it.

• Build trust signals the model can actually read. Real reviews with structured data. Real author bios. Real business information that matches across your site, Google Business Profile, and the rest of the web. Inconsistency makes you look like a low-trust source.

• Stop thinking in pages, start thinking in answers. Every page on your site should be the best possible answer to a specific question a customer might ask. If a page doesn't answer a question, it's not earning its keep.

• Get your Google Business Profile fully populated. Hours, services, products, photos, posts, the lot. It's the foundation of local AI citation.

It all comes back to one thing, it’s called Topical Authority which I’ve been writing about in The Digital Debrief for years ( and banging the drum loudly about it with my clients - sorry clients!) and it’s actually a really really simple thing to understand:

If Google sees your business website as the authority on its topic then it will refer to it when someone wants to find out something. That meant previouslly it would refer to it in its search results. Today that means it will refer to it in it’s AI search results.

Trust me on this, if you’re not on the case you will get left behind.

The bottom line

A billion people a month are now interrogating Google through AI rather than typing keywords. They're asking longer, more specific questions, and they're getting more specific answers with more specific links.

The businesses being cited in those answers are winning the clicks. The ones who haven't structured their site for that shift are quietly losing visibility without ever seeing a ranking drop, because the ranking system itself is no longer the only game.

If you've been putting off the SEO conversation because the old model felt like a lottery, the new model is more deterministic than people realise. It rewards depth, specificity, structure, and trust. All of which are within reach of any small business willing to take it seriously.

The window to get ahead of competitors who are still treating this as next year's problem is open right now. It won't be open for long.

Here to help if you’re business needs it.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

(Source: Google's I/O 2026 announcement, "A new era for AI Search", Elizabeth Reid, VP Search, 19 May 2026)

How to set up your Google business profile to do better in 7 easy steps.

If someone searches for your business on Google and nothing comes up, that is a problem. A Google Business Profile is the listing that appears on the right-hand side of search results, or at the top of the map when someone searches for a business like yours nearby. It shows your address, phone number, opening hours, photos, and reviews. It is free, and it is one of the most effective things a small business can do to get found online.

This guide walks you through setting one up from scratch. It takes around 20 minutes, and the only thing you will need is a Google account.

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First, a quick check…

Before you set anything up, it is worth checking whether a profile for your business already exists. Google sometimes creates listings automatically using information it finds online or you may have made one years ago and forgotten about it.

If your business has been trading for a while, there is a good chance something is already out there. To check, open Google and search for your business name along with your town or location. For example: Riverside Plumbing Malvern or The Coffee Bean Shed Chelsea.

On googles search results look at the map and the panel that appears adjacent to it. You may need to scroll down past the first few results to find it and it will likely show the local map and 3 recommended business listings.

If you don’t see your business click the button thst says ‘More businesses’ to expand the box so that you see all the businesses it is listing.

If a listing appears with your business name, you will need to claim it rather than create a new one. There is usually a link that says "Own this business?" or "Claim this business" which will take you through a short verification process.

If nothing comes up, you are starting from scratch. Follow the steps below.

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Step 1: Go to Google Business Profile

Open your browser and go to business.google.com. Click "Manage now" and sign in with your Google account. If you do not have one, you can create one for free at google.com/accounts.

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Step 2: Search for Your Business

Google will ask you to type in your business name. Do this before assuming you need to create a new listing. Sometimes a profile already exists, perhaps created automatically by Google or by a previous owner of the premises. If you find your business, you can claim it rather than starting from scratch.

If nothing comes up, select "Add your business to Google" and continue.

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Step 3: Choose Your Business Category

You will be asked to pick a category that describes what your business does. This matters more than it might seem. Google uses it to decide when to show your listing in search results. Choose the category that most closely matches your main service, and do not overthink it. You can change it later.

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Step 4: Add Your Location

If customers can visit you in person, such as a shop, clinic, or studio, enter your address. Google will ask you to confirm the location on a map.

If you work from home or travel to clients, you can choose not to display an address. Instead, you can set a service area to show which towns or regions you cover. Many sole traders and small businesses operate this way, and it is a perfectly valid option.

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Step 5: Add Your Contact Details

Enter your phone number and website address. If your website is brand new, use the URL you have been given. This is the link between your Google listing and your site, so it is worth double-checking it is correct.

Note - Your URL is your websites domain name address and will look something like www.mybusinessname.co.uk or www.mybrandname.com

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Step 6: Verify Your Business

Google needs to confirm that you are the actual owner of the business before your profile goes live. The most common method is a postcard sent to your business address. It arrives within five days and contains a code you enter online to complete verification.

Depending on your business, you may also be offered verification by phone, email, or video call. If you are given a choice, phone or email is quicker.

Until verification is complete, your profile will not appear publicly on Google. Do not skip this step.

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Step 7: Complete Your Profile

Once verified, log back in and fill out as much detail as you can. The more complete your profile, the better it performs. At a minimum, make sure you have added:

• Your opening hours, including any days you are closed

• A short description of what your business does (keep it factual and clear)

• At least three or four photos, including your premises or team if relevant, and any work you are proud of

• Your service areas or the products you offer, depending on your business type

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A Few Things Worth Knowing

Reviews matter. Once your profile is live, start asking satisfied customers to leave a Google review. A short, polite request by email or in person works well. Aim to respond to every review you receive, positive or negative. It shows you are engaged, and Google notices.

Keep it up to date. If your hours change, you move premises, or you add a new service, update your profile. Outdated information frustrates potential customers and damages trust.

Post occasionally. Google Business Profile lets you publish short posts, similar to social media updates. A monthly post about a recent project, a promotion, or a piece of news helps keep your listing active and relevant.

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What Comes Next

Getting your profile live is the starting point. The businesses that get the most from Google are the ones that treat their listing as an active part of their marketing rather than a one-time task. If you would like help optimising your profile to improve your local search rankings and generate more enquiries, that is something I work on with clients as part of an ongoing growth marketing programme and you can contact me here for more information.