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Is AI Sending Your Customers Somewhere Else?

emilyfountain8
Oct 2
2 min read

Updated: Oct 5

2-minute read


Meet Sue


She has two big, muddy Labradors and wants a weekend away in the Lake District. Instead of trawling through websites, she asks an AI app: "Where can I stay in the Lakes with two big dogs?"



Ten seconds later, she gets three suggestions. She books one of them. Job done.

Now meet you. You run a lovely cottage in the Lakes. Big garden, dog beds, a tin of treats by the door. Sue would have loved it, but the AI never mentioned you.


Why didn't it pick you?

AI doesn't just make up its answers. It reads a few websites (travel blogs, review sites, "Top 10" lists) and recommends the places that come up most often.


Think of it like asking around at the school gate. If five parents mention the same two cottages, those are the ones you'll book. If nobody mentions yours, you don't exist.


So it doesn't matter how great your cottage is. If you're not on the pages the AI reads, you're not in the answer.


And there's more

One of the blogs the AI read was written years ago, back when you only allowed one dog. So the AI told Sue you weren't suitable for her.

You lost a booking, and you'll never know Sue was looking.


The fix: AI citation outreach

It sounds technical, but it just means this: find the websites AI is reading, and make sure they mention you, correctly.


What to do next


  1. Be Sue for ten minutes. Ask ChatGPT, Claude or Google the questions your customers would ask. Write down who gets recommended.

  2. See where the answers come from. AI usually shows the websites it used. Those are the pages that matter.

  3. Look for gaps. Are other businesses listed and you're not?

  4. Look for mistakes. Is anything about you old or wrong?

  5. Get in touch. Send the website owner a friendly email with up-to-date information, a few photos, or an invitation to come and see for themselves.

  6. Check again every few months. Things change, so keep an eye on it.


The takeaway

Your next customer might be asking AI about you right now. Put the kettle on, spend ten minutes on step one, and find out what it's saying.


Sue and her muddy Labradors are counting on you.

 
 
 

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