A potential customer needs a caterer in Abuja, a reliable CAC consultant in Lagos or a skincare supplier that can deliver across Nigeria.
Instead of opening Google and checking ten different websites, the customer asks ChatGPT or Gemini:
“Can you recommend a reliable business that provides this service?”
Would your business appear in the answer?
Many entrepreneurs spend money on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook without checking whether search engines and AI tools can understand what the business does, where it operates and why customers should trust it.
How Customers Are Searching Is Changing
Traditional search usually gives people a list of links. AI search tries to provide a direct answer by gathering information from websites and other online sources.
In HubSpot’s 2026 global survey, 42% of more than 3,000 CRM buyers said they used AI search while evaluating products. Those buyers were 36% more likely to purchase than buyers who did not.
This was a global study about CRM buyers, not Nigerian SMEs. However, it provides a useful signal: some customers are using AI tools to research businesses before contacting them.
Run a 30-Minute Visibility Test
Open ChatGPT, Gemini and Google, then test questions a genuine customer might ask.
Try prompts such as:
- “Recommend reliable caterers for a corporate event in Abuja.”
- “Which Nigerian companies can help me register a trademark?”
- “Where can I buy handmade skincare products in Lagos?”
- “Compare three business consultants that support Nigerian SMEs.”
- “What does [your business name] do, and is it trustworthy?”
Record what happens. Does your business appear? Is the information correct? Which competitors are mentioned? What websites, reviews or directories does the answer use as sources?
Run the test more than once because AI-generated answers can change. Being mentioned today does not guarantee that you will appear tomorrow.
Make Your Business Information Consistent
An AI tool cannot confidently explain your business if your own online information is confusing.
Your business name, phone number, address, website and service description should be consistent across your website, Google Business Profile and social-media accounts.
If one page says you operate in Lagos, another says Abuja and an old directory contains a disconnected phone number, customers and search systems may struggle to identify the correct information.
Google says complete and accurate Business Profile information helps it understand a business and match it to relevant local searches. Update your location, opening hours, business category, photographs and contact details.
Answer the Questions Customers Ask
Do not describe your service using only broad statements such as “We provide innovative solutions.”
Be specific.
A logistics company should explain where it delivers, the types of goods it handles and how customers request a quotation. A business consultant should clearly list the registrations, compliance services or documents it assists with.
Create useful pages or articles that answer real customer questions:
- How much does the service cost?
- What information is required?
- How long does the process usually take?
- Who is the service suitable for?
- What common mistakes should customers avoid?
Google’s current guidance says the same helpful, reliable and people-focused content used for traditional SEO remains important for its AI search features. There is no special piece of “AI markup” that guarantees inclusion.
Give Search Systems Proof
Your website should not be the only place saying that your business is excellent.
Genuine customer reviews, relevant business directories, media mentions, professional memberships, partner websites and useful contributions to respected publications can strengthen the information available about your business.
Ask satisfied customers for honest reviews, but never pay for fake ones. Where possible, publish real case studies showing the customer’s problem, what you did and the result achieved.
Consistency builds confidence. If several trustworthy sources describe your business in similar terms, an AI tool has more evidence to work with.
Check Whether Your Website Can Be Found
Your website must be accessible to search systems.
Google recommends ensuring that important pages can be crawled, indexed and found through internal links. OpenAI similarly advises website owners not to block OAI-SearchBot if they want their content to be eligible for inclusion in ChatGPT search results.
Ask your website manager to check Google Search Console, your robots.txt settings and whether important service pages have been indexed. Inclusion is never guaranteed, but blocking search crawlers makes discovery much less likely.
Your 30-Day Improvement Plan
During the first week, correct inconsistent business information. In week two, improve your main service pages and answer common customer questions. In week three, request genuine reviews and update credible directory profiles. In week four, repeat the five-prompt test and check your website analytics for referral traffic.
Do not respond by publishing hundreds of shallow AI-generated articles. One clear, original and genuinely helpful page is more valuable than twenty pages that merely repeat what already exists online.
Final Word
AI search does not replace Google, referrals, social media or good customer service. It gives customers another way to discover and evaluate businesses.
The question is no longer only whether people can find your Instagram page.
It is whether the internet contains enough clear, consistent and trustworthy information for an AI tool to recommend your business confidently.
