Is Your Small Business Invisible to AI Search? 7 Ways to Show Up in ChatGPT, Perplexity & Google AI Overviews

The way your customers find you has changed forever. It isn’t just about "Googling it" anymore. In mid-2026, 48% of search queries now trigger an AI Overview before a single traditional link appears. Even more staggering, 45% of consumers now bypass standard search engines entirely, using AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to get local recommendations for everything from plumbers to pet groomers.