Google now answers roughly 60 percent of searches itself, with an AI summary that appears before any website links. People read the answer and move on without visiting anyone's website. The businesses that still get enquiries are the ones Google names in those summaries. Getting named requires making your business identity clear and verifiable -- which is exactly what this article explains.
What Changed and Why Your Traffic Fell
Until a few years ago, the way Google worked was simple. Someone typed a question, Google showed a list of websites, the person clicked one. Your website got a visitor.
That is still how it works some of the time. But for a growing proportion of searches -- currently around 60 percent -- Google now shows its own AI-generated answer at the very top of the results page. A paragraph or two that tries to answer the question directly, often naming specific businesses or giving specific advice. Many people read it and stop there. No click. No website visit.
This is not a Google glitch or a temporary experiment. It is the direction Google has committed to. The AI summary is now the main event for most searches, and the website links underneath are the backup for people who want to go deeper.
So What Do You Do About It?
The answer is not to give up on your website. It is to become one of the businesses that Google names in its AI summary. Those businesses do not just avoid the traffic loss -- they actually do better than before, because being named by Google is an endorsement that sends high-quality, already-interested customers to them.
The question is: how does Google decide who to name?
It names businesses it can verify. Businesses with clear, consistent information across their website and Google Business Profile. Businesses that have added structured labels (a short piece of code called schema markup) that tell Google exactly what they do, where they operate, and who they are. And businesses whose website content directly answers the questions customers are asking -- not in marketing language, but in plain, factual terms.
A plumber in Manchester who has their business details set up clearly, has schema markup on their homepage, and has a webpage that plainly answers "how much does an emergency call-out cost in Manchester?" is far more likely to be named in Google's AI answer to that question than a plumber with a more polished website but no structured setup.
Why Being Named Is Worth More Than a Top Ranking
One surprising finding from recent research: 40 percent of the businesses that appear in Google's AI summaries are not on the first page of the regular search results at all. They are on page two or beyond.
This matters because it means the old game of fighting for a top Google ranking is no longer the only path to customers. A business with clear, structured information that directly answers the questions its customers ask can get named ahead of larger, better-established competitors -- simply because its information is easier for Google's AI to read and verify.
For a local service business -- a plumber, an accountant, a decorator, an electrician -- this is actually good news. You do not need a large marketing budget or an SEO agency to be found. You need to make your business identity clear and your content genuinely useful.
The businesses that are winning in Google search right now are the ones that treated this as a practical setup task, not a marketing campaign.
The Six Things That Now Determine Whether Google Names Your Business
These are not theoretical. They are the practical factors that separate the businesses Google names from those it ignores. None of them require an agency or a large budget.
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1Structured labels on your website (schema markup)
A short piece of code that tells Google your name, location, type of business, phone number, and links to other places where your business can be verified. This is the single most impactful technical change you can make. Businesses with this in place are over 36 percent more likely to appear in Google's AI summaries.
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2Consistent business details across the web
Your name, address (or service area), and phone number need to be identical on your website, Google Business Profile, Yell, Checkatrade, and any trade directories. Even small differences like "Street" vs "St" confuse Google. Consistency signals reliability.
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3Clear, plain answers on your website pages
For the questions your customers most commonly ask -- how much does it cost, how quickly can you come out, what area do you cover -- your website should give a direct, factual answer near the top of the relevant page. Not marketing language. Just the answer. Google reads these to decide what to put in its AI summaries.
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4Your credentials and qualifications visible
For a Gas Safe registered plumber, an NICEIC-registered electrician, an ICAEW-qualified accountant -- your qualification is a verification signal. Google can cross-reference you against those registers. Make your credentials visible on your website and link them to the relevant register or directory.
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5Real customer reviews mentioning what you do
Google reads reviews. Not just to see that you are well-rated, but to understand what you actually do. Reviews that say "Dave fixed our boiler in Salford on Christmas Eve" tell Google what you do, where you do it, and that a real customer vouches for you. Encourage reviews and reply to them with genuine context about the work.
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6Proof behind any claims you make
If your website says "fastest response times in Manchester" or "five-star rated across Greater Manchester," Google is increasingly sceptical of claims without evidence. A simple page showing your actual Google review score, or a log of response times from last year's jobs, gives Google something concrete to work with.
Is Your Website Worth Keeping?
Yes -- but for different reasons than before. Your website used to be mainly a destination for people Google sent you. Now it serves two roles:
- A source of structured information that helps Google understand and name your business
- A destination for people who have already seen your name in a Google AI answer and want to find out more or get in touch
Both of these roles require your website to be clear and factual rather than polished and promotional. The websites that perform best right now are ones that answer questions directly, show real evidence, and make it easy to contact the business.
The good news: making these changes is a one-time setup job for most local service businesses. It does not require ongoing blogging, social media, or paid advertising. It requires getting your information right, once, and keeping it consistent.
Questions Local Business Owners Ask About This
Google now answers roughly 60 percent of searches itself, with an AI summary that appears before any website links. People read the answer and move on without visiting anyone's website. Your pages may appear in those answers without sending anyone to your site. The solution is to become one of the businesses Google names in those summaries -- which means having clearly structured, verifiable information on your website.
It matters less than being named in Google's AI summary, which appears above all the regular search results. Strikingly, 40 percent of businesses named in those AI summaries are not even on the first page of regular results. The criteria that determine whether Google names you in its AI summary are different from -- and in some ways simpler than -- the criteria for high rankings.
Google names businesses whose information it can verify -- businesses with clear, consistent details across their website and Google Business Profile, who have added structured labels (schema markup) to their homepage, and whose website directly answers the questions customers are asking. It also gives weight to verifiable credentials like Gas Safe registration, professional body membership, or trade directory listings.
Add LocalBusiness schema markup to your homepage. This is a short piece of code that tells Google your business name, location, type of business, phone number, and links to other places where your business can be verified. On WordPress, plugins like Yoast or Rank Math can do this for you. On other sites, a developer can add it in a couple of hours. Businesses with this in place are over 36 percent more likely to be named in Google's AI summaries.
Any local business can do this. The core steps -- completing your Google Business Profile, matching your details consistently across directories, adding plain answers to your website pages, and getting schema markup added by your developer -- are practical, one-time tasks. The businesses doing well in Google's AI answers right now are not all tech businesses. Many are plumbers, electricians, accountants, and decorators who got the basics right.
Not sure how Google currently understands your business? Get a free AI visibility check and we will show you exactly what is missing and what to fix first.