16/07/2026
Ten years ago a search gave your customer ten links. Ranking third was fine - you were on the page, you got the click.
Now they ask an AI. It gives them one answer. One business. One recommendation.
There is no page three. There is no page two. There is one name, and either it's yours or it isn't.
I've spent the last few months testing this on real South African businesses. The results are worse than you'd guess. Companies with decent Google rankings, solid sites, ten years of SEO spend - completely invisible the moment the question goes to an AI instead of a search bar.
Not penalised. Not ranked low. Absent.
The uncomfortable part: this isn't a 2028 problem you can budget for later. Your customers are already doing it. They just aren't telling you how they found the other guy.