So why do you need to know how to optimize your business website for AI search? Because according to Sensor Tower, a leading market intelligence platform, consumers are no longer starting their buying journey on Google. Instead, they are starting with AI.
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Their recent report shows that traffic to major U.S. retail websites driven by generative AI assistants surged 600% in just over a year, increasing to 41 million monthly visits in December 2025 up from 6 million in October 2024.
Their data also indicated that the traditional U.S. retailers, such as Walmart, Home Depot, Etsy, and Target, have experienced the most explosive growth, with AI-driven referrals increasing by over 1600%.
Now, a bit of a reality check in that the data showed that this AI traffic currently represents less than 1% of total retail traffic. However, the consistent upward growth indicates that AI is rapidly emerging as an entry point for product discovery.
3 Key Steps to Optimizing Your Business for AI Search
1. One of the first things you want to do is claim and optimize your free Google Business Profile. I give a detailed 12-point checklist on how to do this in my download, Optimizing Your Business for AI.
2. You need to claim and complete as many other online business profiles as these are the first places AI looks. I hyperlink to over 60 online profiles in the download as well.
3. You need to ensure that your website—the main source of information about your business—is crawlable by AI. Again, I give a 40-point detailed checklist to hand to your webmaster.
Finally, you also need to boost your business’ credibility, widen your online reach, and optimize your website content, all of which I walk you through in the download.
AI is here to stay so make sure you are ready to take advantage of the growth ahead!
Be sure to also read my post: 15 Awesome Small Business Ideas for 2026
© 2026 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How to Optimize Your Business for AI Search.
