People Are Using AI to Figure Out What They Need Before They Search for Who Provides It
A person who needs an employment lawyer may not begin by searching for one. They may open ChatGPT and write, “I’m having a problem with an employee, and I’m not sure what to do.”
A business owner might start with, “My business is growing, and I’m struggling to keep track of the finances. What should I be doing differently?”
These are not searches for a provider. They are descriptions of a situation. The person may not yet know what kind of help they need, which questions to ask, or whether their problem calls for professional advice at all.
That is one of the meaningful differences between a traditional search and a conversation with an AI tool. A person can explain what is happening in their own words, ask a follow-up question, and gradually narrow down their options. ChatGPT Search is designed to carry context through those follow-ups, while Google’s AI search features also support longer, more complex questions and conversations.
The decision can begin before the provider search
Consider how a conversation might unfold:
“I’m struggling to retain good employees.”
“Could the way we manage people be part of the problem?”
“What kind of consultant helps with that?”
“Are there firms in Toronto that work with small professional service businesses?”
By the fourth question, the person is looking for names. But the earlier answers helped shape what they think they need and what they will look for in a firm.
This matters for service businesses because a potential client may encounter your area of expertise before they encounter your business name. The opportunity is broader than appearing on a list of providers. Your expertise may be relevant while someone is learning how to describe their problem.
What does it mean to be visible in that conversation?
It does not mean an AI tool will recommend the same business every time. Answers can vary with the question, the details a person shares, the information available to the tool, and whether it searches the web. OpenAI says ChatGPT can decide when web search would help and can draw on web sources when it does.
For a business, the practical question is whether the information available about it clearly connects its expertise to the situations its clients describe.
A website that says “we offer HR consulting” identifies a service. A website that also explains the problems the firm helps solve, the clients it works best with, its approach, and the experience behind its advice gives people and AI tools more context.
That context helps a potential client recognize a fit. It may also help an AI tool identify the business as relevant when a question is phrased around a problem instead of a service name.
This changes how businesses should think about their content
Traditional service pages still matter. Someone who knows they need an employment lawyer or a fractional CMO should be able to find that information quickly. But those pages are only part of the picture.
Service businesses can also explain:
The situations that usually bring clients to them
The signs that it may be time to seek help
How they approach common challenges
Who they work with, and when they may not be the right fit
What makes their experience or perspective useful
This is useful content because it answers questions people have before they are ready to compare providers. It should be specific and accurate, grounded in the business’s real expertise rather than written to match imagined AI prompts.
The website also needs a sound technical foundation so its pages can be accessed and understood. OpenAI’s guidance, for example, says a site must allow its search crawler if it wants to be eligible for inclusion in ChatGPT Search. Eligibility is not a promise of placement, but accessibility is a basic starting point.
Search is becoming more conversational
People will continue to use Google to find websites, compare options, and check a firm’s credibility. They will also use AI tools to talk through situations that do not fit neatly into a few search keywords. Google itself is adding more conversational follow-ups to Search, so these behaviours are increasingly connected.
For professional service businesses, the useful takeaway is simple: make it easy to understand the work you do in the context of the problems your clients actually bring you.
The next potential client may not begin by asking for a business like yours. They may begin by explaining what is going wrong. Your online presence should help them understand when your expertise belongs in the conversation.
Further reading
OpenAI, Introducing ChatGPT search: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-search/
Google, AI Mode in Google Search: Updates from Google I/O 2025: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/google-search-ai-mode-update/
