When I wrote the first version of this post at the start of 2025, AI search was something firms were curious about. By the end of 2026, an AI answer sits at the top of most Google searches and a growing share of prospects ask ChatGPT before they ask anyone else. Here’s what changed in search this year, what’s already scheduled for 2027, and what I’d do about it if you run a professional services firm.
What changed in search in 2026
- Google made it official that AEO is SEO. Its guidance on AI features says AI Overviews and AI Mode use the same core ranking systems as regular search, and that no special optimization or markup is needed.
- FAQ rich results went away in May 2026. FAQ sections still help readers and AI tools understand a page, but the markup no longer earns extra space in the results.
- Google ran core updates in March and May and several spam updates through the year. The pattern held: original content from the source itself gained ground, and rewritten or mass-produced AI content lost it.
- You can see some of your AI visibility now. Search Console added a generative AI report in June (impressions, not clicks), and Bing Webmaster Tools reports when Copilot cites your pages.
- ChatGPT became a local search tool. OpenAI started testing ads in ChatGPT, licensed Yelp’s reviews and business details for local recommendations, and in November opened business profiles that companies can claim and verify.
- AI companies separated their crawlers. The bots that train models are now distinct from the bots that fetch pages for search answers, so you can opt out of one without disappearing from the other.
- Google Business Profile got a new home screen and tighter verification, with some businesses now asked for business and identity documents.
What’s coming in 2027
- New AI controls for site owners. Bing’s separate settings for AI training and AI answers take effect February 1, 2027, and Google has said it expects to support a shared robots.txt rule for opting out of AI training in early 2027. Opting out of training is a business decision. Blocking the search bots is what costs you visibility.
- More ads inside AI answers. Google is expanding ads in AI Mode, and ChatGPT is testing them. Paid placement in AI answers will become an option, but being cited for free still depends on the work below.
- Fewer clicks, better ones. When the answer is on the results page, fewer people click through. The ones who do arrive further along. Judge your site by calls, form fills and consultations, not traffic.
- More weight on everything outside your website. AI assistants rarely agree with each other, and each leans on different sources. Listings, reviews, directories and mentions in local press and associations will keep doing a lot of the work.
What I’d do now
- Make sure the search bots can reach you. Check that your robots.txt, security plugin and firewall aren’t blocking Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Claude-SearchBot. I found my own site’s firewall blocking AI crawlers this year, so it’s worth checking.
- Claim your listings beyond Google: Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, your ChatGPT business profile and your industry directories.
- Write down 10 to 20 questions your prospects ask, run them through ChatGPT, Google, Perplexity and Copilot each month, and track which firms and sources come up.
- Give each core service its own page with a direct answer at the top, and refresh your most important pages with real updates every quarter.
- Build out your people. Bio pages with credentials and structured data for every attorney, CPA or advisor.
- Aim for one outside mention a month: a quote in a business journal, an association article, a podcast.
For more on how AI tools pick which firms to name, read What gets a professional services firm named in AI answers.
Frequently asked questions
Should I block AI bots from my website?
Not the search ones. Blocking OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or Claude-SearchBot keeps your firm out of those tools’ answers. Training bots like GPTBot and Google-Extended are a separate choice and don’t affect search visibility.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
No. Google has said it doesn’t use it. If your SEO plugin adds one for free, it doesn’t hurt, but it isn’t worth paying for.
Is FAQ schema still worth adding?
It no longer gets you rich results in Google. Keep the FAQ content itself, because real questions with direct answers help readers and AI tools.
How do I know if my firm shows up in AI answers?
Test a fixed set of questions every month across several AI tools, and check the AI reports in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. A single test isn’t reliable, because the answers change almost every time.
Want to know what Google and AI tools say about your firm today? Email me at lauren@lhoandco.com and I’ll take a look.