May’s tip: How AI recommends your brand

Are websites becoming important again?

This blog series expands and organises the content I share both on the blog tips and on Instagram, where I publish stories and reels with advice on digital marketing, SEO, local SEO, advertising, brand building and visibility in AI-driven environments.

Marketing Tips: May

May has had a single tip, although it touches on an issue that affects the very foundation of a company’s digital presence. For years, many brands organised their online ecosystem into compartments: a website just to “be there”, a Google listing to capture calls, social channels for posting and, if budget allowed, campaigns to accelerate results.

That division falls short today. A person may discover a business through a reel, search for its name on Google, compare reviews on Maps, read a service page, watch a video and end up asking an assistant which option best fits their case. The journey blends discovery, validation and decision. It also forces us to look at digital presence with greater precision.

A brand no longer communicates through a single main channel. It is explained through its website, its Google Business profile, what its customers say, the content it develops, the videos it publishes, the mentions it receives and the consistency it maintains across all those pieces.

May’s tip stems from a very specific idea. For an artificial intelligence to recommend a brand with judgement, it first needs to understand it. And to understand it, it needs context. The website regains its weight because it remains the place where a company can gather that context with order, depth and control. If you would like to review the previous instalment, you can read the April marketing tips.

This article develops that idea without turning it into a false promise of automatic visibility. There is no button to “appear in AI”. What does exist is a more rigorous way of working on a brand so that customers, search engines and generative systems find clear, coherent and useful information when they need to interpret what that company does and why it may be relevant.

Tips on GEO, AI and brand building

Google continues to insist on familiar fundamentals: useful content, crawlable pages, clear structure, reliable data and an experience designed for people. Generative responses do not replace that foundation. They put it under greater pressure, because they work better when information is well organised and easy to relate.

That is why this tip is not about tricks or some supposed magical optimisation. It is about building a digital presence that can be properly understood. A solid brand is not described solely through a short bio or a local listing. It is described through a system of assets that support one another. The website is not the only piece, although it tends to be the most complete.

How AI recommends you

Category: tip on GEO, artificial intelligence and brand building

“For an artificial intelligence to recommend your brand, it first has to understand it.

And to understand it, it needs clear signals: your website, Google Business, social media, videos, articles, reviews and mentions.

But there is one piece that once again carries enormous weight: your website.

There you can explain, with order and depth, who you are, what you do, where you work, what services you offer and why someone should trust you.

The data shows something interesting: the number of websites had remained fairly stable for years, but interest in creating or working on a website has grown strongly again.

My advice is clear: if you want a solid brand that is easier for AI to interpret, work on your own website.

Another day I will talk about why many websites have lost traffic despite all this.”

The central idea of the reel is simple, although its implications run deep. A generative recommendation does not arise from a single page or an isolated post. It is built from signals scattered across different places. Some are owned, like the website or the business profile. Others are external, like reviews, references, articles or third-party mentions.

What matters is not appearing just anywhere, but leaving a clear and coherent identity wherever you do appear. A brand may have plenty of activity and still be confusing. It may also have fewer channels and leave a far more solid footprint. The difference lies in the clarity with which it explains who it is, what it does, where it works and what proof it leaves visible about that activity.

The data from the study on websites and interest in creating them

The reel stems from an observation that deserves context. In this article I have brought together my own comparison between the evolution of active websites recorded by Netcraft and the search interest associated with creating, designing or working on a website on Google Trends.

The graphs should not be interpreted as an automatic causal relationship. Google Trends measures relative search interest, not industry revenue, nor total project volume, nor the number of websites created. Netcraft, for its part, allows us to observe the evolution of active sites within a specific historical series. Even so, when both readings are placed side by side, an interesting trend emerges: the number of active websites has remained in a stable phase for years, while interest in creating or working on a website has surged in the most recent stretch.

That contrast does not prove on its own that AI is the cause of the rebound. That would be an exaggerated conclusion. What it does allow us to highlight is that many companies and professionals are once again looking at the website as an asset that requires work, order and updating. The emergence of generative responses has made more visible a need that already existed: having an owned source where the brand can explain its activity without depending solely on external platforms.

How to read the chart: the blue line represents a relative index of active websites based on Netcraft data. The orange line represents a relative index of search interest, built with Google Trends from queries such as web design, how to make a website, business website, website and website builder.

The number of active websites stabilises

The Netcraft series shows very strong growth up to the mid-2010s and a much flatter evolution afterwards. That does not mean the internet has stopped, nor that companies have stopped needing their own presence. It means that the number of active sites no longer grows at the same pace as in the initial expansion stage.

The market’s maturity changes the question. Years ago, it was enough to consider whether a company should have a website. Today the question is different: what role does that website play, how does it stand out, what information does it contain, does it respond to the customer’s real doubts and can it act as a solid reference within an increasingly fragmented digital environment.

Chart source: Netcraft Web Server Survey, series of active websites.

Interest in creating or working on a website shifts pace

The second reading is the most striking. Search interest associated with creating, designing or working on a website declined for years and then surged in the recent stretch. There may be several reasons behind that change: the need to update ageing websites, the popularisation of building tools, the growth of digital businesses, concerns about dependence on social networks or the need to have an owned source of information within an ecosystem dominated by platforms.

Artificial intelligence does not replace that need. It makes it more evident. A company may publish content on social media, have a complete local listing or achieve occasional visibility through campaigns. Even so, it needs a place to explain its proposition in detail, gather proof, develop services, connect content and offer a clear next step to anyone wishing to go deeper.

Chart source: Google Trends. The index reflects relative search interest and should not be read as absolute demand volume.

Netcraft’s historical series provides perspective

The web is not coming back because it had disappeared. It never stopped being important for businesses that depend on search engines, lead generation, reputation or conversion. What is changing is its role within a digital experience in which the user can resolve part of a query without visiting a page, but needs to go deeper when the decision requires trust, comparison or context.

Netcraft’s historical series helps us understand that maturity. The internet is no longer in the phase of discovering that a company needs a website. It is in a phase where a mediocre website goes unnoticed and a well-crafted website can become the centre of a more complete brand strategy.

Visual reference: Netcraft shows, in its historical series, the evolution of hostnames and active sites since the early years of the web’s expansion.

First layer: making sure the brand exists as a recognisable entity

Before thinking about traffic, snippets or assistants, a brand needs to be identifiable. That means its name, its activity, its territory and its digital representation must be connectable without serious contradictions.

What must be clear

• Who you are: a company, professional, firm, clinic, shop or personal brand.
• What you do: specific services, specialism and the type of problems you solve.
• Where you work: physical location, service area or online scope.
• How to find you: website, local listing, active social channels and consistent contact details.

When that foundation fails, everything else weakens. A business may have a good website and a good listing, but if the name appears in three different forms, the phone number changes from one platform to another or the activity is described vaguely, interpretation loses precision.

An entity is not built on slogans

Many corporate pages still overuse empty phrases about commitment, quality or excellence. That language serves as decoration but explains little. A strong digital entity needs facts: name, specialism, track record, territory, responsible people, type of service and visible proof.

The less the user has to guess, the better the technical interpretation layer will also work. A clinic should explain which treatments it covers. A refurbishment company should indicate what kind of projects it carries out. A solicitor should state areas of practice. A consultant should define services, specialism and ways of working.

What helps more than a generic message

• introducing the company or professional with clarity;
• naming services in specific terms;
• indicating the area where work is actually carried out;
• connecting the brand with content, cases and real proof.

Second layer: the website as a centre of gravity

The website does not replace other channels, but it does organise what the rest can only show partially. A social profile provides immediacy. A local listing handles quick actions. A review brings customer experience. The website allows those pieces to be united and the business to be explained in depth.

What a website should explain so the business is better understood

• Identity: who is behind it, what track record they have and how the brand presents itself.
• Services: what the company does exactly and for whom.
• Territory: from where it works and in which areas it operates.
• Proof: cases, portfolio, experience, testimonials, content and references.
• Contact: how the relationship begins and which channel is most suitable.

This is the main reason why the website is gaining weight. In no other asset can you develop with such freedom who you are, what you do, where you work and why someone should trust you. When an assistant or a search engine needs context, that development contributes far more than a two-line bio.

A home page should orient. Service pages should be specific. The contact page should resolve. The portfolio should demonstrate. Articles should answer real questions. When these pieces are well crafted, the website stops being a brochure and starts functioning as a structured source of information about the brand.

Architecture and internal links

It is not enough to accumulate pages. Architecture also communicates. If a website separates services, cases, articles and contact properly, it makes clear what is central and what is secondary. If it also links logically between those pieces, it facilitates comprehension for both the user and the search engine.

A well-resolved basic structure usually includes:

• a home page with a clear proposition;
• differentiated service pages;
• a complete contact page;
• a portfolio or cases section when it makes sense;
• articles that address real customer doubts.

That holds more value than a website inflated with dozens of poor pages created to cover searches superficially. A good architecture does not wander. It orders, prioritises and directs.

For projects that already receive traffic, an SEO audit of websites helps detect what information is missing, which sections compete with each other, which URLs have an unclear intent and which internal links could improve the user’s journey.

Third layer: NAP consistency and local presence

In local business, data consistency remains fundamental. NAP is the classic acronym for name, address and phone. It is not a new concept, but it remains important because a company that displays contradictory data complicates interpretation and conveys less trust.

What to review in a local business

• Name: identical or clearly consistent across website, listing and key profiles.
• Address: properly written and up to date if there is a physical presence.
• Phone: stable and visible at the main points.
• Opening hours: correct on Google Business and consistent with reality.
• Category: aligned with the main activity.
• Service area: clear if the business travels or operates by zones.

This layer brings no glamour, but it solves a critical part of the problem. A brand may have good content and poor operational consistency. In that case, comprehension suffers precisely where the user expects more precision: contact, location and main activity.

Google Business is not an ornament

The Google Business listing fulfils its own function within the ecosystem. Many local decisions are made without going through the website first. The user checks opening hours, looks at photos, compares reviews and calls from Maps. That does not reduce the importance of the owned site. It forces both assets to be worked on with complementary logic.

The listing resolves the immediate. The website develops the complex. Together they describe the business better than either does on its own.

Fourth layer: structured data and semantic clarity

Talking about structured data does not mean turning an editorial article into a coding guide. What is relevant here is understanding what it is for. Markup helps express, in a more orderly way, what an organisation, a local business, a person, an article or a specific page is.

It does not create authority by itself, but it can reinforce semantic clarity when it matches the visible content. It is a technical layer that accompanies the editorial work, not a substitute for it.

Types of markup that tend to make sense

• Organization: to describe the main brand entity.
• LocalBusiness: when there is a local business with operational data.
• Person: useful for personal brands or recognisable professionals.
• Article: for editorial blog pieces.
• Breadcrumb: to reinforce hierarchy and navigation.

The key here is not to add schema for the sake of it. The key is that the technical structure accompanies a website that is already well explained. Correct markup helps reduce ambiguity. It does not compensate for a weak proposition or fix a poorly defined brand.

When it really adds value

Markup is useful when it accompanies a reality visible on the page. If a company clearly presents its name, services, local data, articles and internal hierarchy, structured data helps express all of that with greater order. If the page is ambiguous, the problem remains the content, not the lack of code.

The technical layer must always answer a practical question: does this information help us better understand what the brand is, what it offers and how its pages relate to one another?

Fifth layer: reviews, reputation and public proof

Reviews are not just stars. They are a form of public proof. In many sectors, they help answer questions the brand cannot credibly address on its own: how the treatment was, whether the service matched what was promised, whether there was punctuality, clarity, follow-up or proper problem resolution.

What reviews really contribute

• they confirm real activity;
• they describe specific experiences;
• they help validate specialism or type of service;
• they bring natural customer language, not just brand language.

This matters a great deal in AI environments because it adds external context. The brand says who it is, but the customer brings a different layer of reality. That is why it is worth working on review acquisition in a clean and consistent manner, without forcing wording or turning them into an artificial manoeuvre.

Reputation is not just an average rating

A good score helps, but real reputation is also seen in the content of opinions, in the frequency with which they arrive, in the way the company responds and in the coherence between what it promises and what others describe. A brand with recent, specific and credible reviews conveys far more solidity than one with few old or generic opinions.

In service businesses, reviews also help detect which aspects the customer truly values. Sometimes the company places its focus on an attribute that barely appears in the opinions, while customers highlight another element that could carry more weight in commercial communication.

Sixth layer: social channels, video and external mentions

Social media and video do not replace the website, but they do complete brand comprehension. A reel can show tone, immediacy and capacity for synthesis. A long video can develop judgement. A professional LinkedIn profile can reinforce track record. An interview or a mention in a media outlet adds external context.

What function each channel fulfils

• Instagram: visibility, closeness, rhythm and immediacy.
• Video: explanation, demonstration and verbal authority.
• Articles: depth, context and specialisation.
• External mentions: validation outside the owned channel.

The brand gains strength when those assets do not contradict each other. There is no need to copy the same text everywhere. What is needed is for all of them to describe the same reality and help situate the company within a recognisable specialism.

Coherence matters more than omnipresence

Not every company needs to be on every platform. Trying to cover too much usually generates poor or abandoned profiles. It is better to have fewer assets, well crafted and well connected, than an extended but confusing presence.

A useful recommendation does not depend on noise. It depends on clarity. A brand with a good website, a well-maintained local listing, real reviews, coherent content and some active channels can be far more comprehensible than another that publishes without strategy across six platforms.

Examples applied to real businesses

Local business

A physiotherapy clinic needs its website, listing and reviews to speak the same language. The listing must resolve opening hours, address and contact. The website must explain treatments, team and process. The reviews must reflect real experiences. If there is also useful content on social channels or the blog, the brand becomes far easier to situate.

• The local listing resolves the immediate side.
• The website develops specialism and trust.
• The reviews provide external proof.

The clinic does not need to try to answer every question on Google Maps. It needs the user to find a reliable listing and a website capable of going deeper into what may condition a health or wellbeing decision.

Service company

A refurbishment company should not settle for a generic home page and a phone number. It needs service pages, projects, work areas and a clear explanation of the process. Here the website is decisive, because a reasonable recommendation needs to understand what kind of work it does, for what client and in what territory.

• Separate services to avoid ambiguity.
• Cases or portfolio to provide evidence.
• Coherent local presence to reinforce geographical relevance.

In this type of business, the portfolio may be one of the most valuable pieces. A well-explained project shows real capability, style, complexity, type of client and results. For someone looking to hire, that carries more weight than a generic claim about quality.

Personal brand or specialist professional

A consultant, a solicitor, an architect or a trainer needs more than a striking bio. They must connect their name with their specialism, their services, their experience, their content and their public references. Here the website also acts as the axis, because it can bring together professional identity, cases, articles and contact channels without depending on third-party formats.

• Name and specialism clearly associated.
• Services well described and free of vagueness.
• Owned content that demonstrates judgement.

In a personal brand, authority does not depend solely on stating that one has experience. It is demonstrated through track record, the quality of content, explained projects and external references. You can see some examples of this kind of work in my project portfolio.

What to review in your brand this week

This tip may remain an interesting reflection or become a practical review. To translate it into a real business, it is worth checking these points:

• Does my website clearly explain who I am, what I do and where I work?
• Do I have a specific page for each important service?
• Do my name, address and phone number match across the main assets?
• Is my Google Business listing up to date?
• Do recent reviews explain real experiences?
• Do my social channels reinforce the same specialism that appears on my website?
• Do I have cases, content or references that demonstrate experience?
• Does the structured data correctly reflect the entity and the business?

A company does not need to solve everything at once. It can start by correcting basic data, completing a service page, updating the local listing, improving internal navigation or gathering proof of experience. The value lies in building a coherent foundation, not in chasing an isolated action.

The expert’s opinion on SEO and GEO

My opinion is clear. The website has not regained value because other platforms have ceased to matter. It has regained value because, in an environment of generative responses, it is once again the most complete place to explain the brand in depth. There you can define identity, services, territory, proof, cases, content and contact within a structure you control.

Google Business, reviews, social channels, videos and external mentions remain necessary. Each contributes a different layer. The difference lies in understanding that they do not compete with the website, they surround and reinforce it. When all those assets tell a coherent story, the company becomes easier to interpret for customers, search engines and assistants.

That does not guarantee an automatic recommendation, nor does it on its own prevent part of the traffic from shifting towards zero-click experiences. What it does achieve is something more important: that the brand leaves a digital footprint that is clearer, more orderly and more useful. And that clarity is the foundation on which trust, relevance and choice are later built.

The next step in this conversation will be just as important: understanding why many websites have lost traffic even though they remain strategic for visibility and conversion. If you would like to follow my professional activity and consult my local presence, you can also view my Google Maps listing as SEO Consultant Javier Carmona Benítez.