AI Search Isn't Reducing B2B Opportunities. It's Changing How You're Found.

But this perception confuses a change in method with a change in reality.

Google's and Bing's shift to AI-driven results probably won't change the number of new commercial construction projects planned for the Houston region. It won't reduce the large number of opportunities those projects present for qualified contractors and suppliers.

The opportunities are still there. What is changing, and will continue to change, is the way in which the providers of those opportunities—general contractors, developers, and purchasing departments—seek solutions and extend offers to qualified contractors and suppliers.

Business trends and sales opportunities for B2B and industrial companies will always rise and fall based on the economy, supply chains, and investment cycles. This is not dictated by the way search engines function. It is up to the affected businesses to adapt and position themselves to be visible in the new search engine environment.

The trend is undeniable. The use of AI in search results and directly through LLMs (Large Language Models) like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot will only continue to increase. Hiding from this shift is not a strategy.

The good news is that if your website is already optimized for traditional search engine optimization (SEO), then you are probably discoverable through AI searches. AI models were trained on the very web content that SEO helped structure and promote. The fact that "generative search optimization" (GEO) is making headlines is because businesses are now concerned about maintaining their visibility in this competitive new AI space.

And while being optimized for traditional SEO with a robots.txt and a  sitemap.xml file is helpful, it's just the baseline. This is where a competitive advantage can be built.

There are specific steps that qualified digital marketing companies like Mansfield Marketing can take to give their clients an advantage in being discovered through AI channels.

SEO and GEO are not competing solutions. They are unified methods of being discovered when purchasing departments or other business owners seek out solutions to their needs. Our proprietary FADA® Marketing Framework—which guides a customer from Foundation and Awareness to Differentiation and Action—is built to adapt to these changes, ensuring your message reaches the right decision-makers, regardless of the tool they use to find you.

It's up to each business to establish a solid presence in both SEO and GEO, and it's not too late to get ahead in this endeavor.