17/09/2026
Did your website go quiet, or have your buyers gone somewhere else?
Most of us assume it's the buyers. It feels less like our fault.
But more people now ask ChatGPT or Google's AI answers who to use.
If your business isn't in that answer, you don't get a look in.
The enquiries just stop, and nothing on your website looks broken.
Here's how to check in about 10 minutes. You don't need any technical knowledge.
1. Ask the AI yourself�Open ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. Type the question your customer would ask, for example "Who would you recommend for kitchen design in Ludlow?" Are you named? Then ask "What do you know about [your business name]?" and see if the answer is right. Try it two or three times, because the answers change each time.
2. Check the door isn't locked�Type your web address with /robots.txt on the end, like this: yourbusiness.co.uk/robots.txt�You'll see a short page of text. Look for GPTBot, ClaudeBot or PerplexityBot with "Disallow: /" underneath. If you find that, your site is telling AI tools to stay out. Some hosting and security settings add this without you knowing.
3. Look at Google Search Console�Log in, click Performance, then Search results. Click Date, choose Compare, and set the last three months against the same three months last year. Tick Total clicks and Total impressions.
Impressions steady but clicks down: people still see you, but Google's AI answer is often giving them what they need before they click.
�Both down: your site has dropped out of view and needs looking at.
�Both steady: your website is probably fine, and the change is more likely with your buyers.
No Search Console account at all? That tells you something too.
If you run these and aren't sure what you're looking at, send me a message and I'll tell you straight what I see.
Save this for when you've got 10 minutes and a cup of tea.
Did your website go quiet, or have your buyers gone somewhere else?
Most of us assume it’s the buyers. It feels less like our fault.
But more people now ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI answers who to use.
If your business isn’t in that answer, you don’t get a look in.
The enquiries just stop, and nothing on your website looks broken.
Here’s how to check in about 10 minutes. You don’t need any technical knowledge.
1. Ask the AI yourself
Open ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. Type the question your customer would ask, for example “Who would you recommend for kitchen design in Ludlow?” Are you named? Then ask “What do you know about [your business name]?” and see if the answer is right. Try it two or three times, because the answers change each time.
2. Check the door isn’t locked
Type your web address with /robots.txt on the end, like this: yourbusiness.co.uk/robots.txt
You’ll see a short page of text. Look for GPTBot, ClaudeBot or PerplexityBot with “Disallow: /“ underneath. If you find that, your site is telling AI tools to stay out. Some hosting and security settings add this without you knowing.
3. Look at Google Search Console
Log in, click Performance, then Search results. Click Date, choose Compare, and set the last three months against the same three months last year. Tick Total clicks and Total impressions.
Impressions steady but clicks down: people still see you, but Google’s AI answer is often giving them what they need before they click.
�Both down: your site has dropped out of view and needs looking at.
�Both steady: your website is probably fine, and the change is more likely with your buyers.
No Search Console account at all? That tells you something too.
If you run these and aren’t sure what you’re looking at, send me a message and I’ll tell you straight what I see.
Save this for when you’ve got 10 minutes and a cup of tea.
