Winning the AI Game: 5 Simple Ways to Grow Your Business Online

In my over 20 years of helping businesses get found online, I’ve seen search engines change many times. But 2026 is bringing the biggest shift yet. We are moving away from a world where people just click on links and toward a world where AI gives them the answer instantly.

Here is a simple breakdown of how to win at SEO in this new era.

What is the “AI Dark Funnel”?

This is the AI Dark Funnel. Your brand is being talked about, but you can’t see the “clicks” anymore. To stay relevant, you have to make sure the AI knows you are the expert.

In the past, someone would search for something, click your link, and visit your website. We could track that easily. Today, people often ask an AI like ChatGPT or Google’s AI summary for an answer. The AI reads your website, tells the user what they need to know, and the user never actually visits your site.

5 Simple Tactics for 2026

1. Become a “Verifiable” Business AI likes facts it can double-check. It looks at places like Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and local business directories. If your business information is the same across the whole internet, the AI trusts you more. It’s like having a clean record; the more the AI sees you in official places, the more likely it is to recommend you.

2. Use “Liftable” Insights AI doesn’t want to read a 10-page essay to find one fact. It wants “liftable” info—sentences that are easy to copy and paste into an answer.

• The Trick: At the top of your articles, write a 2-sentence summary that answers the main question. Use bullet points and bold text so the AI can easily “grab” your best points.

3. Share “Lived Experience” An AI can summarize facts, but it hasn’t lived a life. It can’t tell you what a specific product smells like or how hard it was to fix a leaky pipe in a 100-year-old house. Share stories, personal photos, and real-world lessons. This “human touch” is something AI cannot fake, and search engines are starting to reward it.

4. Speak Like a Real Person Forget trying to stuff “keywords” into every sentence. In 2026, AI is smart enough to understand the topic without you repeating the same phrase over and over. Write like you are explaining something to a friend. Use natural language and cover the topic from every angle so the AI sees you as a true authority.

5. Aim for the “Answer Block” When you search for something, Google often shows a box at the very top with a direct answer. This is called an Answer Block. To get your business in there, you need to answer specific questions clearly and quickly. If your website provides the best 50-word answer to a common question, you’ll win that top spot.

The Bottom Line

SEO isn’t about “tricking” Google anymore. It’s about being the most helpful and trusted source of information. If you make your content easy for AI to read and useful for humans to follow, your business will continue to grow in 2026.