Making Your Website Work for Your Business in an AI-Driven World

Over the past few months, we've had several conversations with professional services firms questioning whether it's worth updating their website this year. With most online searches now conducted through generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, and the rise of zero-click searches (accounting for nearly 60% of Google searches globally in 2024 and around 54% in the UK in 2025), it's a fair question.

The short answer? Yes, your website still matters. But the way it needs to work has changed significantly.

Search has evolved, but many websites haven't

We've shifted from traditional Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO). Half of all search experiences now include AI-generated summaries, and this is only set to grow over the next few years.

What worked two or three years ago may not perform as well today because how people search and evaluate information has changed dramatically. As we highlighted in our previous marketing predictions blog, "Search strategies in 2026 and beyond need to prioritise structured answers, genuine expertise, and clarity."

For professional services firms, this means adapting to how potential clients now discover and assess expertise and valuable information online.

Understanding how AI tools choose their sources helps explain why structure, authority and clarity matter more than ever.

Where AI tools are finding their answers

Recent research from SEMRush, based on 230,000 prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI, and Perplexity, reveals that LinkedIn is now the second-most-cited source by AI chatbots, trailing only Reddit, with Google appearing further down the list. More significantly, data from Spotlight shows that ChatGPT is citing LinkedIn 4.2 times more frequently than previous rates, while Perplexity cites it 5.7 times more often.

Of the 19,202 LinkedIn sources cited, over 15,000 are from LinkedIn articles specifically, presenting a clear signal of how AI tools assess credibility. Professional services firms that publish clear, authoritative, specialist insight on platforms like LinkedIn, alongside maintaining a well-structured website, are more likely to surface in AI-generated answers.

Visibility without trust rarely leads to enquiries.

Web traffic doesn't automatically equal enquiries

Many firms have traditionally relied on web traffic as a key metric, but in professional services where trust-based decisions matter more than visitor numbers, this approach needs rethinking.

SEO isn't 'dead'; it has, however, evolved, emphasising content quality, relevance, structure and context, not just keywords. Search engines and AI tools continue to rely on well-structured, high-quality content, so SEO best practices remain essential for online visibility.

EEAT (Google's quality framework evaluating Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trust) remains particularly important for 'high trust' sectors like financial services, legal services and health. AI tools are cautious about where they source answers from, so establishing yourself as a thought leader in your niche is more valuable than ever.

Content quality over quantity

A single strong service page that directly answers client questions will outperform multiple weaker pages chasing keywords without substance. For example, an accountancy firm might have a comprehensive page explaining R&D tax credits that clearly addresses common questions, rather than five thin blog posts repeating similar information.

Organising information into clear headings, structured content and logical sections makes it easier for both humans and AI tools to interpret and cite your work. This isn't about making your website look more complicated, rather it's about making the information easier to find and understand.

Many professional services websites quietly underperform

We often see websites that look polished but aren't effectively guiding users. If visitors struggle to find answers quickly or feel uncertain about next steps, they're likely to leave without converting.

This is where Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) comes in. This is the technical process for enhancing your website's structure to better serve users by answering questions like:

• How do people move through your site, and where do they drop off?
• Do they feel reassured or confused?
• How clearly do service pages communicate value?
• Do visitors trust your site?
• Do visitors clearly and quickly understand the business’ value proposition?
• Are the ‘calls to action’ sufficiently clear?

CRO doesn't always require a major redesign (though we can certainly help with that), but it does involve regular user behaviour testing and evidence-based updates. Give your website some attention, and it will work harder for your business.

Structure comes before design

Website structure, including how pages connect, and information flows, is something users, search engines and now increasingly the Large Language Models (LLMs) rely on to answer questions quickly. Creating a clear hierarchy should come before any design work.

For instance, if you're a solicitor specialising in family law, does your site emphasise the services and problem-solving approaches that match how prospective clients think? Or is key information buried in the firm's history, case studies and technical jargon?

User testing removes the guesswork

User testing involves observing real people as they interact with your site. Methods like task-based testing and heatmapping reveal where users hesitate, misunderstand or leave, offering direct evidence for where improvements matter most.

We recently conducted user testing for a property professional where participants consistently missed the "Book a consultation" button because it blended into the surrounding content rather than standing out as a clear next step. The firm had been worried about its content strategy when the issue was a straightforward design fix.

In-house opinions are often shaped by familiarity with the business, using language that feels natural internally but confuses external visitors. User testing provides independent insights and removes much of the guesswork from often overlooked improvements.

Schema markup helps AI understand your content

Schema markup (also known as structured data) is technical code that helps search engines and AI tools understand the meaning behind your content. It clarifies context around your business, services, credentials and reviews.

For a solicitor, this could mean using structured data to clearly signal accreditations and memberships with bodies such as the Law Society or Legal 500 listings. For an accountant, it could involve referencing recognised professional body memberships such as ICAEW. This added context helps search engines and AI tools better interpret your expertise and credibility and can support stronger visibility in both search results and AI-generated summaries.

It all works together

LLMs like ChatGPT pull information from trusted, clearly organised sources. A website that combines CRO, strong structure, user testing insights and high-quality content is better positioned to perform well in both traditional and AI-driven search.

Pages that are easy to understand, with clear intent and structure, are more likely to be cited by AI tools, driving greater relevance and visibility.

Websites build trust before the first conversation

For professional services firms, a website should never be just an online brochure. Instead, a well-researched, well-built website should be working behind the scenes to answer questions, build confidence, and make it easy for the right clients and referrers to get in touch with your business, ahead of your competitors.

The technology will keep evolving, but what makes a website effective stays the same: being clear, well-organised, authentic and genuinely useful. The question for 2026 isn't whether your website still matters; it's whether it needs updating to work the way people search and make decisions now.

Next steps

Made up of a team of CIM Chartered Marketers, Cal Partners is an award-winning professional services marketing agency that connects marketing strategy, user behaviour and evolving search technologies to deliver impactful results for our clients.

If you're questioning whether your website is working as hard as it should, get in touch for a free, confidential and no obligation discussion: hello@calpartners.co.uk or call 0333 050 6015.