Over 90% of web pages are not ready for the new era

The digital landscape has changed dramatically in recent months. Simply «having a website» is no longer enough. Today, your potential customers search for solutions on Google and, increasingly, through AI assistants like ChatGPT. If your page doesn’t appear on either, your business is invisible to the vast majority of the market. And the data is striking: over 90% of web pages are not optimised for this new reality.

Table of contents

• The new paradigm: Google + AI
• Why 90% of websites are not ready
• Google is no longer the only shop window
• What it means to be ready for the new era
• How to get AI to recommend you
• The cost of invisibility
• Frequently asked questions

Key takeaways

Point	Details
90% not optimised	The vast majority of websites fail to meet current Google and AI standards
AI search is growing	40% of younger users already use AI assistants to search for products and services
Structured content	Websites with structured data are 2x more likely to be cited by AI
Speed and mobile	Google actively penalises slow or non-mobile-friendly sites

The new paradigm: Google + AI

For two decades the game was clear: if you showed up on Google, you had visibility. Today the landscape has doubled. Millions of people no longer open Google to search: they ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot directly for recommendations.

This means your business needs to be visible on two simultaneous fronts:

1. Traditional search (Google): Organic positioning, Google Business, Google Maps
2. Conversational search (AI): Having AI models know you, understand what you offer and recommend you

It’s not one or the other. It’s both. And most businesses aren’t doing either well.

Why 90% of websites are not ready

The reasons are varied, but they cluster around a few recurring problems:

Static, abandoned websites

Many companies built their website years ago and haven’t touched it since. No fresh content, no technical updates, no blog. Google reads this as a dead site and pushes it into oblivion.

Zero technical optimisation

Load times over 4 seconds, no SSL certificate, no sitemap, no proper meta tags. These are basic errors, yet they affect 90% of SMB websites.

Generic, copied content

Text like «we are leaders in the sector» or «we offer comprehensive solutions» adds no value to users or search engines. Google rewards original content that solves specific problems.

Missing structured data

Structured data (schema.org) helps search engines and AI models understand what you offer. Without it, your site is a black box for machines.

Pro tip: Run the Google PageSpeed Insights test right now. If your mobile score is below 50, you have an urgent problem that is costing you customers every day.

Google is no longer the only shop window

The biggest shift in recent years is that conversational search is eating into traditional search share. When a business owner asks ChatGPT «what’s the best CRM for a small business?», the assistant doesn’t open Google: it answers from its knowledge, which includes web content, structured data and sources it has learned to identify as reliable.

If your site isn’t among those sources, you don’t exist in this new channel. And it’s a channel growing exponentially: an estimated 40% of users aged 18 to 34 already use AI assistants as their first search option for products and services.

This doesn’t mean Google is irrelevant. It means you need to be in both places. And the good news is that the strategies to achieve this complement each other.

What it means to be ready for the new era

Being ready isn’t about cutting-edge technology. It’s about getting the fundamentals right:

1. Useful, up-to-date content

Publish regularly with content that answers real customer questions. An active blog with articles like this one is one of the best investments you can make.

2. Structured data

Implement schema.org markup on your pages: organisation, products, services, FAQ, articles. This helps both Google and AI models understand exactly what you offer.

3. Impeccable technical performance

Load speed under 2.5 seconds, responsive design, HTTPS, Core Web Vitals in the green. This isn’t optional: it’s the minimum to compete.

4. Multi-channel presence

An up-to-date Google Business profile, active social profiles, sector directories. The more places that mention you with consistent information, the more authority your site will have.

5. Conversion strategy

Traffic is useless if you don’t convert. Clear landing pages, simple forms and a system to manage every contact are essential.

How to get AI to recommend you

This is the key point most businesses ignore. To appear in AI assistant responses, you need:

• Clear, well-structured content: Descriptive headings, short paragraphs, bullet lists. AI needs to extract information easily.
• Demonstrable authority: Data, statistics, concrete use cases. AI prioritises sources that appear trustworthy and expert.
• Up-to-date information: AI models are trained and updated regularly. Recent content is more likely to be incorporated.
• Structured data (schema.org): Makes it easier for AI to understand context and relationships between your pages.
• Direct answers to common questions: Well-written FAQ sections are highly likely to be cited by AI.

Pro tip: Write your content as if you were answering a customer’s question face to face. Concise, useful and direct. That’s exactly what AI looks for when formulating its responses.

The cost of invisibility

Every day your business is invisible online, you’re losing:

• Potential customers who are searching for exactly what you offer but find your competitors instead
• Credibility - modern customers distrust companies they can’t find online
• Data - without traffic, you can’t analyse the behaviour of your potential customers
• Competitive edge - every day you don’t improve, your competitors advance

The good news is you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with the fundamentals: speed, content and structured data. And make sure every visitor who reaches your site has a clear path to conversion.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if my website is ready for the new era?

Run three quick checks: (1) Search for your company name on Google and see if you appear in the top results. (2) Ask ChatGPT about your sector and see if it mentions you. (3) Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and check that the mobile score is above 70. If you fail any of the three, you have work to do.

Do I need a blog for positioning?

It’s not mandatory, but it’s one of the most effective strategies. Every well-optimised article is a new entry point to your site. Plus, fresh, relevant content is one of the strongest signals for both Google and AI models to consider you a reliable source.

How much does it cost to bring my website up to the new standards?

It depends on the current state of your site. The fundamentals (speed, SSL, sitemap, meta tags) can be fixed in a few hours with a competent developer. Content strategy takes longer, but you can start by publishing one article per month. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of acting.

Can I ignore AI assistants and just focus on Google?

You can, but you’ll be ignoring a channel growing at 30-40% annually. Within two to three years, conversational search will be as important as traditional search. Moreover, many of the optimisations that work for AI (structured content, clear answers, schema data) also improve your Google rankings. It’s not about choosing - it’s about doing both well.