Google just made it easier for your customers to help you show up in AI search. When people use ChatGPT, Claude, or Google's AI to find a plumber or dentist, they can now mark you as a "preferred source"—and Google shows preferred sources more often in AI answers. More importantly, email connections now matter for AI visibility. Here's what changed and what you should do about it.
Google has a new feature called "Preferred Sources." If a customer tells Google they trust your business, you show up more often when that person asks AI tools for answers. Last month, Google expanded this from regular search results into AI Overviews and AI Mode—the AI-generated answers people see instead of traditional search results.
Right now, more than 345,000 businesses and websites have been added as preferred sources. That number is growing fast because Google made it simple for anyone to choose their favorite sites.
Here's the part that affects you directly: Google found that email interactions are the strongest signal for AI visibility. If someone gets email from your business, Google sees that relationship and shows you more prominently in their AI search results.
This means your email list—the customers you email about specials, appointment reminders, or service updates—is now valuable for AI search visibility too. You already have their email for customer communication. That same list now helps you appear in AI answers.
You can ask your customers to add you as a preferred source. Google makes it easy. You can add a button to your website, mention it in emails, or just tell customers in person: "If you use AI to search for help, add us as a preferred source so you see our answers first."
The effect is real. Google says people are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source compared to other results.
AI search is where customers look now. If someone asks ChatGPT "best plumber near me" or Claude "local HVAC service," will they see you in the answer? Will the AI recommend your business?
Most business owners don't know. But it's worth finding out.
Originally reported by searchenginejournal.com.
The first question worth answering is the simplest one: when an AI is asked to recommend a business like yours, what does it say?
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