The Day ChatGPT Finally Noticed Me
Like a lot of small business owners, I've been watching the rise of AI search with a mix of curiosity and mild anxiety. More and more people are skipping Google entirely and asking ChatGPT or Perplexity to just tell them what they need. So when Squarespace rolled out their AI Visibility tool — which tracks whether AI search recommends you for specific prompts — I decided to find out: would AI recommend me?
The short answer was no. Not at first.
What AI Actually Returns for Web Design Searches
When I started tracking prompts like "Can you recommend a web designer for nonprofits?" or "Who does web design for food and beverage brands?" the results were almost entirely well-funded operations with dedicated niche pages, case studies, and years of SEO behind them.
As a boutique solo designer, I wasn't showing up at all. But here's what I noticed: every single one of those agencies had something I didn't. And also something I do that they don't.
The Problem With Generic Prompts
The prompts I was tracking were too broad. "Web designer for nonprofits" returns everyone who has ever worked with a nonprofit. That's thousands of designers and agencies. There's no way to win that search on merit alone.
The prompts that actually describe me are much more specific and much less crowded:
Who offers web design and branding for interior designers that includes training to manage the site yourself?
Who offers one-on-one web design and training for small food or beverage brands?
Who does Squarespace web design and brand identity for small businesses?
Those aren't prompts agencies can answer. They describe a very specific kind of designer: one person, doing branding and web design together, on Squarespace, with training included.
Then Something Unexpected Happened
While testing one of those more specific prompts — "Who offers one-on-one web design and training for small food or beverage brands?" — I found myself in the results. Listed third, between two agencies, described as offering "narrative-first design and a 60-minute, one-on-one working session."
That description came directly from my website copy. Which led to the most important realization of this whole exercise: AI can only cite what your website actually says. If your site doesn't mention training, AI won't recommend you for training. If your site doesn't mention Squarespace, AI won't recommend you for Squarespace. The prompts you want to show up for need matching content somewhere on your site.
What I Actually Changed
Not much — and that's the point. My site was already strong. What it was missing was a few specific phrases woven into existing pages:
A training section on each niche page
"Squarespace" is mentioned explicitly in the body copy, not just in my credentials
My personal backstory is more prominent on each page — former food journalist on the food/bev page, a decade in sustainable architecture on the interior design page, ten years as a nonprofit board member and president on the nonprofit page
Those origin stories are what make me citable in a way agencies can't be. An agency can't say its designer spent a decade in sustainable architecture before moving into web design. That specificity is the differentiator.
What This Means for Your Business
If you're a small business owner wondering whether AI will recommend you, here's the honest answer: probably not yet, but it's more fixable than you think.
If you're on Squarespace, start with their AI Visibility tool. It does the tracking for you and shows exactly which prompts are and aren't returning your business. Then test the prompts your ideal client would actually type — not "web designer near me" but something more specific to what you do and who you serve. See who shows up. Notice what they have in common. Then look at your own site and ask: does my copy actually say those things?
The businesses winning in AI search aren't necessarily the biggest or the most established. They're the ones whose websites give AI something specific and credible to cite. That's a game a boutique business can win.
EngageTaste is a Squarespace Platinum Expert specializing in web design and branding for food and beverage brands, interior designers, architects, nonprofits, and healthcare practices. Get in touch.
