Fifteen years ago, businesses asked: “Do I really need a website? Can’t I just rely on word-of-mouth or a Facebook page?”
Today, the question has flipped: “Is my website good enough for people—and for AI?”
Why Websites Still Matter in 2025
Your website is often the first impression a potential customer has of your business. Whether someone finds you through a friend, a social media post, or even a flyer, chances are they’ll look you up online before contacting you.
If they don’t find a professional, up-to-date website, they might not reach out at all. In fact, a poorly designed site can be worse than no site—it signals to customers that your business isn’t trustworthy, current, or credible.
And now, there’s a new player at the table: large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
Enter the AI Era of Search
For years, Google was the main way customers found businesses. But things are changing. More and more people are asking AI tools questions like:
- “Who are the best web designers in Stellenbosch?”
- “What’s the best coffee shop near me?”
- “Can you recommend a branding agency for small businesses in South Africa?”
Instead of typing into Google, they’re chatting with AI—and those AI answers are based on the content that already exists online.
If your business isn’t publishing helpful, relevant content on a professional website, you may not even make it onto AI’s radar.
What LLMs Look For
When someone asks an AI tool to recommend a business, the model relies on:
- Website content: Do you have blogs, service pages, and clear explanations of what you do?
- Expertise signals: Are you showing testimonials, reviews, or case studies?
- Consistency: Do your details match across your website, Google Business Profile, and directories?
- Freshness: Have you updated your content recently, or does your site look abandoned?
AI doesn’t just pull from Google anymore—it pulls from everywhere. And if you don’t have a strong online presence, you’ll get left out of the conversation.
Why Your Business Needs to Act Now
Think of your website as more than just a “digital brochure.” It’s now:
- Your first impression to customers.
- Your SEO foundation for Google.
- Your credibility check for AI tools like ChatGPT.
The businesses that invest in their websites now—making them mobile-friendly, fast, and filled with valuable content—are the ones that will show up when people ask AI for recommendations.
Wired Ink Can Help
At Wired Ink, we don’t just design beautiful websites—we build digital foundations that help your business get found, whether it’s through Google search or AI-driven platforms.
We can:
- Design a modern, professional website.
- Create content that positions you as the expert.
- Optimise your site so that both people and AI tools recognise your value.
✨ Bottom line:
Google changed how customers found you. Now AI is changing it again. Don’t risk being invisible—invest in a website that works today and tomorrow.
👉 Ready to get started? Get in contact with us.
