“Would AI recommend your business?”
That was the question Paul Levy put to the room at the FSB North Wales Small Business Conference at Venue Cymru last week, and judging by the conversations that followed, it struck a nerve.
A packed room of local business owners, many of whom had never thought about their business in quite this way before, found themselves reconsidering how customers actually find them today. Paul’s talk challenged a quiet assumption a lot of businesses still hold: that being findable on Google is enough.
The Shift From Search to Recommendation
Paul’s central point was simple but far-reaching: more and more buying decisions now start with a question to an AI, not a search box. People are asking ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and similar tools to recommend a plumber, a solicitor, a café, a wedding venue, and the AI answers with a shortlist.
If an AI can’t find a business, doesn’t understand what it does, or doesn’t trust what it finds, that business simply isn’t part of the conversation. It doesn’t rank low. It doesn’t appear at all.
Trust Is the New Currency
The second thread running through Paul Levy’s talk was trust. AI models, he explained, tend to recommend businesses that look credible online: clear, consistent information across a website and directories, genuine customer reviews, and a site that actually answers the questions people are asking rather than simply describing services in marketing language.
Inconsistent details, thin content, or an outdated website don’t just look unprofessional to a human visitor. They make it harder for an AI to trust and surface that business at all.
No Big Budget Required
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the talk was Paul’s insistence that this isn’t a game reserved for big companies with big marketing budgets. Small businesses across North Wales are already using AI tools right now to save time on admin, sharpen their marketing messages, and make sure they show up where their customers are actually looking.
Paul’s message to the room was clear: the businesses that get this right over the next couple of years won’t just rank in search results. They’ll be the ones AI actively recommends to potential customers.
A Well-Run Event
Paul was quick to thank the whole FSB team for the invitation and for organising such a well-run conference, as well as everyone who came along and asked such sharp, thoughtful questions during and after the session.
Diolch yn fawr, FSB Wales. It was great to see so many local businesses taking the subject seriously, and the panel discussion afterwards brought out some excellent questions from the floor.
The day also featured strong talks from Dawn Roberts, John Hurst, Gary Cheers, and Phil Strachan, and thanks go to Barbara Smok for capturing the day so well in photos.
How Livetech Can Help
If this has got you wondering whether your own business would pass the test, that’s exactly the kind of question Livetech helps answer every day.
We offer dedicated AI consultancy and implementation services. That includes practical briefings and training for senior leaders and managers, hands on company away days to explore what AI can realistically do for a business, and guidance on using AI responsibly and in line with good practice around data privacy and transparency.
Get in touch today.