Running SEO North Sydney, I have watched search change considerably over the years. Google remains the dominant search engine, but businesses now need to consider a much wider search environment, including AI platforms such as Perplexity.
Perplexity is particularly interesting because it does not simply provide a conventional list of search results. It generates answers and cites the sources it uses. That creates a different kind of SEO opportunity. Instead of thinking purely about ranking on page one, businesses need to think about becoming one of the sources that an AI system trusts enough to reference.
For small businesses, I do not think this requires throwing out everything we know about SEO. In fact, much of what makes a website successful in Google also helps establish the authority and relevance that AI search systems need.
What Makes Perplexity Different From Google?
Perplexity operates more like an answer engine than a traditional search engine. A user can ask a detailed, conversational question and receive a synthesised answer drawing information from multiple sources.
That difference matters.
A traditional Google search might involve someone searching for “Sydney SEO agency”. On Perplexity, that same person might ask which SEO agency would be suitable for a small Sydney business, what they should look for when choosing one and how much they should expect to pay.
The second query contains considerably more context.
For businesses, this means SEO cannot simply be about targeting short keywords. I believe we need to understand the questions customers ask, the problems behind those questions and the information they need before making a decision.
Perplexity Visibility Is About Being Cited
One of the biggest differences between traditional SEO and Perplexity is what I would call the definition of visibility.
On Google, we generally measure rankings, impressions, clicks and organic traffic.
On Perplexity, being cited as a source can be just as important.
If an AI-generated answer references your website as evidence for a particular statement or recommendation, your business has achieved a form of search visibility even if the user never encounters a traditional ranking position.
That is why I think small businesses should begin treating their websites as authoritative information resources rather than simply online brochures.
Strong SEO Still Gives You an Advantage
The most encouraging aspect of AI search is that I do not believe small businesses need an entirely separate strategy.
Traditional SEO remains the foundation.
Your website needs to be technically accessible. Your pages need to provide useful information. Your internal linking should establish clear relationships between topics. Your content needs to satisfy search intent. Your business needs genuine authority.
Research discussed by Wix suggests substantial overlap between sources cited by Perplexity and highly ranked Google results, reinforcing the idea that established SEO practices remain relevant to AI visibility.
That makes sense to me. If Google and AI systems are both trying to identify useful and authoritative information, there will naturally be considerable overlap in the signals they value.
Create Content That Answers Real Questions
The biggest opportunity I see for small businesses is the quality of their content.
I am not talking about publishing hundreds of generic AI-generated blog posts. In fact, I think that approach is becoming increasingly risky.
Instead, businesses should concentrate on questions their customers genuinely ask.
If you operate an accounting firm, for example, your content could explain how small businesses should prepare for tax time, what expenses they can claim, how to choose accounting software or when they should consider professional advice.
If you operate a building company, you could explain the renovation process, realistic project timeframes, common construction mistakes and what customers should consider before hiring a builder.
This kind of content demonstrates experience.
It also gives AI systems useful, specific information that can potentially be referenced when someone asks a related question.
Authority Is More Important Than Ever
If there is one principle I would emphasise to small businesses looking at Perplexity, it is authority.
AI systems have to decide which information they can trust.
That makes external validation extremely valuable.
Quality backlinks, industry mentions, reputable citations, reviews, awards and references from authoritative websites all contribute to the broader reputation of a business.
This is why I continue to believe that link building remains one of the most important components of SEO.
A business cannot simply declare itself an authority. External sources need to reinforce that reputation.
For a small business, this means earning relevant links and mentions from websites that actually matter within its industry rather than pursuing enormous quantities of low-quality backlinks.
Build a Strong Digital Reputation
Your own website is only one part of your online identity.
Perplexity and other AI systems can discover information from many different sources. That means your brand needs to be represented consistently across the wider web.
Your business name, location, services and contact information should be accurate across reputable directories and platforms.
Your website should clearly explain what you do.
Your Google Business Profile should be maintained.
Your customer reviews should accurately reflect the quality of your business.
Your expertise should be visible through your content.
When these different sources consistently tell the same story, it becomes easier for search systems to understand your business.
Structure Your Content Clearly
I also believe that content structure has become increasingly important.
AI systems need to interpret information efficiently. Clear headings, logical sections and direct answers make content easier for both people and machines to understand.
If a page is answering a specific question, I want that answer to be obvious.
If a service has several components, I want those components clearly explained.
If an article covers a complex subject, I want the information organised logically rather than buried inside enormous blocks of text.
This is not about writing for robots. It is about communicating clearly.
Good structure has always been good SEO, and it becomes even more valuable when AI systems are trying to extract and synthesise information from your website.
Local Businesses Have a Significant Opportunity
For small Australian businesses, local search should be a major part of this strategy.
A customer asking an AI system for a recommendation is often looking for a provider in a particular location.
That means your geographic relevance matters.
Your website should clearly establish where you operate. Your services should be clearly described. Your business information should remain consistent across relevant citations.
Local authority also matters.
Being mentioned by respected local publications, industry organisations and relevant websites can strengthen the overall reputation of your business.
From my perspective, this is where traditional local SEO and AI search increasingly overlap.
Do Not Ignore Other Forms of Content
Perplexity can surface more than traditional webpages. Its search experience can incorporate different forms of information, including images and video.
For small businesses, this creates an opportunity to expand beyond written content.
If you demonstrate a service through a useful video, explain a process visually or create original images that genuinely help customers understand a subject, you are creating additional assets that can strengthen your digital presence.
I would not create multimedia content simply because AI search exists. I would create it when it genuinely improves the customer’s understanding of your business.
What About LLMs.txt?
There has also been considerable discussion around LLMs.txt, a proposed standard intended to make website information easier for large language models to interpret.
I see this as an interesting development, but I would not advise small businesses to treat it as a magic ranking solution.
The technology and adoption surrounding AI search are changing rapidly. I would much rather see a business invest its limited resources into excellent content, technical SEO, authority and accurate business information before worrying about experimental optimisation techniques.
The fundamentals should come first.
How I Would Approach Perplexity SEO
If I were developing a Perplexity-focused strategy for a small business, I would start with the same question I ask when developing an ordinary SEO strategy: what does this business genuinely know that its customers need to know?
From there, I would build authoritative content around those questions, improve the technical structure of the website, strengthen internal linking and develop the external authority of the brand.
I would also monitor how the business appears across AI platforms and identify the questions where competitors are being cited but the business is not.
That gives us something actionable to work with.
AI search is still evolving, so I would treat it as an ongoing optimisation process rather than a one-time campaign.
My Final Perspective
I do not believe “ranking in Perplexity” should be treated as an entirely separate discipline from SEO.
The terminology may be changing, but the fundamentals remain familiar.
Businesses need to be useful. They need to demonstrate expertise. They need to establish authority. Their information needs to be accurate and consistent. Their websites need to be technically sound.
The difference is that search engines are increasingly capable of synthesising information rather than simply displaying it.
For small businesses, that creates an opportunity to become the source behind the answer.
You do not necessarily need the biggest website in your industry. You need to create information that is genuinely worth citing and build a reputation that makes search systems confident in doing so.
That is the approach I believe will matter most as AI search continues to develop.
If you want to improve your SEO and build the authority needed to appear across Google, Perplexity and the wider AI search landscape, contact SEO North Sydney today and let’s build a strategy around where search is heading next.
