Why AI Search Changes Everything for London's Craftspeople

Something fundamental is changing about how customers find businesses. If you're a furniture maker, kitchen designer, architect, or any kind of craftsperson in London, this shift affects you directly — and most people in your trade haven't noticed yet.

What's happening

For twenty years, customers found local businesses the same way: type something into Google, scroll through results, click a few websites, maybe check reviews. That process is being replaced — not gradually, but quickly.

Now, customers are asking AI. They open ChatGPT and type "who makes the best bespoke furniture in North London?" They ask Perplexity "find me a kitchen designer near Islington." They see Google's AI Overview answering their question before they even reach the traditional search results.

The difference is crucial: Google gives you a list and lets you choose. AI gives you an answer — a specific recommendation, often with reasons why. If you're in that answer, you're the business the customer calls. If you're not, they never knew you existed.

What AI actually says about London craftspeople

We tested this. We asked ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and Claude for recommendations across dozens of craft and design specialities in London. The results were revealing.

When we asked ChatGPT "who makes the best bespoke furniture in North London," it recommended three businesses. Two of them had extensive structured data on their websites — data that told AI exactly what they do, where they serve, and what their speciality is. The third had dozens of consistent directory listings that AI cross-referenced for credibility.

Meanwhile, furniture makers we know to be more skilled, more experienced, and better reviewed were completely absent. Their websites were beautiful — stunning portfolio images, elegant design — but nothing that AI could actually read or understand.

This pattern repeated across every trade we tested. The businesses AI recommends aren't always the best. They're the most visible to AI. And right now, "visible to AI" is a very different thing from "visible to humans."

Why most craft websites aren't ready

There's a gap between what makes a website impressive to a human visitor and what makes it useful to an AI engine. Most craft websites were built to showcase work visually — large images, minimal text, clean design. That's great for a customer who's already on your site. It's terrible for AI that's deciding whether to send customers to your site in the first place.

AI needs three things from your website:

1. Structured data — technical information embedded in your site's code that tells AI exactly what your business does, where you're located, what services you offer, and how to categorise you. Most craft websites have none of this.
2. Answerable content — text that directly addresses the questions customers ask AI. "What's the best wood for kitchen cabinets?" "How long does a bespoke furniture commission take?" "What should I look for in a kitchen designer?" If your site answers these questions clearly, AI can cite you in its response.
3. Consistent presence — your business details (name, services, location) consistent across directories, review sites, and professional listings. AI cross-references these to verify credibility. Inconsistencies create doubt.

Three things you can do this week

You don't need to rebuild your entire online presence overnight. Here are three concrete steps that make a real difference:

1. Test what AI says about you

Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google and ask for your service in your area. Try different phrasings: "best furniture maker in Hackney," "bespoke kitchen designer East London," "architect for period home renovation North London." See what comes back. If you're not in the answers, you know there's work to do.

2. Add descriptions to your portfolio

Every project on your website should have a written description — not just images. What was the brief? What materials did you use? What was unique about this project? AI can't see your photos (not yet, not reliably), but it can read your descriptions. A paragraph per project transforms your portfolio from an image gallery AI ignores into a knowledge base AI trusts.

3. Claim and update your directory listings

Google Business Profile, Houzz, Checkatrade, Bark, Yell, the relevant professional directories for your trade — make sure your business is listed consistently on all of them. Same name, same services, same location, same description. AI trusts businesses it can verify across multiple sources.

The bigger picture

AI search isn't replacing Google overnight. But the trajectory is clear: more customers are starting their search with AI, and that percentage is growing every month. The businesses that prepare now will have a significant advantage over those that wait.

For craftspeople specifically, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is that your current website probably isn't structured for AI. The opportunity is that almost none of your competitors have done anything about it either. The first movers in each trade and area will dominate AI recommendations for months before anyone catches up.

Your craft speaks for itself — to anyone who sees it. The question is whether AI knows enough about you to send those people your way.