For most of the last twenty years, SEO meant one thing: get your website onto page one of Google. In 2026 that’s still true. But it’s no longer the whole job.

A growing share of searches now end with an AI-written answer at the top of the page. That answer is built from what Google, ChatGPT or Perplexity believes about your firm. And a lot of what it believes comes from places other than your website.

So SEO now has two halves. One happens on your site. The other happens everywhere else. That second half is where PR comes in.

What’s actually changed this year

Three things, mostly.

• AI answers are everywhere, including for your name. In October 2026, Ahrefs reported that AI Overviews now appear for 83% of branded searches. When a referred client types your firm’s name into Google, there’s a good chance they read an AI summary of you before they reach your website.
• Fewer people click through. A randomised study of 1,100 Google users found that AI search features reduced visits to external websites. People get their answer and move on.
• You can see the impressions, but not the clicks. Google Search Console has started showing how often sites appear in AI results. It doesn’t yet show how many of those appearances turn into visits.

Put simply: you can be found more often and visited less. That changes what “good SEO” has to deliver.

The Budget test

On Wednesday 28 October, John Healey delivers his first Budget as Chancellor. By teatime, thousands of landlords and business owners will ask an AI tool what it means for them.

The answer will quote whoever published something clear first, and whoever the trade press turned to for comment. If that isn’t your firm, it’ll be a competitor.

What hasn’t changed

People still search before they hire an accountant, a solicitor or an adviser. They still visit your website before they pick up the phone. And they still decide in seconds whether you look like the right firm.

If anything, the basics matter more. When fewer people click through, every visitor is worth more. A clear service page, a fast mobile site and one obvious next step are how you turn fewer visits into the same number of enquiries.

Why PR is now part of SEO

Here’s the part most SEO advice skips. AI tools don’t just read your website. They read what other people say about you: trade press, local news, directories, reviews, professional bodies. And they weigh it heavily.

That makes sense. Your website is your claim. Coverage is the evidence. If Accountancy Age quotes your managing partner on a tax change, that’s an independent signal that you know what you’re talking about. Search engines treat it that way, and so do the AI systems built on top of them.

Earned coverage also brings links and mentions from respected publications. They’re hard to fake, which is exactly why they count.

Our sister agency, Get Results PR, has written about this in more depth: Is PR still relevant in the social media and AI era?

What this means for a professional services firm

Try it yourself. Ask ChatGPT for the best accountant for landlords in Greenwich. The firms it names, when it names any at all, tend to have three things in common: a dedicated page for landlords, reviews that mention landlords, and a quote in a property or tax publication. Here’s how to give your firm the same advantage.

On your website

• One page per service, and one per sector. “Tax advice for landlords” and “marketing for law firms” are different questions. Each deserves its own clear answer.
• Answer the question near the top. AI tools pull out short passages. If the answer is buried in paragraph six, it’s less likely to be the one that gets quoted.
• Use plain English. Write how clients ask, not how the profession talks.
• Keep your details consistent. The same name, address, phone number and services on your site, your Google Business Profile and every directory listing.
• Add structured data. It tells search engines exactly who you are, what you do and where.
• Make it fast on a phone. Most first visits happen on mobile.

Off your website

• Get quoted in the trade press your clients read. A comment on a relevant news story often does more than another blog post.
• Collect Google reviews steadily. They feed both local search and AI summaries.
• Keep professional listings up to date. Law Society, ICAEW, Unbiased and industry directories: wherever clients and AI look for confirmation.
• Put your experts forward. Podcasts, panels and bylined articles all build the picture of who you are.

Measure enquiries, not just traffic

Here’s the uncomfortable bit. You could do all of the above and still see website traffic dip, simply because more people get their answer without clicking.

That’s not necessarily bad news. The question that matters is whether enquiries are going up. So track them. Ask every new client how they found you, and don’t be surprised when “I asked ChatGPT” becomes one of the answers. If you can’t tell where your enquiries come from, a free Growth Score is a good place to start.

Looking ahead to 2027

Nobody can promise exactly what next year brings, but the direction is clear. Here’s what we expect, and what it means for a professional firm.

• AI assistants will start doing, not just answering. Expect tools that compare firms, check what you offer and suggest who to call, all inside the chat. Make your services, sectors and contact details easy for a machine to read, not just a person.
• Being mentioned will matter more than being ranked. The number to watch is how often AI tools name your firm when someone asks about your field. Test it yourself every month.
• Real expertise will beat volume. Ten generic blog posts will count for less than one article that shows a partner genuinely knows their subject.
• Your listings will matter as much as your website. Google Business Profile, your professional body, Companies House and industry directories all tell AI who you are. If they disagree, it will trust you less.

None of this replaces the basics. It makes them more important, and it makes PR part of SEO for good.

Questions people ask

Does PR help SEO?

Yes. Coverage in respected publications earns links and mentions that search engines trust, and AI tools use the same sources when deciding which firms to mention.

How do I get my firm recommended by ChatGPT?

Make your firm easy to understand and easy to vouch for: a clear page for each service, consistent details everywhere you’re listed, steady reviews, and quotes in the press your clients read. You can’t pay for a mention.

Is SEO still worth it if fewer people click?

Yes. The people who do click are often closer to hiring. Judge SEO on enquiries, not traffic.

How long does it take to show up in AI answers?

Usually months rather than weeks. AI tools reflect what’s been published about you over time, so steady coverage and reviews beat a single burst.

What will change in SEO in 2027?

Expect AI assistants to do more of the comparing and recommending, so being mentioned and trusted by other sources will matter more than ranking alone. Clear service pages, consistent listings, steady reviews and press coverage are the best preparation.

The short version

SEO in 2026 means ranking on Google and being cited by AI. The firms that do best will treat their website and their reputation as one job: a site that answers clearly and converts well, backed by evidence from the rest of the internet that they’re worth choosing.

That’s how we work. Fresh Brands looks after your website and search visibility. Our sister agency, Get Results PR, earns the coverage that backs it up.

• Ahrefs, “AI Overviews currently appear for 83% of branded searches”, October 2026.
• Randomised field experiment of 1,100 Google users on AI search and website referrals, reported in MarketingProfs, 2 October 2026.
• Google Search Console AI impression reporting, summarised in Seafoam Media, October 2026.
• Autumn Budget date, as confirmed by HM Treasury, 31 July 2026.
• 2027 outlook drawn from predictions in Search Engine Land and other industry forecasts, 2026.