Why Your Next Client Might Find You…on ChatGPT

If you think people are still Googling and clicking on links like it’s 2010, think again. The way we search online has taken a sharp turn. Instead of scrolling through pages of results, more and more people are asking AI tools to do the heavy lifting. These tools serve up direct answers, pulling quotes and sources from across the web. The catch? They often skip the step where someone actually visits your site.

Here’s the kicker: that means being easy to find online now means showing up in AI answers. If your content isn’t getting cited by these chatty AIs, you could be losing business, even if you rank #1 on Google the old-fashioned way.

The New Search Game: AI Overviews and “Answer Engines”

A recent Bain & Company study dropped a bombshell: 80% of consumers now rely on AI summaries for nearly half their online searches. That’s cut traditional website clicks by up to 25%. Meanwhile, Google’s AI Overviews already serve over a billion users, offering complete answers before anyone clicks a link. ChatGPT and its pals have ushered in what some are calling “answer engines,” a new breed of search that skips the blue links entirely.

How does this change things for financial advisors?

Well, imagine a prospect typing something like: “Who’s a good fee-only financial advisor in X city with a CFP who works well with women?” If your online presence is optimized for AI to find and quote you, you could pop up right in that answer with no clicking required. That’s some serious, free referral traffic showing up in your analytics, and it’s only going to grow.

From SEO to GEO: What You Need to Know

If SEO was your bread and butter, get ready for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO for short). GEO isn’t about stuffing keywords or meta-tags that humans don’t see. It’s about answering fundamental questions in a way that AI can easily digest and cite.

Think of GEO as writing your website content like a friendly, clear, and thorough guidebook. You answer obvious questions first, use simple headings and short paragraphs, and make it easy for AI to label and understand your content. You also add behind-the-scenes tech (called structured data or schema markup), so AI knows exactly what’s what on your pages.

Unlike traditional SEO, where clicks were king, GEO success is measured by how often AI tools mention or link back to your content in their responses. And yes, there are tools now to track those AI citations—Semrush, Similarweb, and Authoritas, to name a few—because if you’re not getting mentioned, you’re basically invisible in the AI-driven search world.

Why Advisors Should Care

Ignoring this shift isn’t going to crash your online lead gen overnight. But over time, if your content isn’t AI-ready, you’ll see less traffic, fewer new leads, and a shrinking share of mind among prospects who never even visit your website. Meanwhile, competitors who are GEO-savvy will become the “go-to” trusted sources AI keeps quoting.

What Can You Do Today?

• Keep content fresh. AI loves up-to-date information. This includes updating evergreen articles with new dates, statistics, and insights.
• Answer real questions you hear from clients or on social media. Create dedicated, clear pages on topics like “How do fee-only financial advisors work?” or “What should women look for in a CFP?”
• Keep it simple. Use plain headings and easy language.
• Get cited. Write guest posts, do podcasts, host webinars, and get your name on trustworthy sites to boost your authority.
• Add structured data. If you don’t want to get technical, most website platforms offer plugins to automate this process.
• Check your website firewall or hosting settings to make sure you’re allowing AI crawlers like OpenAI’s GPTBot access to your site.

The Bottom Line

The future of prospect discovery isn’t about who ranks highest on Google anymore. It’s about who AI trusts to provide clear, helpful, and timely answers. At Beyond AUM, we’re seeing more and more referral traffic across client sites from ChatGPT these days, with our advisors noting these are generating highly-qualified prospect meetings and new client relationships. Generative Engine Optimization is the new front line for visibility, and if you play it right, your next client might just find you with a simple ChatGPT search.

Featured links:

Making It Personal: Improve Your Online Presence with Smart Data Usage by Gretchen Halpin

• As the tools we use to serve clients become faster and more advanced, the human element has never been more important. In the RIA space, success lies in striking the right balance between cutting-edge tech and meaningful personal connection. This article explores how data, personalization, and a well-crafted client experience can help firms deepen trust and stand out both on and offline.

Moving Clients Beyond the Market Volatility by Ben Rizzuto

• As headlines continue to swirl around tariffs, taxes, and shifting policy, advisors have an opportunity to help clients cut through the noise and stay grounded in their long-term financial goals. Here are a few key conversations to have with investors right now—from revisiting asset allocation to preparing for potential tax changes—plus why a steady, empathetic approach can make all the difference.

Continuing the Conversation: Is It Different for Female Financial Advisors?

• Join the FPA Women & Finance Knowledge Circle on June 12 for an honest, energizing discussion about the realities women face in the advisory profession. Led by Beyond AUM co-founder Gretchen Halpin, this live conversation circle isn’t a lecture so much as a chance to share stories, explore challenges, and connect across generations and career stages. Come ready to listen, reflect, and help shape a more inclusive future for women in finance. (Free registration for FPA members.)

• Part teacher, part strategist, part lifeline—the modern financial advisor wears many hats. Here’s why it’s one of today’s fastest-growing careers.
• Skydiving at 70? Recording albums at 60? Age isn’t a finish line, it’s a launchpad. Here’s how to stop ageism from creeping into your client conversations.
• In a world of meetings about meetings and Slack messages at midnight, performance art sometimes trumps actual performance.
• One in five clients are swiping right on new financial advisors. So, what is it that’s making them ditch their current match and where do the real opportunities lie?
• DIY investors, TikTok finance, and money dysmorphia: Next-gen clients are rewriting the rules. Are you ready to meet them where they are?
• The 1% AUM fee is losing its grip, especially with high-net-worth clients. As expectations shift, advisors are feeling the pressure to do more for less.

• Why ‘Making It’ Feels Impossible In The U.S. Now – CNBC
• Why Nursing Homes and Hospice Are So Expensive in the U.S. – CNBC
• CFP®: The Gold Standard of Financial Planning – Kevin R. Keller, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of the CFP Board and Ray Ferrara, CFP® on Up Your Assets – A Financial Podcast
• Short science film examining the most overlooked facet of our universe: its astonishing scale – To Scale: Time

• We all know great marketing doesn’t happen by magic—it’s inspired, tested, and sometimes shamelessly borrowed. Enter Swipe File, the ultimate free stash of over 550 proven marketing examples. From emails that get opened to sales pages that sell, it’s like having a cheat sheet in your digital back pocket.
• Google recently dropped a major update on what makes content actually helpful. We’ve shared Google’s guidelines before, but they’ve added some seriously useful sections that cut through the SEO noise. They’re asking the tough questions:
  • Are you building trust with clear sourcing and author info?
  • Would your site pass the “expert authority” test if someone looked it up?
  • Are you churning out content on every topic under the sun, hoping for a lucky hit? Spoiler: That’s not the move.
  • Using automation to pump out mountains of posts? Google’s onto that.
  • Refreshing content just to look “fresh”? Yeah, no.

Bottom line: Google wants content that’s honest, expert-backed, and actually useful to real people, not just robots or algorithms. If you want your site to play nice with the Big G, this update is a must-read.

• YMYL (Your Money or Your Life): It’s not just a weird acronym; it’s serious business for your content. If you’re writing about money, whether it’s investing, taxes, banking, or how to make your 401(k) work harder, Google treats your content like it’s life or death. Because, honestly, it kind of is. Bad educational content or guidance here can wreck one’s wallet or financial future. Google’s got real people checking your work, making sure you’re not just throwing out fluff. To rank, you’ve got to prove you know your stuff, whether that’s bringing in legit experts, getting shoutouts from trusted finance sites, or showing off who’s behind the words (hello, writer bios!)

From a Wealth Advisor at a national, multi-office firm RE: this news story:

(A recent Supreme Court ruling makes it much easier for lawsuits against 401(k) plan sponsors to survive a motion to dismiss. This dramatically increases the risk that business owners will be forced into costly settlements rather than winning early in court and makes it more encouraging for participants to pursue legal action.)

Paraphrased: This is a great opportunity to connect with business owner clients or prospects who have a 401(k) plan or are thinking about it. It can open the door for a conversation on the value of working with a fiduciary and making sure they are having their plan regularly reviewed and fees priced.