Adapted from the 5 October 2026 edition of Ultimate Website Advisor, by Robert Millar.
Researching topics, drafting content and reviewing campaign results can take up much of a small business owner’s marketing time. AI tools can assist with parts of that work, but buying more software does not by itself create a useful marketing strategy. Start with a specific task, give the tool accurate information and check whether it improves your workflow.
This article looks at five areas to assess: content drafting, search research, answer engine optimisation, email personalisation and analytics. The aim is to make your marketing more useful and manageable, with results you can measure.
Key Takeaways
- Choose a tool to address one recurring marketing task.
- Use your own expertise and verified business information as the starting point.
- Review generated content and measure useful outcomes, including enquiries and time saved.
- Check plan limits and costs before building a workflow around a tool.
1. Use AI to support content drafting
A content assistant can help turn your notes into an outline, suggest social captions or adapt an approved article into an email. Supply a clear brief: who the reader is, the question to answer, the facts to include and the action the reader can take.
Treat the result as a draft. Check names, examples, service details and links, and remove unsupported claims. Add the experience and specific information that only your business can provide. A manageable publishing schedule is more useful than producing large amounts of repetitive content.
2. Use search research to choose useful topics
Search research can help you identify customer questions, review competing pages and find gaps in your existing content. Use those findings to build a short list of topics connected to the services you actually offer.
Before writing, decide what the page will help a visitor do. A keyword opportunity is not automatically a business opportunity: the topic needs to match your audience and lead naturally to a relevant service or next step.
3. Make your expertise clear for answer engines
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) concerns how clearly your content answers questions that people may ask search engines and AI assistants. State your services, service areas, expertise and pricing information where appropriate. Use direct answers and headings that reflect real customer questions.
Clear FAQs and accurate business details can also help human readers. They do not guarantee inclusion in an AI-generated answer, and there is no reliable fixed timetable for a recommendation. For more context, see our guide to SEO, AEO and GEO.
4. Test relevant email personalisation
Use what subscribers have chosen to receive, and the interests they have shared, to make your emails more relevant. An AI assistant can help draft alternative subject lines or versions of a message for different audience groups.
Keep the offer and facts consistent, review each version and test a limited change before expanding it. Assess clicks, replies and completed enquiries alongside open rates. Personalisation should help the reader find relevant information; it is not a guarantee of higher revenue.
5. Use analytics to guide the next decision
Analytics tools can help you review which pages and campaigns attract attention and where visitors stop progressing. AI-generated summaries may suggest patterns to investigate, but check them against the underlying data before changing your strategy.
Choose a small set of measures tied to your objective, such as completed enquiries, bookings or time spent producing an approved article. Compare results over a suitable period and record the changes you made so you can judge whether they helped.
Check tool limits before committing
Before relying on a free or paid tool, check the provider’s current documentation for usage allowances, included features, integrations, export options and renewal costs. A limited trial can be useful if it covers the task you want to test.
Compare the full workflow, including setup and review time. A subscription is worthwhile only if its capabilities and costs fit the work you need to do; avoid choosing a plan solely because it is labelled free or AI-powered.
Ask Robert: Where should a small firm start?
Question: I run a small real estate firm without a marketing team. I want to try AI tools, but I am concerned about complexity and wasting money. Where should I start?
Answer: Choose one recurring problem before choosing software. If drafting useful content takes too long, start with one common client question and your own notes. Use a tool to help organise the draft, then review it for accuracy and relevance before publishing.
Set a simple success measure, such as the time needed to produce an approved article, and compare it with your existing process. Expand only when the workflow is useful and manageable. You do not need to adopt all five areas at once.
Choose one practical next step
Start with a task you can define and a result you can check. If you need help identifying priorities for your website, Get a full Website Growth Roadmap.
Robert Millar, MCSE, PMP, CPM
Founder and Chief Website Specialist, Innovacious