In Malaysia, many SMEs still rely mainly on Facebook or Instagram to promote their business. But as AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overview become more common, one question arises — how can these systems “know” your business if you don’t have a website? According to Newpages Malaysia, websites are now the main source AI systems use to understand and recommend brands online.
1) Where Does AI Get Its Information?
Based on OpenAI’s official explanation (2024), ChatGPT learns from three key types of data:
- Publicly available websites
- Licensed data from verified partners
- User-created content used in training
Among these, public websites are the most important. AI systems like ChatGPT and Gemini read and summarize web pages — not Facebook posts or Instagram captions. So if your business doesn’t have a website, AI simply has no reliable data to learn from.
2) Why Websites Are Easier for AI to Find Than Social Media
i) Websites Are Open and Easy to Read
Large AI models depend heavily on open web data. For example, Common Crawl collects over 3 billion web pages every month and is one of the largest sources used to train AI models. The Stanford AI Index (2024) shows that over 60% of AI training data comes from public websites.
This means AI can “see” and understand information that’s on your website — but not on your social media page.
ii) Social Media Is Restricted
Most social media platforms limit how their content can be accessed:
- Facebook blocks automated data collection (robots.txt).
- Twitter (X) requires login to view posts (The Verge).
- Reddit only shares selected data via licensed API under its OpenAI partnership (2024).
That means while social media helps with marketing and engagement, AI systems rarely use it as a trusted information source. To AI, websites are far more reliable and accessible.
iii) Meta (Facebook) Confirms the Same Thing
Even Meta itself admits in its Llama 2 Technical Report (2023) that its AI model was trained using publicly available web data, not from Facebook or Instagram posts.
📸 Proof: AI Sources Information from Websites
To see this in action, Newpages captured examples from Google AI Overview and ChatGPT. In both cases, when AI answers a question, the “Sources” shown come from public websites — news sites, company pages, and blogs — not from Facebook or TikTok.
Figure 1 – Google AI Overview listing references from news and company websites.
Figure 2 – ChatGPT also shows website URLs in its “Sources,” proving its data comes from the web.
These examples clearly show that AI systems depend on websites when generating answers. For Malaysian SMEs, this means — if your website isn’t online, AI won’t be able to find or recommend your business.
3) What Happens If You Don’t Have a Website?
| Aspect | With a Website | Only on Social Media |
|---|---|---|
| Chance to appear in AI results | High | Low |
| Indexed by Google / ChatGPT | Yes | No |
| Brand visibility & trust | Strong and lasting | Depends on platform rules |
4) GEO — The New Strategy for AI Visibility
GEO stands for Generative Search Engine Optimization — it’s the process of helping AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini understand and recommend your business when people ask questions.
The foundation of GEO is simple: your website must exist, be readable, and contain structured information about your business. Without it, AI can’t “see” you — and won’t recommend you.
5) Steps Malaysian SMEs Can Take
- Set up a proper business website — include your company info, products, and contact details.
- Write useful content — share tips, news, or case studies that show your expertise.
- Apply GEO strategies — use relevant keywords like your city, industry, and services.
- Make sure your site is crawlable — check that search engines and AI can access it.
- Use social media as support — but let your website be your digital “home base.”
Final Thoughts for Malaysian SMEs
Both Google AI Overview and ChatGPT clearly show the same pattern: AI recognizes information from websites, not social media. For Malaysian SMEs looking to grow, having a website is no longer a luxury — it’s the foundation of your online presence.
To read the full original article and analysis, visit Newpages Malaysia.