SMEs are not shutting out AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity: 98.6% allow them access. Yet over eight in ten websites provide too little information about their services to explain their expertise and the problems they solve.
EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, Nov. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- These are the findings of the first InSpace AI Visibility Index, examining 481 Dutch SME websites across five sectors. Of the 433 accessible sites, 58.7% provide insufficient machine-readable context about the business and its services.
Across Europe, InSpace sees a fundamental shift in how people find and choose businesses: from search engines to conversations with AI assistants, and ultimately to agents that search, compare and help prepare decisions on their behalf. These assistants recognise no borders: an installer in Eindhoven is assessed by the same systems as a competitor in Antwerp or Düsseldorf. Technical accessibility alone is no longer enough. Businesses must explain their expertise, the problems they solve and the questions they answer in their market.
The common concern that businesses inadvertently block ChatGPT or Gemini proves largely unfounded: just 1.4% exclude AI crawlers. The door is open; there is simply little to read.
84.5% of sites lack a dedicated page or description for each service. Almost half (48.5%) also lack machine-readable information about the business itself.
InSpace sees this as the biggest opportunity. Many SMEs have years of specialist knowledge but barely explain it online. Those that do give AI assistants, and eventually agents, something to work with when customers ask about their field.
On a scale of 0 to 5, SME websites score an average of 2.35. IT services rank highest (2.76), legal services lowest (2.13).
Domain extensions also show a difference: 39.1% of sites using extensions such as .com or .eu provide insufficient context, compared with 62.1% of .nl sites.
Future measurements will track whether SME websites explain their expertise more effectively. The methodology is available on request.
"Business owners do not suddenly need to become AI experts. But they do need to explain what their company does well, which problems it solves and for whom. If their website barely answers those questions, the foundations are missing. Everyone is talking about becoming visible in AI. We see many businesses that have barely explained their own expertise online."
Jelle Engels, Chief Visionary Officer, InSpace
About InSpace
InSpace is a technology company based at High Tech Campus Eindhoven. Its NOVA platform helps businesses get found on Google and AI platforms. InSpace serves over 500 customers.
Press contact: Jelle Engels, Chief Visionary Officer, go@inspace.io, +31 (0)85 020 2759, inspace.io
