Adev Aarons has a simple warning for business owners chasing visibility online: AI may be looking for you, but your website could be turning it away.
Through Specularis, the Miami Beach-based founder helps companies appear in answers generated by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and other AI tools. Yet when his firm audits websites, it often finds that businesses have blocked the crawlers these systems use to collect information.
“Almost 50% of those people have crawler access disabled,” Aarons [pictured above], a Tampa native, told Refresh Miami. “They block all of the AI bots or AI agents that are trying to crawl their websites.”
It is a fitting problem for a company that has changed with the internet’s marketing habits. Specularis began nearly seven years ago in dropshipping and affiliate marketing, then moved into organic social media, search engine optimization and, more recently, AI visibility. Aarons said his client base also shifted from crypto companies toward AI firms and local businesses.
The change reflects a wider shift in how people seek information. Rather than typing a few keywords into Google and opening one of the first links, consumers now ask AI tools full questions and receive lists of suggestions.
For smaller companies, those longer lists may create room to compete. A startup that never reached the top of Google could still appear among five or ten options in an AI response.
“Maybe they won’t be number one or number two in their category when AI generates answers, but they might still pop up,” Aarons said. “That’s where the opportunity lies for them.”
Getting there requires more than publishing posts on a company website. Each AI service relies on a different mix of sources, Aarons explained, making outside mentions, strong reviews and coverage from trusted publications key parts of the work. Companies with sound SEO and broad name recognition begin with an edge, but younger firms can target the questions people are now asking.
Aarons sees Miami as a good base for that effort. Local founders are eager to learn about AI, he said, while small businesses need clear guidance on how these tools affect customer growth. Specularis plans to host free local events and workshops, work with more South Florida companies and add paid AI search services as the market takes shape.
For early-stage founders with limited budgets, his first advice is basic: check whether AI crawlers can access the company website. Specularis offers free audit and citation tools for that purpose.
The technical settings may be small, but the stakes are growing. A company that cannot be read by AI has little chance of being cited by it. Meanwhile, competitors are already working to secure a place in the answers customers see.
As Aarons put it, businesses that act now could hold an edge for the next year or two. In a search market being rewritten one question at a time, simply showing up may be the first win.
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I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.
