A NEW digital toolkit developed in Ceredigion is being hailed as a potential game-changer for small businesses in rural Wales, as artificial intelligence reshapes how customers discover local services online.

Created by Antur Cymru Enterprise, the SMART Busnes programme is giving Welsh SMEs an early foothold in Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) – a rapidly emerging discipline focused on how businesses appear within AI-generated search responses.

As AI-driven tools increasingly replace traditional search results with instant, conversational answers, SMART Busnes – supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – has launched one of the first practical AEO toolkits available in Wales.

The initiative is being led by Digital Business Advisor Lynne Rees and centres on a new insight framework known as Agentic AEO. The approach is designed to help rural and micro-businesses remain visible online as search engines and AI platforms prioritise structured, easily interpreted information over conventional keyword-based webpages.

Kevin Harrington, Project Manager for SMART Busnes, said the shift represents a fundamental change in how businesses need to think about their online presence.

“AI search is here to stay, and our Agentic AEO insight series isn’t a tweak – it’s a reset,” he said.

“It’s about helping Welsh SMEs show up wherever customers search: on Google, on social media, and increasingly within AI-generated answers. This gives rural businesses access to the kind of digital advantage that large brands often pay thousands of pounds for.”

Traditional search engine optimisation is already being overtaken by AI-led systems such as Google’s Search Generative Experience and tools like ChatGPT, which provide direct responses rather than lists of links.

For small businesses, this presents a growing risk. If online content is not structured in a way AI tools can understand, businesses may fall below the point where potential customers ever see them.

Agentic AEO focuses on improving clarity, structure and user intent across websites, social media platforms and Google Business Profiles. By presenting information in formats AI systems can easily process, businesses can improve both visibility and credibility within automated responses.

The SMART Busnes AEO Insight Series provides practical support, including step-by-step guidance on restructuring webpages, examples of effective layouts, and tailored AI prompts to help business owners produce optimised content quickly and affordably. Even modest changes – such as a website review, targeted content update or short advisory session – can influence how a business appears in search results over the coming year.

Antur Cymru chief executive Bronwen Raine said the programme was designed to help businesses adapt to long-term change.

“SMART Busnes was created to support small businesses through change, not simply to chase trends,” she said.

“The Agentic AEO insight series shows how Shared Prosperity Fund investment is driving genuine innovation, building confidence, skills and sustainability across local economies.”

With many SEO providers in Wales still focused on older techniques, SMART Busnes is positioning Ceredigion and the wider Mid and West Wales region at the forefront of AEO adoption.

By translating emerging digital theory into accessible, practical support, the programme aims to strengthen resilience among rural enterprises and ensure they remain visible, trusted and competitive in an AI-led future.

More information about SMART Busnes and the support offered by Antur Cymru Enterprise is available via the organisation’s website.

Welsh jobless rate hits 6.1% as Conservatives blame Labour and Plaid budget deal

UNEMPLOYMENT in Wales has climbed to its highest level in ten years, according to the latest labour market figures.

Statistics covering September and October 2025 show the unemployment rate in Wales now stands at 6.1 per cent — the highest since mid-2015. The figure represents a rise of 1.4 percentage points compared with the previous quarter and remains higher than the UK average.

The increase comes amid continuing pressure on households and businesses, with higher costs, weaker growth and ongoing uncertainty affecting parts of the UK economy.

The figures have prompted criticism from the Welsh Conservatives, who have blamed both the UK Labour Government and the Welsh Government for what they describe as a deepening employment crisis in Wales.

Commenting on the data, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Energy, Samuel Kurtz MS said the Welsh Government needed to take urgent action.

“Labour and Plaid’s unemployment crisis is deepening; the Welsh Government must get a grip,” he said.

“Rachel Reeves’ latest budget has hit business hard, with unemployment rising every month under Labour and yet again higher here in Wales than elsewhere.

“Labour can’t be trusted with the economy. The Welsh Conservatives are offering a bold and costed tax-cutting agenda to kickstart growth, including the abolition of stamp duty and cuts to business rates, but Plaid and Labour’s stitch-up of a budget deal will mean more of the same economic decline.”

The Welsh Government has previously argued that employment figures are influenced by wider global and UK-wide economic challenges, as well as long-standing structural issues within the Welsh economy, including lower average wages and higher levels of economic inactivity.

Ministers have pointed to investment in skills, apprenticeships and infrastructure as part of efforts to support jobs and stimulate growth, while also noting that key economic levers remain reserved to Westminster.

Economists caution that quarterly unemployment figures can fluctuate and should be viewed alongside longer-term trends, including economic inactivity and underemployment.

However, with unemployment now at its highest level for a decade, pressure is increasing on both the UK and Welsh governments to demonstrate how their economic policies will deliver sustained job growth in Wales.

MORE than 50 young people took part in a multi-sport taster event designed to encourage girls to get involved in new activities.

The Sport Pembrokeshire Community Clubs event was held at Fishguard Leisure Centre on Sunday (Dec 1) for pupils from Ysgol Bro Gwaun and its feeder schools, with sponsorship from Valero.

Local sports clubs and activity providers offered a wide range of sessions, including cricket, self-defence, rowing, dance, hockey, tennis, table tennis, rugby and basketball. Water for participants was kindly provided by Princes Gate.

Young Ambassadors from Ysgol Bro Gwaun also played a key role in helping the event run smoothly.

Dan Bellis, of Sport Pembrokeshire, said: “It was a fantastic evening and it was brilliant to see so many young people and coaches in attendance.

“There was a wide range of activities on offer and everyone clearly enjoyed themselves.

“We hope the girls who took part have discovered a new sport or activity and will continue their involvement with the local clubs and providers who supported the event.”