Radical Honesty: The Key To Success In The AI Era?

I realise that radical honesty sounds like either the sort of pseudo-therapy speech a narcissist would use to justify being horrible to everyone, or that thing little kids do where they say the most brutally honest stuff ever without a hint of malice because they haven’t developed tact yet, as these Reddit commenters helpfully give us examples of. 

Today, however, the sort of radical honesty and transparency we are talking about is being honest and transparent on your club or association's website to a degree that would make a slick snake-oil salesperson genuinely physically ill. This is because being completely open with everything from your pricing to your flaws is not only something people want to see, but it is something search engines and AI searches want to see, too. That is crucial as pleasing search engines and particular AI bots is incredibly important these days. A recent study at Princeton University found that by focusing on GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), you can increase the likelihood that a website is recommended by AI chatbots by up to 40%, which could translate to a pretty sizable traffic increase to your organisation’s website. 

So without any further ado, let’s look at why being radically honest and transparent is the key in the age of AI.  

Quick Answer: How Does Radical Honesty Help My Membership Organisation’s GEO?

If you are just looking for the short version, embracing radical honesty on your website doesn't just save your committee time; it feeds AI exactly what it needs to recommend to you. Here is what you need to do:

• Publish your pricing: Stop hiding fees behind a "Contact Us" form. Put them out in the open so AI can extract them and potential members can self-qualify.
• State inclusions and exclusions: Clearly list exactly what a membership covers and, more importantly, what costs extra.
• Define your actual vibe: Be specific about whether your sessions are highly competitive or purely social so AI can send you the right kind of people.
• Be clear on expectations: State upfront if joining requires volunteer hours, working bees, or CPD commitments.
• Format for AI: Ditch the PDFs and use plain text, clear tables, and conversational FAQs to make your facts easy to read (for humans, particularly on a phone, and AI).

Why "Contact Us For Pricing" Is Bad For SEO & GEO

First of all, let’s be radically honest: having to speak to a human just to find out how much something costs sucks. No one likes it. No consumer in the history of capitalism has ever protested a price tag. The only reason the whole "contact us for pricing" trend exists is so marketers can harvest your contact details and relentlessly remarket to you down the line.

There are a few issues with this tactic, not least that people simply hate it. But the biggest issue is that today, the average person completes about 70% of the "buyer’s journey" before they ever attempt to talk to a salesperson.

Take buying a tent, for example. Before someone buys a tent, they research online. They look at lists of the best tents for their needs, compare pricing on different models, narrow down their options, and watch in-depth YouTube reviews. Only then, when they have narrowed it down to one or two options, do they walk into a shop and ask a person for their opinion. By that point, they are pretty much ready to buy.

I used tents as an example because I am currently doing exactly this while trying to choose an ultralight two-person tent. After hours of research, three tents made my shortlist: the Hyperlite Ultramid, the Mont Hypermid, and the Mont Moondance 2FN.

Being able to see the clear, transparent pricing of those tents definitely made a difference in what I will end up choosing. The Ultramid tent is great, but its advantages over the Moondance, namely the height and adaptability, just don’t outweigh the fact that it costs 60% more. Also, I just know I’d roll into that centre pole in the middle of the night and bring the whole contraption down on me. 

There is no point in the “buyer’s journey” where hiding that price would have saved the sale. If the manufacturer had hidden the price online, forced me into a store, and I was standing at the register with my credit card in one hand and the tent in the other, the moment I found out it cost 60% more, I still would have put it down and bought the Moondance. Hiding the price wouldn't have magically changed my mind; it just would have wasted my time and the salesperson's time.

How AI Search Engines Actually Read Your Website

So, not only does hiding prices annoy customers and clash with how we know people like to buy, but it is also terrible for your site's searchability.

To understand why, you have to understand how Artificial Intelligence and modern search engines actually read your website. This is a concept called Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which we talked about in detail here: How AI Is Changing Search Engines (And Why Your Club Needs GEO).

When an AI tool like ChatGPT or Google's AI Overviews scans your website, it isn't looking for a vibe; it is looking for usable facts. It wants specific, easy-to-extract answers that closely match the questions it’s being asked. 

If a prospective member searches, “What is the best padel club in Melbourne?" the AI doesn't just look for a website that declares itself "the best." It actively hunts for the proof.

The AI is much more likely to use your website as a source if it finds neat, structured data. Like a clear dot-pointed list of your court availability, a straightforward table showing your membership fees, and plain-English answers to common beginner questions (like whether you rent racquets to newbies). It prefers these hard facts over a long, rambling, detail-light page talking about all the "great vibes" your club has.

AI search engines use a process called "Query Fan-Out." This means when someone asks for the "best" club, the AI immediately breaks that down into smaller, factual sub-queries. 

If it can’t find an answer to one of those questions because your pricing is hidden behind a "Contact Us" button, it has no facts to extract. As a result, it is much less likely to reference your site. It will simply ignore you and recommend the club a few suburbs over that was radically honest about what they offer. 

If you hide your pricing and details, you lose twice. You annoy the human buyer who just wants to know if they can afford your club, and you become basically invisible to the AI that decides if your website is even worth recommending in the first place. 

What Radical Honesty Should A Club Website Include? 

While being radically honest about your pricing is definitely the most important thing, it is not the only thing you really should be honest and transparent about. 

AI search tools look for specific, nuanced answers. To get recommended by AI, and to keep humans happy, here is what else you need to be honest about:

• Inclusions & Exclusions: Most clubs are great at listing what a membership includes, but AI loves it when you explicitly state what is excluded, too. Tell them if the Standard Membership covers court hire, or just the ability to book a court for an extra $10.
• The Actual Vibe & Skill Level: Clubs often try to be everything to everyone, saying things like "We welcome all skill levels!" which is great. However, it pays to be specific about what each session actually looks like. If your Tuesday night league is geared toward serious, advanced players looking for a highly competitive match, be honest about that. If your Thursday games are much more social and casual, be upfront about that, too. People ask specific questions of AI, so giving them specific answers will help the AI choose your site as a reference. 
• Volunteer Expectations: If joining the committee involves five hours of work per week, say it. If every member is required to complete a certain amount of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) a year to stay an active member of your association, make that clear. 

Being honest with pretty much every aspect of your organisation will help you attract the right people and filter out the ones who are not a good fit. When you lay all your cards on the table, AI will be more likely to recommend you, and new members will be better fits, as they already know the costs, commitments, and culture they are walking into. 

What To Change On Your Website To Make It More Honest & Better For GEO

Knowing you need to be transparent is one thing, but how you actually put it on your website matters just as much. If you want AI to find and recommend your organisation, you have to format your honesty correctly. 

• Ditch the PDFs: This is the biggest mistake clubs make. Do not upload your pricing sheet as a PDF or embed it as an image. AI search engines often struggle to read text trapped in files or pictures. Type your prices directly onto the page in plain text.
• Use Tables and Lists: AI loves structured data. A simple table with "Membership Type," "Cost," and "What is Included" is exactly the kind of format AI bots look for. It makes your data incredibly easy to extract.
• Include a plain-English FAQ: Put a short Frequently Asked Questions section right below your pricing. Answer things like, "Are there hidden joining fees." or "Do I have to pay for court hire." in simple, direct sentences.

Ultimately, radical honesty is about valuing the time of your potential members and committee.

If you are worried that putting all your fees, flaws, and strict rules online will scare some people away, you’re not wrong, but it’s not something you need to worry about. Just like me with that tent, the only people who will be turned away are those who never would have become members anyway. 

When you are as upfront with all your information as possible, you give modern buyers exactly what they want to see, and you give AI search engines exactly the structured data they need to recommend your site. Be completely upfront, let your website do the filtering for you, and watch the quality of your new member applications improve.

Key Takeaways

• Hiding prices hurts SEO and GEO: Forcing users to contact you for pricing prevents AI search engines from extracting the facts they need to recommend your club.
• AI wants facts, not vibes: Generative search engines use "Query Fan-Out" to hunt for specific details like exact costs, rules, and facility limitations.
• Radical honesty qualifies leads: Being upfront about strict rules, skill levels, and volunteer commitments scares away bad fits and saves your committee time.
• Format for AI readability: Always use plain text, HTML tables, and simple FAQs for your pricing pages instead of embedding vital information inside PDFs or images.

Where To Go From Here

Radical honesty might feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you are used to traditional marketing tactics. But it is the fastest way to future-proof your organisation's website. By stripping away the fluff and laying your cards on the table, you make life easier for your potential members, your volunteer committee, and the AI search engines deciding who gets top billing. Stop hiding, start sharing, and let the facts do the selling for you.

If you want a deep dive into how artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of getting your website found, check out How AI Is Changing Search Engines (And Why Your Club Needs GEO).