Be findable
Let search and AI crawlers reach your site, and keep your listings claimed and complete on Google, Bing, Apple, and Yelp.
Information · Answer engine optimization
Be the business AI assistants describe correctly.
Customers now ask ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini in Google Maps, Microsoft Copilot, Siri, and Alexa which business to call. These guides explain where those assistants get their answers, what you can control, how to check what they say about you, and which paid promises to ignore.
Customer asks
Assistant searches
Sources compared
Answer written
Customer acts
The complete collection
Practical help for AI search and assistants.
Each guide explains what to do and why, walks through an example, and separates what you can do yourself from what to ask your provider or staff to handle.01
What AEO means
A plain explanation of answer engine optimization: how AI assistants build answers, what is the same as SEO, what is new, and where a small business should start.
↗02How assistants pick businesses
Where ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Copilot, Siri, Alexa+, and Perplexity get local business information, and what that means for your listings.
↗03Checking AI answers
A 20-minute monthly routine to see what ChatGPT, Google's AI features, Copilot, and map apps say about your business, trace wrong facts, and fix them at the source.
↗04Answer-ready website content
How to write service, cost, and question pages that answer customers directly with first-hand detail AI assistants can quote, without mass pages or tricks.
↗05Consistent business facts
How to keep your name, phone, hours, services, and service area identical across Google, Bing, Apple, Yelp, and your website so AI assistants repeat the right facts.
↗06AI crawlers and site access
Which AI crawlers to allow, which only train models, how Google's AI settings work, and how to check that your host isn't quietly blocking AI search.
↗07Reviews and mentions
How genuine reviews, replies, and real mentions on other sites feed AI answers about your business, and which shortcuts break platform rules or federal law.
↗08AI calls and bookings
How Google's automated calls to businesses work, how AI assistants book through partner platforms, and how to prepare your settings and staff for both.
↗09Measuring AI search traffic
How to see visits from ChatGPT and other assistants in GA4, read Google's and Bing's AI reports, ask customers how they found you, and report honestly each month.
↗10AEO myths and vendor claims
Common answer engine optimization myths, what Google and Bing actually say, questions to ask any AEO or GEO vendor, and the FTC rules on AI claims.
↗Three habits
Be findable, be consistent, be worth citing.
Be consistent
Give every assistant the same name, phone, hours, services, and service area, so no source contradicts another.
Be worth citing
Publish specific, first-hand answers to the questions customers actually ask, backed by honest reviews and real mentions.
Questions business owners ask
Separate what AI search changes from what it doesn't.
01Is AEO different from SEO?+
Mostly no. Google says optimizing for its AI features is still SEO, and the same basics apply elsewhere: a crawlable site, clear and specific pages, accurate listings, and genuine reviews. What's new is that more answers appear without a click, several assistants use different data sources, and you need a few new checks to see what they say about you.
02Can anyone guarantee my business will be recommended by ChatGPT or Google's AI?+
No. AI assistants choose sources themselves and give different answers to different people, even for the same question. Google says no third-party tool has access to its ranking or AI systems. Treat any guaranteed placement or 'AI ranking' as a red flag.
03Do I need an llms.txt file or special AI schema?+
Not for Google. Google says its Search features don't use llms.txt and that no special AI markup is needed. Accurate LocalBusiness structured data is still good practice, and Bing recommends clear structure and schema, but none of these is a switch that turns on AI citations.
04Where should a small business start?+
Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, and Yelp listings with identical details. Then check that your website isn't blocking AI search crawlers, and run the monthly AI answer check to see what assistants currently say about you.
Check how AI describes you