How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and other AI assistants
By Stevie Bramble · · 5 min read
A plain-English guide to AI search optimization (AEO/GEO): what AI assistants look for and five steps to get your business mentioned.
More people now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews who to hire instead of scrolling through ten blue links. If your business isn't part of those answers, you're invisible to a growing share of buyers. The good news: getting recommended is less about tricks and more about being clear.
What AI assistants look for
AI tools pull from pages they can read and trust. They favor businesses that state plainly what they do, who they serve and where, and that are described the same way across their website, Google Business Profile and other listings.
Five steps to get mentioned
1. Say exactly what you do on your homepage, in one sentence a stranger understands. 2. Give every service its own clearly titled section or page. 3. Answer the questions customers actually ask, in a short question-and-answer format. 4. Add structured data (schema) so search engines know your business name, services and location. 5. Keep your name, address and services consistent everywhere you're listed.
Measure it
Ask AI assistants the questions your customers would ask, like "Who does website design in Gulf Shores?", and note whether you appear. Repeat monthly as you improve your content.
Questions
- What is AEO or GEO?
- Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization: making your business easy for AI assistants to understand, trust and recommend.
- Does SEO still matter?
- Yes. AI assistants often draw on pages that already rank well, so classic SEO and AI search optimization work together.
