AI search
A growing share of your customers never see a list of ten blue links. They ask Google's AI, ChatGPT or Perplexity who to call, read one answer, and act on it. Answer engine optimization is the work of being the business that answer names, and of being described accurately when it does.
Who this is for
It is less mysterious than it sounds. The engines quote pages that answer a question directly, in plain language, with a source they can check. They trust businesses that are described the same way everywhere. And they lean on what other sites say about you. So the work is writing, consistency and reputation, done with the machines in mind.
- Have asked ChatGPT or Google who the best [your service] nearby is and were not named
- Have a website that describes the company but never answers a customer's question
- Are described differently on your site, Google profile, LinkedIn and the directories
- Have real expertise that exists only in your head and on the phone
- Want the channel that compounds, not the one that stops when the budget does
What's included
AI visibility baseline
What the major assistants say today when asked the questions your customers ask, and who they name instead of you. Recorded, so the change can be measured.
Answer pages
One page per question your customers actually ask, opening with the direct answer, backed by the detail and a source. Written in your voice.
Entity consistency
Name, description, services, location and people made identical across the site, the Google profile, LinkedIn and the listings machines cross-check.
Schema that matches the page
Organization, Service, FAQ and Article markup that says exactly what the visible page says, nothing more.
Crawler access and the plain-text layer
Robots rules that let the AI crawlers in, an llms.txt, and pages that read correctly without JavaScript.
Mentions elsewhere
The directories, associations, local press and partner pages that teach the models who you are. A plan for earning them, not buying them.
How it runs
- 01
Baseline
The questions, the current answers, the competitors named, and a crawl of what machines can and cannot read on your site.
- 02
Write
Answer pages in priority order, each one tested against the question it exists for.
- 03
Align
Schema, profiles, listings and crawler access brought into agreement with the pages.
- 04
Track
Monthly re-asks of the baseline questions, Search Console's AI features report, and the leads who say an assistant sent them.
Numbers to know
Only the figures an article on this site cites a source for. Your own numbers beat any of them, which is what the tools are for.
SparkToro's 2026 study, first four months of the year, up from about 60% two years earlier. The answer on the page is often the only one that gets read.
Semrush tracked AI Overviews on just under a quarter of queries in July 2025, up from 6.5% in January, before they settled under 16% by November. They move; the questions do not.
Edelman and LinkedIn's 2024 study of B2B decision makers. A direct, expert answer is what the engines and the buyers both want.
What changes in 90 days
AEO runs as a project (the baseline, the first set of answer pages, the alignment) and then as a light monthly rhythm of new answers and re-checks. It pairs naturally with local SEO and content strategy, and it is scoped once, on the first call.
What marketing help costs, and how to compare quotes- A record of which assistants name you, for which questions, and how that changes
- A library of answer pages that rank, get quoted and pre-qualify your calls
- One consistent description of the business everywhere a machine looks
- Markup, crawler access and listings that no longer contradict each other
Run your numbers
Free, no email, and every result has a link you can send.
Before you ask
The short versions. Anything else, put it in the message.
Making your business the one an AI assistant or Google's AI names and quotes when someone asks a question you can answer. In practice: direct answers on your pages, one consistent description of the business everywhere, schema that matches the page, crawlers allowed in, and mentions on other sites. It overlaps with SEO and builds on it.
AEO in one paragraphGo deeper
Often paired with
Let's talk
Tell me what's going on with your marketing. I'll reply within a business day, and we'll find the constraint together on a 30-minute call. No pitch, no deck.