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Guide · AI search & AEO
Getting found in AI search
More of your customers now start in an AI tool, asking ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI answers "who's the best [service] near me?", and getting a short reply that names a few businesses. This guide explains how that works and how to make sure yours is one of them.
The short version
What AEO is, in one paragraph
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is the work of getting your business surfaced and cited inside AI-generated answers, not just ranked in the classic list of links. It's often called "AI SEO". The good news for Australian service businesses: the foundations overlap heavily with good local SEO: a complete Google Business Profile, genuine reviews, clear answer-first content and consistent business details. You're extending what already works, not starting over.
Why it matters now
An AI answer compresses ten links into one recommendation
When an AI tool answers "who should I call for [service] in [suburb]?", it names two or three businesses. Being one of them is worth more than a mid-page blue link ever was; it's a recommendation, not just a result. If you're not in that answer, you're invisible at the moment of decision. Being there is increasingly the difference between a quiet month and a booked-out one.
What you can control
The four levers that get you cited
Genuine, recent reviews
Reviews signal a real, trusted business. Recency and a steady flow matter more than a one-off burst.
Answer-first content
Lead each page with the answer, use question-style headings, add an FAQ. AI engines lift clean, self-contained answers.
Consistent business details
Identical name, address and phone everywhere. Mixed details make machines doubt who you are, and doubtful sources don't get cited.
None of this is exotic. It's good marketing, made legible to machines. Want it done for you? See our Get Found service or grab the DIY Get-Found Kit.
Go deeper
The full AI-search series
- What is AI SEO, and how is it different from traditional SEO?
- AEO vs SEO: how AU service businesses get found in AI search
- How AI answer engines decide which business to recommend
- Structured content for AI search: the basics that get you quoted
- How to audit your AI search visibility (a free checklist)
- Will AI search reduce your Google traffic? What to do now
- AI-driven SEO for service businesses: what works in 2026
- What is an "AI-ready" website, and do you need one?
- Do you need an "AI SEO agency"? What they actually do
Common questions
AEO, answered
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is the practice of getting your business surfaced and cited by AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews), not just ranked in the classic blue links. It's often used interchangeably with "AI SEO".
They overlap heavily. SEO earns clicks from search results; AEO earns mentions inside AI-generated answers. Both rely on the same foundations (a complete profile, genuine reviews, clear content and consistency), so doing the fundamentals well helps in both.
They synthesise from sources they can find and trust (business profiles, reviews, directories and content) and favour businesses that are clearly described, consistently referenced, well-reviewed and genuinely relevant to the question. Most of those signals are within your control.
No, and be cautious of anyone who claims to. You can materially improve your odds by getting the signals right (profile, reviews, answer-first content, consistency), but no one controls AI rankings.
Ask the tools directly with the questions your customers use ("best [service] in [area]?"), and see who's named. For a structured read, request a free AEO visibility scan.
Complete your Google Business Profile, build a steady flow of genuine reviews, keep your details consistent everywhere, and publish a few answer-first pages that match what customers ask. Then measure where you stand.
See where you stand
Does AI search find your business?
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