How to Get Your Business Found in AI Search
A customer asks ChatGPT who can help, uses Google AI search to compare options, or looks for a provider through Perplexity or Copilot. Where does your business fit? Start with what those customers need to know, then work on the information behind your visibility.
What do AEO, GEO, AI SEO and LLMO mean?
These terms describe overlapping ideas. They are useful search terms, but the acronym alone does not tell you what an agency will do for your business.
| Term | Meaning | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Search engine optimization | Work that helps relevant customers discover your pages through search. This remains an important foundation for Google AI search. |
| AEO | Answer engine optimization | A label for work focused on appearing in direct answers and answer-based search experiences. |
| GEO | Generative engine optimization | A label for improving visibility in answers produced by generative AI systems, including source citations. |
| AI SEO | AI search optimization, or SEO using AI tools | An ambiguous phrase. Ask whether it means getting found in AI search or using AI to perform ordinary SEO tasks. |
| LLMO | Large language model optimization | Another label used for helping AI systems discover, understand, and reference web content. The proposed deliverables matter more than the label. |
You may also see AIO used as shorthand for AI Overviews, Google's search feature. Ask which meaning a provider intends. A search feature, a service label, and a method for producing content are different things.
Terminology references: Google's guide to AEO, GEO and AI search and the independent LLMO research initiative.
Improve the page a future customer actually needs
For an Abilene service business, a useful starting question might be, “Who installs commercial fencing in Abilene?” A buyer may then ask about materials, site requirements, timelines, and estimates. A page that only says “We are the best fence company” leaves most of that decision unanswered.
A stronger page explains the work you take on, who you serve, where you work, the details that change an estimate, real examples, and how to get an answer from your team. A professional practice or B2B company can apply the same approach to its own customer questions.
Choose a service you want to grow and improve that decision path. Use the owner's knowledge, actual customer questions, and documented work to make the page useful.
Could a first-time visitor explain what you offer, who it is for, where you serve, and why the business is credible after reading the main service page?
Check how search systems can access your information
Google's AI search guidance builds on normal SEO: accessible pages, helpful content, internal links, and accurate visible information. Eligibility for a supporting link depends on indexing and snippet eligibility. Inclusion is still the platform's decision.
For ChatGPT search, OpenAI documents OAI-SearchBot as its search crawler. That control is separate from GPTBot, which relates to model training. A business can make different choices for search access and training access.
Have your website provider review those controls against your goals. Keep important explanations in readable page content, and check that business details and any relevant structured data agree.
References: Google's AI features and website requirements and OpenAI's crawler documentation.
A practical starting checklist
- Choose one valuable service and the questions a prospective customer asks before contacting you.
- Review whether the relevant pages can be discovered, accessed, and indexed.
- Make service details, coverage, pricing context, business identity, and the contact path clear.
- Add evidence you can stand behind: real projects, named expertise, useful comparisons, and dated information.
- Check public business information and relevant profiles for consistency.
- Record a baseline, make a focused improvement, and compare visibility and qualified inquiries over time.
Use local SEO to support nearby discovery and a clear, fast website to help the visitor take the next step. AI search visibility belongs in that same customer journey.
Measure mentions, citations, visits and leads separately
Seeing your business in one answer is a useful observation. It becomes more useful when you record the exact question, platform, date, location context, and source link, then repeat the check. A single screenshot cannot establish a stable position across AI search.
Bing Webmaster Tools offers AI Performance reporting for citations across supported Microsoft AI experiences and selected partners. Its citation counts do not represent clicks or a ranking across every assistant.
Review the search reports available to your business, identifiable AI referral traffic in analytics, and qualified calls or forms. Some answers produce no visit, and some visits have incomplete attribution. Keep those gaps visible when deciding whether to invest more.
Reference: Microsoft's explanation of AI Performance reporting.
What should an AI search optimization service deliver?
Ask for the target services and buyer questions, the pages to improve, the evidence needed from your team, any technical fixes, and a reporting plan. Your proposal should show who does the work, what you receive, what it costs, and how progress will be reviewed.
Side Build Rank can deliver that work through an AI search optimization engagement covering AEO and GEO. We review your current website and search work first, then recommend a scope around the opportunity. Existing SEO clients can start by discussing where this fits in their current services.
Want to know where your business stands?
Tell us your website and which customers you want to reach. Request a free initial AI search review, then decide whether a focused improvement or a wider search engagement makes sense.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get my business found in ChatGPT search?
Start by checking whether important public pages are accessible to search crawlers, including OAI-SearchBot. Then improve the information a customer needs to choose your business and record which questions and source links you are checking. Access makes discovery possible; it does not guarantee selection in an answer.
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?
AEO stands for answer engine optimization and focuses on answer-based search visibility. GEO stands for generative engine optimization and focuses on visibility in generated answers. The terms overlap. Compare the actual content, technical work, and measurement included in a proposal.
Is AI SEO the same as writing content with AI?
The phrase is used both ways. Using AI to draft a page is a production method. Improving the ability of customers to find your business in AI search is a visibility objective. Make sure the service you buy addresses the objective you want.
Does Google require special AI markup or llms.txt?
Google's published guidance says special AI text files and a special schema are not required for its AI search features. Normal SEO foundations still matter. Relevant structured data should describe the actual content on the page.
Can an agency guarantee AI recommendations?
No. A provider can commit to defined work and reporting, but it cannot control every platform's answers. Ask how the starting baseline will be recorded and how mentions, citations, visits, and qualified inquiries will be distinguished.