Never checking
Most businesses have no idea what AI tools say about them.
Generative and answer engine optimisation with no lock-in contracts. We get your brand into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and track what it brings in.
Example only. A fictional business named in AI search on desktop and mobile.
Month-to-month agreements. We earn your business every month.
AI referrals tracked through to enquiry and sale.
AI visibility, traffic and leads in one dashboard.
Strategy from people who work in AI search every day.
AI search is new, and a lot of what is written about it is guesswork. We measure it. We test the questions your buyers ask across the major AI assistants and record who gets mentioned, who gets cited and how that changes over time.
Here is how AI search decides who gets recommended, and the three signals we build and track for you.
Visibility is only part of the story. We also track visits that arrive from AI tools, and whether those visitors become enquiries and customers.
How AEO/GEO works
AI assistants don't rank ten links. They write one answer and cite a handful of sources. Pick a signal to see what AI looks for, and what we do about it.
Proof that real people and experts trust you: reviews, named experts, awards, and an About page that shows who is behind the business.
Author profiles, review growth, expert commentary and PR, and consistent business details everywhere you appear.
Other trusted sites mentioning you: news, industry directories, best-of lists and community threads on sites like Reddit.
Digital PR, directory and listing clean-up, roundup placements and mentions in the places AI tools read.
Pages it can crawl, understand and quote: fast, indexed in Google and Bing, marked up with schema and answering real questions directly.
Technical SEO, schema, answer-first content, FAQs and comparison pages, plus the rankings AI answers draw on.
The future of search marketing
SEO gets you found. Authority and citations get you recommended.
By John Conigliaro, Director and Lead Consultant, Anahaw Media. Updated September 2026
More and more buyers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI Mode for recommendations before they ever click a link. The AI reads the web, forms an answer and names a few businesses. If you are not one of them, you are invisible at the exact moment someone is deciding.
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) and answer engine optimisation (AEO) are about fixing that. They make your business easy for AI tools to understand, easy to trust and easy to quote.
Our job is to get your brand into those answers. We measure where you appear today, fix the content and technical signals AI tools rely on, build the mentions and citations they trust, and track the results. Then we report on what matters: visibility, AI referrals, and the enquiries they bring in.
There are no lock-in contracts. If we are not improving your AI visibility, you can walk away.
Most businesses have never checked what ChatGPT or Google’s AI says about them. When they do, they are often missing, or described wrongly. These are the usual reasons.
Problem 01 of 05
What usually happens
Pages are vague, salesy or buried in long blocks of text, so AI tools can't pull out a clear answer.
How we do it
Answer-first content that states facts plainly and is easy to quote.
Problem 02 of 05
What usually happens
Your business name, services and location are described differently across the web, so AI isn't sure who you are.
How we do it
Consistent entity signals across your site, profiles and directories.
Problem 03 of 05
What usually happens
AI tools lean on trusted sources. If nobody reputable mentions you, AI has no reason to recommend you.
How we do it
Digital PR, reviews and citations on the sources AI tools trust.
Problem 04 of 05
What usually happens
AI crawlers are blocked, or key content is hidden in scripts they can't read.
How we do it
Crawler access, clean HTML, schema and llms.txt set up properly.
Problem 05 of 05
What usually happens
There is no baseline, so nobody knows whether things are getting better or worse.
How we do it
Regular AI visibility tracking across the major assistants.
Our approach is built to fix every one of these problems. It starts with how we measure success.
Can ChatGPT actually read your website?
Our free AI Search Readiness Check tests your robots.txt, firewall, schema and content in about 20 seconds, then tells you what to fix.
Check my page Free. No sign-up.Every AI search engagement we run is performance-based and month to month. Here is what that means in plain English.
We measure our work on outcomes you can see: how often your brand is named and cited in AI answers, how much traffic arrives from AI tools, and how many of those visitors become enquiries and customers.
That keeps us focused on the questions your buyers actually ask, not on vanity prompts that look good in a screenshot but never lead to business.
Our agreements run month to month. If you are not happy, you can leave. No exit fees and no fine print.
AI search is moving fast. You should be free to change course if it isn’t working for you.
A quick note on honesty: no one controls what AI tools say. Anyone who guarantees you will be recommended by ChatGPT is overpromising. What we can do is improve the signals AI tools rely on, measure the results carefully, and tell you plainly what is working.
How often your brand is named for the questions your buyers ask.
How often AI tools link to or quote your website.
Visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and other AI tools.
Whether those visitors enquire, book or buy.
Four parts, one goal: get your business named when buyers ask AI. Pick a tab to see exactly what we do.
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. We start by finding out exactly where you stand today.
We work out the questions your buyers actually ask AI tools, from early research to ready-to-buy comparisons, using search data, sales conversations and customer language.
We test those questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot and Google AI Overviews, because each one answers differently.
We record which brands get named, how often, and how you compare with your competitors for each group of questions.
We track which websites AI tools cite when they answer. That tells us which sources matter in your industry, and where you need to be mentioned.
We check what AI tools say about your business. Wrong prices, old services or a confused location are more common than you would think, and they cost you customers.
You get a clear baseline and realistic targets, so progress is easy to see month by month.
AI tools build answers from content that is clear, specific and easy to quote. Most business websites are none of those things.
We rewrite key pages so they answer the main question in the first few lines, then add detail. This helps AI tools and busy human readers alike.
We create clear question-and-answer content based on what buyers actually ask, so AI tools can match your pages to real questions.
Vague claims get ignored. We help you state facts plainly: what you do, who for, where, how long it takes and what it costs, where you are comfortable sharing it.
Buyers often ask AI to compare options. Honest comparison pages and in-depth guides give AI tools something useful to cite.
AI tools prefer current information. We keep key pages up to date, with clear dates and fresh examples.
We build clusters of related content, so AI tools see your business as a genuine authority on your topic.
Clear author details, credentials and real experience help AI tools and Google trust your content.
AI tools need to be confident about who you are and why you are credible. That comes from consistent signals across the whole web, not just your website.
We make sure your business name, services, location and key facts are described the same way on your website, Google Business Profile, social profiles and directories.
We build mentions of your brand on respected sites, industry publications and local media, because AI tools lean heavily on trusted third-party sources.
We create stories, data and expert commentary that journalists and publishers want to share, earning coverage that both people and AI tools notice.
Genuine reviews on Google and relevant platforms are a strong trust signal, and AI tools often reference them when recommending businesses.
Where it makes sense, we help you show up in the forums, Q&A sites and communities that AI tools draw on, with genuinely helpful contributions.
Where your business is notable enough, we help make sure public knowledge sources are accurate. We never create fake or promotional entries.
Even great content is useless if AI tools can’t read it. The technical basics matter.
We check your robots.txt and firewall settings so the crawlers used by major AI tools can reach your content, unless you choose to block them.
We add structured data for your organisation, services, products, reviews, FAQs and authors, so machines can understand your content without guessing.
We create an llms.txt file, a simple guide that points AI tools to your most important pages. It is still new, but it is quick to set up and costs nothing.
Content hidden in scripts, images or complex page builders can be hard for AI tools to read. We make sure key information is in plain text.
Fast pages with clear headings and logical structure are easier to crawl, understand and quote.
We set up Google Analytics 4 and AgencyAnalytics to separate traffic from AI tools, so you can see exactly what AI visibility is bringing in.
| Area | What we check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Mentions across major AI tools | Shows where you stand today |
| Content | Answer-first and specific | Easy for AI to quote |
| Entity | Consistent facts everywhere | AI knows who you are |
| Authority | Mentions on trusted sources | AI has a reason to trust you |
| Technical | Crawler access and schema | AI can read your site |
| Tracking | AI referrals and leads | You see what it brings in |
AI search changes quickly, but visibility is earned steadily. Here is what usually happens, and when.
We research the questions your buyers ask, test them across the major AI tools, and record where you appear today.
You will see: A clear baseline, and a plan in plain English.
We fix technical access, schema and entity consistency, and rewrite your most important pages in an answer-first style.
You will see: Cleaner signals, and more accurate descriptions of your business.
We create new content, earn mentions on trusted sources and grow your reviews.
You will see: Your brand appearing in more answers, and more AI referral traffic.
We keep testing, publishing and building mentions, and adjust as AI tools change.
You will see: A stronger share of voice against competitors, and more enquiries from AI search.
Crowded markets take longer to break into.
Established brands with mentions move faster.
More useful, specific content gives AI more to cite.
Genuine reviews build trust with AI and buyers.
Strong SEO foundations feed AI visibility.
AI tools update often, and results can move up and down. We will give you realistic expectations for your market in your free audit.
We bring your AI visibility tracking, Google Analytics 4 and Search Console data together in AgencyAnalytics. You can log in any time and see how often you are being named, and what that brings in.
We separate visits from AI tools in Google Analytics 4, track what those visitors do, and where possible match enquiries to sales in your CRM. That shows the real value of AI visibility, not just a count of mentions.
We also watch branded searches in Google Search Console, because people who hear about you from AI often search for your name next.
Every month you get a short summary: where you are appearing, where you are not, what we changed and what comes next. If something isn’t working, we tell you straight.
It is the most common question we get. The short answer is that they overlap, but they are not the same thing.
SEO gets your pages ranked in search results, so people click through to your site. It is about keywords, links, technical health and matching search intent.
It is still vital. Google search is still huge, and many AI tools pull from pages that already rank well.
GEO and AEO get your brand named and cited inside AI-written answers. They lean more on clear, quotable content, consistent entity signals and mentions on trusted third-party sources.
Success is measured by mentions, citations and share of voice, as well as clicks.
Strong SEO foundations feed AI visibility, and AI visibility drives branded searches that help SEO. Treating them as one strategy gets better results than running them separately. That is why AI search optimisation sits right alongside our SEO service.
AI search matters most when buyers research and compare before they decide. These are the businesses we most often help.
Lawyers, accountants, consultants and advisers. Buyers increasingly ask AI who to trust, and the answer often names just a handful of firms.
Brands that want to be recommended when shoppers ask AI for the best product for their needs. Our team has built its own global eCommerce brand, so we know how product decisions really get made.
Suppliers and manufacturers whose technical buyers use AI to shortlist options before they ever contact a sales team.
Clinics and practitioners where trust, accuracy and reviews matter, and where AI answers need to be correct.
SaaS and tech businesses whose buyers ask AI to compare tools and alternatives.
AI search is new and full of jargon. This guide explains what is happening, why it matters and what you can do about it.
AI search means asking an AI tool a question and getting a written answer, instead of a list of links. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Copilot all do this. Google now shows AI Overviews at the top of many searches, and offers an AI Mode for longer conversations.
For buyers, it is faster. For businesses, it means fewer clicks and more competition to be one of the few names the AI mentions.
GEO stands for generative engine optimisation. It is the work of helping AI tools that generate answers understand, trust and mention your business.
AEO stands for answer engine optimisation. It focuses on making your content the best, clearest answer to specific questions, so AI tools and search features pick it up.
In practice they overlap so much that we treat them as one discipline, working alongside SEO.
No one outside these companies knows exactly how each AI tool chooses its answers, and they change often. But the patterns are clear. AI tools tend to favour businesses that:
That is exactly what GEO and AEO work improves.
Not yet, and maybe never completely. Google search is still used by most Australians every day, and Google itself is adding more AI into its results. What is changing is how people search. More questions are answered without a click, and more buying research happens inside AI chats.
The smart move is not to abandon SEO, but to make sure you are visible in both places.
Many AI tools search the web in real time to build their answers, and they often draw on pages that already rank well. Strong SEO, meaning a fast, well-structured site with helpful content and good links, gives AI tools more reasons to find and use your pages.
That is why AI search optimisation works best as part of a wider SEO strategy, not as a separate trick.
When an AI tool recommends a business, it wants to be confident. Mentions on independent, respected websites, such as industry publications, news sites, review platforms and trusted directories, give it that confidence.
Your own website saying you are the best is not enough. Other people need to say it too. That is why digital PR and reviews are a big part of GEO.
llms.txt is a simple text file on your website that lists your most important pages and describes what your business does. It is designed to help AI tools find and understand your key content quickly.
It is still an emerging standard, and not every AI tool uses it yet. But it is quick to set up, costs nothing and does no harm, so we include it as a sensible extra.
Some businesses block AI crawlers to stop their content being used to train AI models. That is a valid choice, especially for publishers. But blocking the crawlers that power AI search can also stop your business being found in AI answers.
We explain the trade-offs clearly and set up your robots.txt to match what you want. Many businesses allow the crawlers that power search and answers, and make a separate decision about training.
Partly. When someone clicks a link in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, the visit often shows up in Google Analytics 4 with the AI tool as the source. We separate this traffic so you can see it clearly.
Not every AI influence can be tracked, though. Many people read an AI answer, then search for your name or type your web address directly. That is why we also track branded searches and direct traffic, and recommend asking new customers how they found you.
AI tools sometimes describe businesses incorrectly, with old prices, services you no longer offer or the wrong location. This usually happens because the information online is outdated or inconsistent.
The fix is to correct the sources. We update your website, Google Business Profile, directories and other key sources, then check again over the following weeks to see whether the AI answers improve.
Some fixes, like technical access and schema, can have an effect within weeks as AI tools revisit your site. Building authority and mentions takes longer, usually several months, especially in competitive markets.
AI answers also change often, so results can move up and down from week to week. We focus on steady trends over time rather than single snapshots.
If any of these sound familiar, our free audit will show you exactly where you stand.
Some of it, yes. You can ask AI tools about your business, fix obvious errors, and make sure your website answers common questions clearly. Those are great first steps.
Doing it properly at scale means tracking many questions across several AI tools over time, building mentions on trusted sources, and keeping up with fast changes. That is where a specialist helps.
Good tracking is the foundation of everything else. When we start, we follow the same steps every time.
Ask the same AI tool the same question twice and you may get a slightly different answer. AI tools build each answer fresh, often searching the web in real time, so small changes are normal.
That is why one screenshot proves very little, good or bad. We test each question several times and across several tools, then look at patterns over weeks and months. That gives a much more honest picture of where you really stand.
Shoppers now ask AI tools things like which running shoes are best for flat feet, or what the best coffee grinder under a certain price is. The answers often name specific products and brands.
For online stores, we focus on clear product information, honest comparison content, strong reviews and clean product data. We also make sure your products are correctly listed with Google, because many AI shopping features draw on that data.
People increasingly ask AI tools for local recommendations, such as the best accountant near them or a reliable plumber in their suburb. The answers often lean heavily on Google Business Profile, reviews and local directories.
That is good news for local businesses. Keeping your profile complete and accurate, earning steady genuine reviews and making sure your details match everywhere can improve your AI visibility relatively quickly.
Your Google Business Profile feeds Google Maps, local search and many AI answers. Incomplete profiles, wrong hours, missing services and unanswered reviews all weaken the signals AI tools use.
We audit your profile, fill every gap, add accurate services and photos, and help you build a simple habit of asking for and replying to reviews.
Structured data, also called schema, is code that labels the facts on your pages, such as your business name, address, services, prices, reviews and authors. It removes guesswork.
AI tools and search engines can read your pages without it, but schema makes the important facts clearer and more consistent. It is one of the simplest technical improvements you can make.
Your About page is one of the first places AI tools look to understand who you are. Many are full of vague mission statements and say very little.
A strong About page clearly states what you do, who you do it for, where you are, how long you have been doing it and who runs the business, with real names, credentials and proof. It sounds simple, and it makes a real difference.
A good report answers simple questions. Where are we being named? Where are competitors winning instead? What did AI tools say about us that was wrong, and has it been fixed? How many visits and enquiries came from AI tools? What are you doing next? If your report can’t answer those, ask for it. Ours always does.
B2B buyers are using AI tools to research suppliers, compare options and build shortlists, often before they ever talk to a salesperson. If you are not in those early answers, you may never make the shortlist.
For B2B, we focus on detailed, specific content about what you do, who you do it for and how you compare, plus mentions in the industry publications and directories your buyers trust. We also track enquiries into your CRM, so we can see which AI-driven leads become real deals.
When someone asks an AI tool for the best business of a certain type, the answer often reflects what customers say online. Businesses with plenty of recent, genuine reviews tend to be described more positively and recommended more often.
We help you build a steady flow of reviews by making it easy for happy customers to leave one, and by replying to every review. We never buy, fake or filter reviews. It is against the rules, and AI tools and buyers are getting better at spotting it.
Sometimes AI tools repeat old complaints, confuse you with a similar business or mention a competitor when people ask about you by name. These issues can quietly cost you customers.
We monitor what AI tools say about your brand, trace problems back to their sources, and work on fixing them, whether that means correcting a directory listing, publishing clearer information or responding properly to past issues.
Generative engine optimisation. Helping AI tools that write answers understand, trust and mention your business.
Answer engine optimisation. Making your content the clearest answer to specific questions.
The AI-written summary Google shows at the top of many search results.
Google’s conversational AI search for longer, more complex questions.
Large language model. The technology behind tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.
When an AI answer links to or references a specific website as a source.
A clearly defined thing, like your business, that search engines and AI tools recognise.
How often your brand is mentioned compared with competitors for a set of questions.
Structured data code that tells machines exactly what your content is about.
A simple file that points AI tools to your most important pages.
Search is splitting in two. Some people still type keywords and click links. More and more ask full questions and read an AI answer. Many will do both, often in the same buying journey.
The businesses that win will be the ones that are easy to find in both. That means fast, helpful websites, a clear and consistent identity across the web, genuine reviews and mentions from trusted sources. None of that is a trick. It is simply being the obvious answer.
We will keep adapting as AI search changes. What we won’t do is chase shortcuts that could damage your brand or your rankings.
These are the problems we see most often when we audit a business for AI visibility. Flip a card to see how we fix it, and tick any that sound like you.
Most businesses have no idea what AI tools say about them.
Pages full of buzzwords and no clear facts give AI nothing to quote.
Different names, services or addresses across the web confuse AI tools.
Security settings or robots.txt rules that block the bots AI search relies on.
Few or old reviews make it hard for AI tools to recommend you with confidence.
Hidden text, fake reviews and spammy content can backfire badly.
GEO works best on top of strong SEO, not instead of it.
AI search is new, so there are a lot of big claims around. These questions will help you separate real expertise from hype.
We are happy to answer every one of these on a call. That is part of our free audit.
Straight answers to the questions business owners and marketing managers ask us most.
It is the work of helping AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews understand, trust and mention your business when people ask questions related to what you sell.
SEO gets your pages ranked in search results. GEO helps AI tools that generate answers mention your brand. AEO makes your content the clearest answer to specific questions. They overlap, and they work best together.
No, and nobody honestly can. AI tools decide their own answers. We improve the signals they rely on, measure the results carefully and report honestly on progress.
Technical fixes can help within weeks. Building authority and mentions usually takes several months. AI answers change often, so we focus on trends over time.
It depends on your market, your starting point and how much content and authority work is needed. We quote after the free audit, and there are no lock-in contracts.
No. All of our AI search work runs month to month with no lock-in contract.
We track the major ones, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. We adjust the list as the market changes.
Yes. Strong SEO feeds AI visibility, and Google search is still a major source of customers. We treat SEO and AI search as one strategy.
Often, yes. We correct the sources AI tools draw on, such as your website, Google Business Profile and directories, then monitor whether the answers improve.
It is a simple file that points AI tools to your most important pages. It is new and not used by every tool yet, but it is quick and free to add, so we include it.
It depends on your goals. Blocking some crawlers can stop your business appearing in AI answers. We explain the trade-offs and set it up the way you choose.
Partly. We track visits from AI tools in GA4, plus branded searches and direct traffic. We also recommend asking new customers how they found you.
Yes. Genuine reviews are a strong trust signal, and AI tools often reference reputation when recommending businesses.
Yes. Local businesses often benefit quickly, because AI tools lean on Google Business Profile, reviews and local directories, which are easy to improve.
Yes. We can write new content, rework your existing pages or brief your team. Everything is written in plain English and checked for accuracy.
Never. Tactics like that can damage your brand and your rankings. Everything we do is something we would be happy for you, Google or a journalist to look at closely.
Yes. We are based in Perth and work with businesses right across Australia.
It will. We keep testing, adjust our approach as the tools change, and explain what the changes mean for your business.
We don’t think so. How people find information is changing, and the core work, such as clear content, a consistent identity and a strong reputation, pays off in any search environment.
Access to your website, Google Search Console, Google Analytics and Google Business Profile, plus a conversation about your customers and the questions they ask before they buy.
AI tools use a mix of what they learned during training and live web searches, depending on the tool and the question. That is why strong visibility across the open web, not just Google, matters.
For some searches, yes, because people get their answer without clicking. The goal is to be the source that gets cited and the brand that gets named, so the visits you do get are from people further along the buying journey.
Usually both. Improving your key existing pages often brings the quickest gains. New content then fills gaps where buyers ask questions you don’t yet answer.
Yes. We track and optimise across all the major AI tools, not just ChatGPT and Google. Each one draws on slightly different sources, which we account for in our plan.
More accurate descriptions of your business, being named for more of your buyers’ questions, more citations of your website, and more visits and enquiries from AI tools over time.
Yes, it happens. We monitor branded questions, find out why competitors are appearing, and strengthen the signals that make your own business the clear answer.
No. Smaller businesses can win in AI search, especially locally or in a clear niche, because AI tools reward clarity, consistency and genuine reputation, not just size.
Yes. We track when Google shows AI Overviews for your key searches, whether your site is cited in them, and how that affects your clicks in Search Console.
Yes. Your tracked questions and the latest results for each one are visible in your reporting, and we review and update the list with you as your business and your buyers change.
Then the work still pays off. Clear content, a consistent identity, strong reviews and trusted mentions improve your SEO, your reputation and your conversion rates too.
About the author
Director and Lead Consultant, Anahaw Media
John Conigliaro is the Director and Lead Consultant at Anahaw Media, a Perth digital marketing agency focused on performance. A Filipino-Australian digital marketer now based in Perth, WA, with more than 15 years’ experience across Singapore and Australia, he has led agencies in Australia on technical execution and growth strategy, founded a globally recognised eCommerce brand, and managed almost 300 campaigns, from small businesses to multinational brands, including Canon, Uniqlo, Benefit Cosmetics, Asiana Airlines, Changi Recommends, APM and Golfbox. He completed an MBA and a dissertation on Digital Transformation, holds a specialisation in Computer Applications from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSU-CSB), and is also a consumer tech critic and publisher. His mission is to use his talent and passion for digital marketing to change businesses for the better, in how they win customers and how they build their brand.
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Free guides
Plain-English, step-by-step guides from our team. Use them to do it yourself, or to know what good looks like before you hire anyone. See all guides
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