To show up in AI search, a local business needs a fast website with clear answers to common questions, a complete and active Google Business Profile, consistent business details across the web and real reviews. AI tools recommend businesses they can understand and trust. This work is called AEO and GEO, and it complements traditional SEO.
Search has changed
More people now ask AI tools who to hire. Pew Research Center found that Google users clicked a result 8% of the time when an AI Overview appeared, versus 15% without one. If AI gives the answer, being in that answer matters.
SEO, AEO and GEO in plain words
- SEO: helping search engines rank your pages.
- AEO (answer engine optimization): writing clear answers that tools can quote.
- GEO (generative engine optimization): making your business easy for AI assistants to recommend.
What to do
- Write a page for every service and every area you serve.
- Answer real customer questions directly, in the first sentence.
- Keep your Google Business Profile complete: services, hours, photos and posts.
- Make your name, address and phone number match everywhere.
- Earn reviews steadily after every job.
- Add structured data so machines understand your business.
Be patient and consistent
Rankings take time. Our goal is for clients to start ranking in their service area within 3 to 6 months, and we report progress every month. The audit includes an AI-search check that shows how tools describe your business today.