What is AEO? AI Search Optimization — also called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) — structures your website so AI assistants cite and recommend your business when buyers ask them for a vendor. It's SEO for a world where the answer is a single recommendation, not a page of ten blue links.
The search behavior shift already happening
Buyers used to open Google, scan results, and click a few. Increasingly, they open ChatGPT or read Google's AI Overview and ask a direct question: "Who's a good B2B Google Ads agency in Metro Detroit?" or "Recommend a metal fabrication supplier near Sterling Heights." The AI answers with a short list of named businesses — and most people act on that list without scrolling further.
If your business isn't in that answer, you've lost the deal before it started. Traditional SEO alone doesn't fix this, because AI engines pull, weigh, and synthesize information differently than a classic search ranking.
Why almost no Detroit competitor is doing this yet
AEO is new. Most local agencies are still selling 2019-era SEO and haven't adapted to how large language models retrieve and cite sources. That's the opportunity: the businesses that optimize for AI search now will own the recommendations while everyone else catches up. Being early is a durable advantage.
How I improve your AI search visibility
Answer-first content
I restructure your pages to answer buyer questions directly and concisely — the format LLMs prefer to quote — while keeping depth for humans.
Structured data & schema
Rich schema (Organization, Service, FAQ, LocalBusiness) so machines clearly understand who you are, what you offer, and where you serve.
Entity & authority signals
Consistent business facts across your site, Google Business Profile, and trusted directories so AI models associate the right entity with your brand.
Quotable facts & FAQs
Clear, extractable statements — pricing, specialties, service areas, differentiators — that AI can lift directly into an answer.
Third-party citations
Presence in the sources AI engines trust and cite — industry directories, reviews, and reputable mentions across the web.
AI-visibility tracking
I test how ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Perplexity respond to your key buyer questions — and track improvement over time.
An honest note on guarantees: no one can guarantee a specific AI answer — model outputs shift and aren't fully controllable. What I can do is measurably strengthen the signals that make citation likely, and show you your visibility trend across AI engines. Anyone promising guaranteed ChatGPT rankings is overselling.
AEO works best alongside SEO and Google Ads
AI engines lean heavily on content that already ranks well and on strong entity signals. That means solid SEO feeds your AEO, while Google Ads keeps leads flowing today. Run together, they cover every way a modern B2B buyer can find you — classic search, the map pack, and AI assistants.
AI Search Optimization FAQ
What is AI search optimization (AEO)?
It's the practice of structuring your website and online presence so AI assistants cite and recommend your business. When a buyer asks ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, or Copilot for a vendor, AEO makes it more likely your company is named.
How is AEO different from traditional SEO?
SEO ranks a page in a list of links. AEO makes you the cited source inside a single AI answer — using answer-first content, structured data, quotable facts, strong entity signals, and trusted third-party citations. Often there's no click; the goal is to be the recommendation.
Why does AI search visibility matter for B2B companies?
A growing share of B2B buyers use AI assistants to shortlist vendors before visiting any website. If AI recommends competitors and not you, you're eliminated before the buyer knows you exist.
How do you get a business cited by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews?
By combining answer-first content, schema/structured data, clear quotable facts, consistent business information across the web, and citations from trusted sources — the signals that make your business easy for LLMs to retrieve, trust, and recommend.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No — and be wary of anyone who claims they can. Model outputs change and aren't fully controllable. I improve the signals that make citation likely and track your AI visibility over time so you can see real progress.
Free, no-pressure
Request Your Free Consult
A 20-minute call with Jacob Lett. I'll review your site, ad account, and AI-search visibility, then show you where the fastest wins are. No obligation.
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See how AI engines describe your business today
I'll run your key buyer questions through ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity and show you exactly where you stand — and where your competitors are getting recommended instead.
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