How ChatGPT decides what to say

ChatGPT learns from a large body of text and, in some modes, searches the web live. It tends to mention businesses that appear clearly and consistently across many trustworthy sources. That means your own website matters, but so does what others say about you. New to the topic? Start with what AEO is.

1. Check what it says today

Ask ChatGPT and Perplexity the questions your customers would ask, for example "best accountant for small businesses in [your city]". Write down who is named, which sources appear, and whether your business is described correctly. Our free AI visibility audit does this for you.

2. Say clearly who you help and what you do

Many websites are vague. State your services, your location, and your ideal customer in plain sentences on your main pages. AI tools quote clear statements far more easily than marketing slogans. This is core on-page SEO.

3. Answer real questions

Add FAQ sections to service pages using the exact questions customers ask. Give a direct answer in the first sentence, then add detail. To find the questions, see keyword research for AI search.

4. Add structured data

Schema markup for your organization, services, and FAQs helps machines understand your pages. Only mark up information that is visible and accurate on the page. It is a standard part of technical SEO.

5. Build trust outside your website

• Collect genuine reviews from customers.
• Keep your Google Business Profile and listings accurate (see the local SEO checklist).
• Earn mentions on reputable local or industry sites through link building.
• Make sure your name, address, and phone number match everywhere.

6. Make sure crawlers can read your site

A slow, broken, or blocked site is hard for any crawler to read. Check that your important pages load fast, are indexable, and are not accidentally blocked in your robots settings. Use the technical SEO checklist for WordPress to go through it.

7. Re-test every month

AI answers change. Repeat the same questions monthly and record the results, so you can see which changes actually helped. Compare this with traditional rankings in AI SEO vs traditional SEO.

Need a hand?

We offer ChatGPT and Perplexity optimization and a free audit to give you a baseline, alongside our wider AI SEO and AEO services.