How do I find out what AI assistants currently say about my business?

Ask them the way a customer would, in a fresh conversation with web search enabled: 'best [your category] in [your city]', then 'tell me about [your business]'. Or use a checker that does this systematically — AEO Pulse runs a standardized set of local-intent queries (on Claude, by Anthropic, with web search) and publishes a plain-language report, free, with no email required.

What is AEO? AI search optimization, explained in plain English for local businesses

Q: What does AEO stand for?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization: the practice of making your business the answer that AI assistants and AI-powered search features give when someone asks a question you can serve — for example, 'best electrician in Denver'. It is also called AI search optimization, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), or LLM optimization; the terms largely describe the same work.

Q: Is AEO different from SEO?

They overlap but reward different things. SEO competes for a position on a list of links; AEO competes to be inside the one answer an assistant gives. Good SEO fundamentals (accurate listings, reviews, a crawlable website) feed AEO, but AEO puts more weight on being clearly described, consistently named across sources, and present on the pages assistants actually read and cite — review platforms, directories, and 'best of' lists.

Q: Do AI assistants really send customers to local businesses?

Yes, measurably. Otterly.AI's research reports that 15% of total website traffic now arrives via AI agents and bots, and that ChatGPT accounts for 56% of AI referral traffic. Separately, Ahrefs found that when Google shows an AI Overview, clicks to the #1 organic result drop sharply — 34.5% lower in its original 300,000-keyword study, and 58% lower in its December 2025 update.

A practical guide from AEO Pulse · Updated June 2026 · ~7 minute read

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is the practice of making your business the answer that AI assistants give when someone asks a question you can serve — "best electrician in Denver", "a dentist you'd recommend near Pasadena", "who should I call for a burst pipe in Tulsa". Where SEO competes for a position on a list of links, AEO competes to be inside the one answer the customer actually reads.

You'll also see the same idea called AI search optimization, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), or LLM optimization. The labels differ; the work is largely the same. This guide uses AEO and explains everything in owner language — no marketing jargon without a translation.

Why this matters now (with real numbers)

Two measurable shifts are behind the noise:

1. AI answers are absorbing clicks that used to go to websites. Ahrefs, an SEO research company, studied 300,000 keywords and found that when Google shows an AI Overview (the AI-written answer box above the results), the click-through rate of the #1 organic result was 34.5% lower. Their December 2025 follow-up measured the reduction at 58%. In plain terms: even if you "rank #1", more and more customers read the AI's answer and never click anything. If the AI's answer names your competitor, that's who gets the call.

2. People are asking assistants directly. Research from Otterly.AI (a company that monitors AI search) reports that 15% of total website traffic now arrives via AI agents and bots, and that ChatGPT accounts for 56% of AI referral traffic, ahead of Gemini (18%) and Perplexity (8%). When someone asks an assistant "who do you recommend for HVAC near me?", the assistant typically names one to three businesses. There is no page two.

For a local business this changes the shape of the game. Classic local SEO was about being on the list. AEO is about being in the answer — and the answer is short.

How AI assistants actually decide which businesses to recommend

It's less mysterious than it sounds. When you ask a modern assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) a local question with web search enabled, it typically does some version of this:

Searches the web for your question, much like a person would — "best plumber austin", "plumber austin reviews".
Reads a handful of sources: Google/Bing results, review platforms (Google reviews, Yelp), local directories, "best X in Y" listicles from local media or trade sites, and business websites.
Synthesizes an answer: it names the businesses that appear repeatedly and positively across those sources, often citing review counts, ratings, years in business, or specialties it found.

The assistant is not consulting a secret ranking. It is summarizing the web's existing opinion of you — quickly, and with limited patience. That has three practical consequences:

If your reputation lives in one place only (say, a good Google profile but nothing else), one missing source can drop you out of the answer entirely.
If your information is inconsistent — old address on a directory, two different business names, a website that never says what city you serve — the assistant may fail to connect the dots and skip you as uncertain.
If a competitor dominates the sources assistants read (hundreds of recent reviews, present on every "best of" list), they will dominate the answers, even if your work is better.

AEO vs. SEO: what changes, what doesn't

	Classic local SEO	AEO
You're competing for	A position on a list of links	A mention inside one short answer
The customer sees	10+ options, your snippet among them	1–3 named businesses, with reasons
What gets you picked	Rankings, keywords, links, proximity	Being clearly described, consistently named, and well-reviewed across the sources AI reads
Failure mode	Page 2 — fewer clicks	Absence — the customer never learns you exist
How you measure it	Rank trackers, Search Console	Asking the assistants and recording the answers (there is no "AI Search Console")

The good news: AEO is not a separate universe. Most of what feeds AI answers is classic local-presence hygiene. The difference is emphasis and measurement.

The five things that most influence whether AI recommends you

1. Review volume, recency, and rating — on the platforms AI reads

When assistants justify a recommendation, they overwhelmingly cite reviews ("4.9 stars across 300+ reviews"). A business with 14 reviews from 2022 is easy for an assistant to skip — not because it's bad, but because there's little recent evidence to summarize.

2. Consistent business identity everywhere

Same name, same city, same category, across your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, and directories. Assistants connect mentions of you across sources; inconsistency breaks the chain. (Marketers call this "NAP consistency" — name, address, phone.)

3. Presence on the list-style pages assistants cite

Local "best of" articles, trade directories, chamber-of-commerce listings, neighborhood guides. These pages are exactly the kind of source a web-searching assistant pulls when asked for "the best X in Y" — if you're absent from all of them, you're invisible to that search pattern.

4. A website that answers questions directly

Assistants skim. A site that plainly states what you do, where you do it, what you charge (or how pricing works), and answers common questions in clear text gives an assistant quotable material. A site that's one big photo with a phone number gives it nothing.

5. Structured data and crawlability

Schema.org markup (LocalBusiness, FAQPage), accurate opening hours, and a site that loads without blocking crawlers. This is plumbing, not magic — it just removes excuses for the assistant's search step to miss you.

How to start, in order

Measure first. Find out what assistants currently say about you and who they recommend instead. You can do it manually or run a free structured check — either way, write the answers down with dates. You cannot manage what you haven't measured.
Fix identity. Make your name, city, category, and website consistent across Google Business Profile, Yelp, and the top directories for your trade.
Build review momentum. A steady trickle of genuine recent reviews beats a one-time burst. Make asking part of the job-completion routine.
Get onto the lists. Identify the "best [trade] in [city]" pages assistants cite for your area, and pursue legitimate inclusion (many are open to submissions; some just need to know you exist).
Re-measure monthly. AI answers change as the underlying web changes. Re-ask the same questions and track movement — that's the only scoreboard that matters here.

One honest caveat: nobody can guarantee an AI recommendation — the assistants' behavior isn't controlled by you, us, or anyone selling certainty. What's real is the feedback loop: measure what AI says, fix the evidence it relies on, measure again.

See what AI assistants say about your business — free

AEO Pulse runs the standard local-intent queries (on Claude, by Anthropic, with live web search), records what came back, and publishes a plain-language report. No email required.

Run your free AI visibility check

FAQ

What does AEO stand for?

Answer Engine Optimization — making your business the answer AI assistants give, rather than one link among many. You'll also see GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and "AI search optimization" used for the same practice.

Is AEO different from SEO?

They overlap heavily — both reward accurate listings, reviews, and a clear website. The difference is what you're competing for (a mention in one short answer vs. a spot on a list) and how you measure it (recording assistant answers vs. rank tracking).

Do AI assistants really send customers to local businesses?

Yes — Otterly.AI reports 15% of website traffic now arrives via AI agents and bots, with ChatGPT at 56% of AI referrals. And Ahrefs' data shows AI answers are absorbing clicks that used to reach websites (34.5%→58% CTR reduction for the #1 result when an AI Overview appears).

How do I find out what AI says about my business right now?

Ask in a fresh conversation with web search on: "best [category] in [city]", then "tell me about [business]". Full prompt list and pitfalls in our DIY guide — or let the free checker do it systematically.