Everything you need to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity — before your competitors do.
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Everything you need to get your business recommended by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity.
AEO is the practice of structuring your business content so that AI tools — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and others — recommend your business when answering customer questions. It is the next evolution of SEO, and it is happening right now.
Where SEO gets your website ranked in search results, AEO gets your business cited as the answer. There is no page two. No ad auction. The AI picks a winner based on trust signals, structured data, and content quality.
Over 50% of all searches are now handled by AI-generated answers. ChatGPT serves 800 million users weekly. Google AI Overviews appear at the top of results for billions of queries every month.
97% of local businesses have zero AEO strategy. That means the first businesses in your area to implement AEO are capturing 40–60% more inbound discovery before their competitors even realize the shift has happened.
AI recommendation engines synthesize signals from across the web:
• Consistent NAP data (name, address, phone) across all directories • Schema markup — structured data that tells AI exactly what your business does • High-quality, question-answering content on your website • Review volume and recency on Google and other platforms • Authority signals: backlinks, citations, mentions in reputable publications • Google Business Profile completeness and activity
Pillar 1 — Technical foundation: Schema markup, Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, and clean site architecture.
Pillar 2 — Content authority: FAQ pages, service pages written to answer real customer questions, and locally relevant blog content.
Pillar 3 — Citation consistency: Your business information must be identical across Google, Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, and every directory where you appear.
Pillar 4 — Trust signals: Review generation systems, backlink building, and PR-style mentions in local and industry publications.
Step 1 — Audit your current state: Run your business name through ChatGPT and Perplexity. Ask "Who is the best [your service] in [your city]?" Note whether you appear.
Step 2 — Install schema markup: Add LocalBusiness, Service, and FAQPage schema to your website.
Step 3 — Write answer-first content: Create pages and FAQs that directly answer the questions your customers search for.
Step 4 — Fix citation inconsistencies: Audit every directory listing and standardize your NAP data.
Step 5 — Build your review profile: Implement a systematic review request process after every completed job.
Step 6 — Monitor and iterate: Run monthly AEO audits to track visibility in AI tools and adjust your strategy.
Most businesses begin seeing measurable AI visibility improvements within 60–90 days of implementing a full AEO strategy. Technical changes like schema markup can start influencing AI recommendations within 2–4 weeks. Content authority builds over 3–6 months. Citation consistency improvements show results within 30–60 days.
The businesses winning with AEO today started 6–12 months ago. The businesses winning 12 months from now are starting today.
Via Helm is among fewer than 3% of agencies offering true AEO for service businesses.