AEO
What is AEO?
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is the practice of optimising your online presence so AI-powered answer engines - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot - cite, recommend, and trust your brand.
60% zero-click
Most Google searches now end without a click. AI answers are replacing organic listings, and most businesses have no idea.
AI is the new buyer journey
70% of consumers have used an AI to research a purchase. If a business isn't visible to answer engines, it's invisible to buyers.
Run an AI visibility audit in seconds
Insites checks what ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Grok say about a business, then turns it into a branded report you can sell.
Find me a plumber in the South London area that can come out to see my boiler today.
Which accountants near me offer good rates for small businesses?
What are the best coffee shops in London that have gluten and dairy-free options?
Find me a plumber in the South London area that can come out to see my boiler today.
Why it matters
Your client's next customer is asking AI, not Google
Search is moving to AI
More people skip the search page entirely and just ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity - and your clients are being judged there whether they know it or not.
One answer, not ten links
AI usually names a short list of businesses, sometimes just one. If your client isn't in that answer, they're not in the running.
“Near me” is now a conversation
“Where’s the best plumber near me?” used to mean a Google search. Now it’s a single, confident reply - and your client is either in it or invisible.
Invisible to ready-to-buy customers
People asking AI for a recommendation are ready to act. A client left out of the answer loses them before they ever see the name.
A conversation only you can start
Almost no local business knows what AI says about them - which makes it the perfect reason to pick up the phone and open a new pitch.
AEO vs SEO
What's actually different
Ten blue links → one answer
Search showed a page of options to choose from. AI gives one short, confident recommendation - a single business, not a page of options.
A ranking → a mention
It's no longer about where your client sits on page one. It's whether the AI can find, name, and recommend them.
Keywords → trust signals
AI leans on reviews, accurate listings and clear content far more than the keyword tricks that move Google rankings.
The click → the answer
AI often answers for the customer directly, so what it knows about your client matters more than winning the click.
A new layer, not a replacement
AEO builds on the SEO work you already sell - same foundations, a new payoff. It's an easy upsell, not a rebuild.
What AI looks at
What actually gets your client recommended
AI weighs the same trust signals a careful customer would. Get these right and you give it every reason to put your client in the answer.
