What changed
Customers no longer only type a keyword and scroll through a list of links. They ask a question: who should I use, who can do this job, and who works in my area?
ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews can turn those questions into short answers that name businesses. Claude and Copilot also help people research who to use. Being easy to find is still important. Being clear enough to recommend is increasingly important too.
How AI chooses a business
When an AI tool uses web search, it searches before it answers. It draws on the information it can find, then builds a response. Clear, recent, consistent evidence helps it understand who you are and why you are relevant.
Not every answer uses live search. Different tools use different sources, and recommendations can change. That is why we track real questions over time rather than promise a fixed placement.
Your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, directory listings and documented work should tell the same story. A precise service and location is more useful than a vague claim that you do everything everywhere.
AI SEO vs AEO vs GEO
AI SEO
Visibility in AI-driven search, including search engine AI features.
Google AI Overviews and AI search toolsAEO
Answer Engine Optimisation: being used in direct answers.
AI Overviews, Perplexity and voice assistantsGEO
Generative Engine Optimisation: being named and cited in generated answers.
ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and CopilotThe terms overlap. The practical work underneath them is similar: make your business understandable, give it real evidence and build genuine confirmation.
What actually moves the needle
Say what you do
We pin down exactly what you do, where you do it and who it's for. Then we say it the same way everywhere: your website, your Google Business Profile and every page we publish. AI trusts what it sees repeated consistently.
Prove it
Claims are cheap. AI looks for recent, specific evidence of real work. For trades, that's Traded Proof: documented jobs, confirmed by your customers. For every other business, it's real case studies and recent-work pages.
Get others to confirm it
What other people say about you counts more than what you say. We build genuine third-party confirmation: real reviews, customer sign-off on completed work, and consistent listings on trusted directories.
The method, without the jargon.
Say what you do. Prove it. Let others confirm it.
Why recent evidence beats backlinks and blog posts
Backlinks and useful articles still matter. But they are not a substitute for showing what your business actually does. A generic blog post cannot prove that you completed a specific job in a specific town last month.
Recent-work pages, case studies and customer-confirmed job records add detail that a broad claim cannot. They show services, locations, products and real outcomes. For trades, that is what Traded Proof is designed to record.
We combine the foundations of search with a growing body of evidence. We do not treat AI visibility as a trick or a separate set of magic words.
Check your AI visibility (free)