How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI (AEO)
By Michelle Hummel, founder of Web Media University
Quick answer
To get recommended by AI assistants, publish clear direct answers to the questions your buyers ask, show proof you're an expert (reviews, credentials, real examples), keep your business details consistent everywhere, and make your pages easy for machines to read with structured data.
What AEO means
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is SEO for AI answers. Instead of only ranking in a list of links, you want ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews to quote or recommend you.
Run the 10-question test
Ask three AI assistants the ten questions buyers ask before they choose a business like yours. Note who gets mentioned. Every question where you're missing is a page you need to write.
Lead with the answer
Put a clear two-to-three sentence answer at the top of each page, then explain. AI tools pull short, direct answers far more often than long introductions.
Show real expertise
Name the author, list credentials, include real client results and link to reviews. AI assistants favor sources that look experienced and trustworthy.
Make it machine-readable
Add FAQ and organization structured data, keep your name, address and phone the same on every listing, and link related pages together in topic clusters like this one.
Go deeper: SEO & AEO Certification
Frequently asked questions
- Is AEO different from SEO?
- AEO builds on SEO. Good SEO gets you found; AEO makes your content easy for AI tools to understand, trust and quote directly.
- How do I know if ChatGPT recommends my business?
- Ask it the questions your customers ask, in several ways, and note whether you appear. Repeat monthly to track progress.
- How long does AEO take to work?
- Many businesses see new AI mentions within 4–12 weeks of publishing clear answer pages and cleaning up their business listings.