AI SEO
Get named when people ask AI who to call.
Ask ChatGPT for a med spa near you and you get three names. AI SEO is the work that gives yours a real chance of being one of them. We do it for local businesses, and you approve everything.
- 23%of people used AI in their most recent local search.BrightLocal, October 2026
- 61%of the sources ChatGPT cites for local businesses are Yelp pages.BrightLocal, August 2026
- 67%of the sources Google’s AI Overviews cite for local businesses are Google profiles.BrightLocal, August 2026
What is AI SEO?
AI SEO is the work that gets a business named in AI answers: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode.
It is not separate from SEO. Most AI answers start from a web search, so the business that is easy to find on Google and Maps has a head start. The AI tools then read a few sources about you: your Google profile, your reviews, your listings, your website and what other sites say about you.
AI SEO makes those sources complete, accurate and in agreement. Then we check, every month, which answers name you.
How does AI pick a local business?
An AI tool searches the web, reads a few sources and names the businesses those sources agree on. For local businesses, those sources are few, and each AI tool has its favorites.
| AI tool | What it cites most for local businesses |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yelp (61% of its sources), then Tripadvisor, OpenTable and the BBB |
| Google AI Overviews | Google profiles (67%), then Yelp and Facebook |
| Google AI Mode | Google profiles (53%), then Yelp and Facebook |
Source: BrightLocal, almost 2 million sources cited in AI answers about 1,355 businesses, August 2026.
Google profiles and Yelp lead in every trade. Trade directories trail far behind, but they show up: Angi and HomeAdvisor for home services, Zocdoc and Healthgrades for dentists.
Answers also change from one ask to the next. The same question, asked again, often names different businesses. So we never judge from one screenshot. We ask each question many times and count.
What does AI SEO include?
AI SEO work covers the few sources AI reads about you. We do it in the order that moves answers first.
- Your Google profileComplete, accurate and active. Google’s AI cites it more than any other source.
- Reviews, a steady habitMore real reviews on Google and Yelp, asked the same way of every customer.
- ListingsThe same name, address, phone and hours on Yelp, Apple, Bing, the BBB and the directories for your trade.
- Your websiteA clear page for each service, with the facts AI quotes: what you do, where, for whom, and how to book.
- What other sites say about youTop-tier lists, local press, and forum campaigns: real questions answered openly as your business.
- The monthly checkThe same local questions in the AI tools your customers use, asked many times, and what changed.
What we never do.
Some tricks work for a while, then get a business penalized. We don’t use them.
- Fake or paid reviews
- Posting as your customers
- Hidden text written for AI
- Promising you’ll be named
- You approve everything
- Your accounts, in your name
Questions about AI SEO.
Is AI SEO different from SEO?
It builds on it. Most AI answers start from a web search, so a business that is hard to find on Google is rarely named by AI. AI SEO adds the sources AI reads most, like your Google profile, Yelp and best-of lists, and checks the answers themselves.
Can you promise ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No, and nobody can. AI answers change from one ask to the next. We do the work those answers draw on, and every month we show how often you are named and what changed.
How long does AI SEO take?
Fixes to your Google profile and listings can show within weeks. Being named more often builds over months, as reviews, lists and pages add up.
Does structured data or an llms.txt file get me into AI answers?
Not on its own. Structured data helps search engines identify your business, so we add it. But AI answers follow what the sources say about you: your profile, your reviews, your listings and your site.
Which AI tools do you check?
The free report checks ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity. Each month we track the ones your customers use most, with the same local questions asked many times, and report how often each one names you.