AI SEO, also called AI search optimisation or generative engine optimisation (GEO), is the work of making your business easy for ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity to find, understand and recommend. It matters because customers moved fast: in BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 45 percent of consumers had used ChatGPT or another AI tool for local business recommendations, up from 6 percent a year earlier.
There's no secret trick to it. AI search relies on the same things Google does, plus a few details that matter more when software is doing the reading. This guide explains how AI tools pick a business, and the seven steps that help them pick yours.
How AI search decides which businesses to name
When someone asks ChatGPT for "a good electrician in Chatswood", it searches the web, reads the pages it finds, weighs up reviews and listings, and writes a short answer naming one or two businesses. Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity work the same way, each with its own search index.
So there are three ways to miss out: the AI tool can't reach your website, it can't understand what you do and where, or other sources give it more reason to trust a competitor. Each step below closes one of those gaps.
1. Let AI search crawlers into your site
Each AI tool sends its own crawler, and your robots.txt file decides whether it gets in. OpenAI says sites that block its search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers. Perplexity uses PerplexityBot.
OpenAI's GPTBot is different: it collects content for training AI models, not for search. You can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot. Check your hosting or security settings too, since some block unfamiliar bots by default.
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /2. Get the Google basics right first
Google says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A page just has to be indexed and eligible to show in ordinary Google results. If your site isn't in Google at all, fix that first. Our guide to why your website isn't showing up on Google covers the seven common causes.
3. Make sure your pages can be read without JavaScript
Many modern websites build their pages in the visitor's browser using JavaScript. AI crawlers mostly don't run it. A 2024 Vercel study found that none of the major AI crawlers rendered JavaScript, so on sites built this way they can see an almost empty page.
The fix is a site that sends finished pages from the server, so the text, prices and contact details are there in the page itself. If you're not sure how your site is built, ask your developer, or tell us your website and we'll check.
4. State the facts in structured data
Structured data is a short block of code, invisible to visitors, that states your business details in a fixed format: name, address, phone number, opening hours, services and the areas you cover. Search engines and AI tools can read it without guessing.
It doesn't guarantee you'll be recommended, but it removes doubt about the basic facts. Google's structured data guidelines say the details must match what's on the visible page.
5. Write pages that answer the question directly
AI tools quote pages that answer a question plainly. Give each service its own page and put the answer first: what you do, where, for whom and, if you can, from what price.
- "We're a licensed electrician covering Chatswood and the Lower North Shore" beats "Powering your future".
- Add a short FAQ to each service page, using the questions customers actually ask you.
- Keep prices, hours and service areas up to date. Out-of-date facts get repeated too.
6. Keep your details the same everywhere
AI tools check your website against your Google Business Profile, Facebook page and directory listings. When the name, address or phone number differ between them, they're less sure which is right. Pick one version of each and use it everywhere.
7. Earn recent, detailed reviews
Reviews are among the sources AI tools read when they choose a business, and they matter to customers too. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 74 percent of consumers only cared about reviews from the last three months, and 47 percent wouldn't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
Ask for a review after every finished job, and ask customers to mention the service and suburb. A review that says "fixed our switchboard in Chatswood the same day" gives an AI tool something specific to repeat.
How to check what AI tools say about you
Once a month, ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google the questions your customers would ask, such as "best [your service] in [your suburb]", and note who gets named. In Google Analytics, visits from chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai show up as referrals, so you can see whether AI search is sending people.
Some sites also add an llms.txt file, a plain summary of the business for AI tools. It's a proposed standard and no major AI company has said it relies on it, but it takes minutes to add.
What's built into every Lumeen website
We build every Lumeen website to be found on Google and AI search from day one. Pages are sent finished from the server, so AI crawlers can read them. Each site carries structured data for your business and lets the AI search crawlers in. On the Growth hosting plan, we refresh your titles, descriptions and structured data every quarter. Our FAQ has more detail.
Key takeaways
- (01)
45 percent of consumers used AI tools for local business recommendations in 2026, up from 6 percent a year earlier.
- (02)
Allow OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot in robots.txt. Blocking them keeps you out of their answers.
- (03)
Google's AI Overviews use ordinary Google indexing, so fix the Google basics first.
- (04)
AI crawlers mostly don't run JavaScript, so pages need their text in the page itself.
- (05)
Structured data, consistent details and recent reviews give AI tools reasons to name you.
Frequently asked questions
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
GEO is another name for AI SEO: making your business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend. It builds on ordinary SEO rather than replacing it.
Is AI SEO different from normal SEO?
Mostly it's the same work: fast, clear pages, a Google Business Profile and good reviews. The differences are letting AI crawlers in, making pages readable without JavaScript, and stating facts plainly enough to be quoted.
How do I get my business on ChatGPT?
Allow OAI-SearchBot in your robots.txt, make sure your pages are readable without JavaScript, describe each service and area plainly, keep your details the same everywhere, and collect recent reviews. ChatGPT search can then find and name you.
Should I block GPTBot?
It's your choice. GPTBot collects content for training OpenAI's models and doesn't decide whether you appear in ChatGPT search. That's OAI-SearchBot. You can block one and allow the other.
More answers on price, hosting and timing in our FAQ.