When a buyer asks ChatGPT or Google's AI Overview who to call, there is no page two. You are either in the answer or you are invisible. AI SEO is the work of getting your business into that answer, accurately and by name.
AI SEO combines answer engine optimisation (AEO) and generative engine optimisation (GEO). AEO structures your pages so AI tools can lift a clear answer from them. GEO builds the outside signals, such as reviews, citations, consistent business details and third-party mentions, that AI models check before they recommend a brand. Together they decide whether you are named when buyers ask an AI who to use.
Plenty of buyers now start with a question instead of a keyword. They ask an assistant "who is the best commercial lawyer in Geelong" or "which Australian suppliers make ruggedised enclosures" and they get two or three names back. A traditional top-ten ranking still matters, but it no longer guarantees you are part of that short answer.
AI assistants lean heavily on what other sources say about you, not only what your own site says. That is why a business with modest rankings but strong reviews, directory listings and press mentions can be named ahead of a bigger competitor with a thin outside footprint.
Our Business Spotlight series shows this from the inside: one Australian fulfilment company asked ChatGPT and Perplexity who to use in its own niche and was not mentioned once, while a competitor with an app-store listing and dozens of reviews was.
Each key page opens with a direct, quotable answer, then supports it with detail, tables and FAQs that AI tools can parse without guessing.
Organisation, Service, FAQ, Person and LocalBusiness structured data so machines know exactly who you are, what you do and where.
Name, address, services, prices and credentials kept identical across your site, Google Business Profile and directories. Conflicting facts make AI hesitate.
Reviews, industry directories, association listings and genuine editorial coverage, the outside proof AI models weigh most.
We check AI crawlers can actually read your site and publish an llms.txt summary that points them at your most important pages.
We test the real questions your buyers ask across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews each month and record whether you are named.
Google's AI Overviews and most assistants still pull from pages that already rank and load well. So we never sell AEO or GEO on its own as a shortcut. Technical health, strong service pages and real authority come first, then we layer the AI-specific work on top.
That is also why every Intrigue plan includes SEO, AEO and GEO together. Splitting them across three suppliers usually means nobody owns the outcome.
Proof, not promises: Coactive Life Design reached page one of Google for "life coach Melbourne", Blanket Fire Protection holds #2 for "Melbourne fire doors" and SLB Legal's practice-area keywords sit on page one. See the results →
Legal and defence buyers do their homework before they make contact. A prospective client researching a family law matter, or a procurement officer shortlisting sovereign suppliers, increasingly asks an AI tool for a starting list. For a law firm that means accurate practice-area pages, credentials and reviews. For a defence supplier it means clear capability statements, certifications stated accurately and case studies that can be verified.
Read more on SEO for law firms and SEO for the defence industry.
Independent research on search and AI behaviour, last reviewed October 2026. We re-check these figures at least every six months.
AEO (answer engine optimisation) is about your own pages: structuring content so an AI tool can lift a clear, correct answer from it. GEO (generative engine optimisation) is about the wider web: the reviews, citations, directory listings and mentions that AI models check before they recommend a brand by name. You need both.
No, and anyone who guarantees it is guessing. AI answers change and no agency controls them. What we can do is remove the reasons you are being left out, build the signals AI tools rely on, and track the real prompts each month so you can see the trend.
Fixes to structure, schema and business details can be picked up within weeks. Building third-party mentions and reviews takes longer, usually a few months. Most clients see the clearest movement after the first three months, which is why plans have a three-month minimum.
Yes. AI Overviews and most assistants draw heavily on pages that already rank and load well. AI SEO works best as a layer on top of solid SEO, which is why we deliver both together.
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. One business per industry, per postcode, so your direct competitor can't buy the same spot.
Intrigue Digital