Rank in Google. Get cited by AI.

Answer engine optimisation, or AEO, is the practice of structuring a website and its off-site presence so that AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Copilot cite it when they generate an answer. It involves writing self-contained passages that answer one question completely, making sure AI crawlers can read the site, keeping structured data accurate, and building mentions on third-party sites that AI systems trust.

SEO aims to rank a page on a search results list. AEO aims to have that page quoted inside an AI-generated answer. They share the same foundation of technical health, quality content and authority, but differ in structure and signals. SEO is optimised around keywords and backlinks. AEO is optimised around extractable passages, consistent entity details and third-party mentions. Most businesses need both, and SEO comes first, because top-ranking pages are still the largest single source of AI Overview citations.

Very little in practice. AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) both describe getting a business cited inside AI-generated answers. GEO is the term used in academic research and by some agencies, and AI SEO is the plain-language version. The work is the same: crawlable pages, self-contained answers, consistent business details and mentions on trusted third-party sites. We use AEO because it names the goal, which is being the answer.

Four things drive it. Make sure your robots.txt allows GPTBot and OAI-SearchBot, since blocking them keeps your pages out of ChatGPT search. Structure your pages so each section opens with a complete, standalone answer. Build presence on third-party sites, because ChatGPT leans on outside validation. And rank well in Bing, which ChatGPT search draws on. ChatGPT does not search the web for every prompt: in US data it searched on 34.5% of queries, so your wider reputation matters too.

Source: Semrush, April 2026

Not on their own. Schema markup helps search engines and AI systems identify your business, services and location consistently, and FAQPage markup still helps Google read a page. Neither is a proven citation lever. In SE Ranking's study of ChatGPT citations, llms.txt had negligible impact, and pages with FAQ schema averaged slightly fewer citations than pages without it. We publish both as basic hygiene and put the real effort into content and mentions.

Source: SE Ranking, March 2026

Many do, though fewer use it to find local places so far. In YouGov's 2026 Australian survey, 72% of online searchers start at least some searches with an AI assistant, and 36% do so every day. To find a local place, only 4% start with AI, while 36% start with a search engine and 25% with a maps app. So Google search and your Google Business Profile still carry most local discovery, and AI citations are the layer to build on top.

Source: YouGov, July 2026

It depends on competition and scope. An independent Sunshine Coast cost guide puts most small business retainers at $1,500 to $3,500 per month, single-catchment local work at $800 to $1,500, and competitive sectors at $3,000 to $6,000. Moonstruck's Local search retainer starts at $1,600 per month and Search and answer engines starts at $3,200. A one-off search audit is $2,500.

Source: What's The Damage, checked October 2026

Usually, yes, because they do different jobs. Google Ads buys a position for as long as you pay, which makes it useful for launches, quick tests and seasonal peaks. SEO builds positions you keep, and it is what AI answers draw on, because ads are not cited as sources. A sensible pattern is to run ads for immediate demand while SEO builds, then reduce the ad budget once organic enquiries carry more of the load.

Local SEO usually shows measurable movement in three to four months and meaningful results by month six. National SEO in a competitive category takes six to twelve months. Technical fixes can produce faster improvement, sometimes within weeks, if the site had significant problems. AEO structural changes can show up sooner, sometimes in four to twelve weeks, because AI systems re-crawl and re-evaluate sources often.

Start three to six months before your peak. Local search needs that long to move, so work that starts in October will mostly pay off after the summer holidays end. For a Noosa or Mooloolaba accommodation or tour business chasing the December and January peak, that means starting by mid-year. The quieter months are also the cheapest time to fix technical issues and write the pages your peak-season customers will search for.

Rank well for the query first, because top-10 pages are still the largest single source of AI Overview citations. In Ahrefs' 2026 study that share was 38%, so most citations came from lower-ranking pages. Then structure the page so the answer appears as a complete passage near the top of a clearly headed section. Keep the content current with a visible review date, make sure it is server-rendered, and build mentions on sites Google already trusts.

Source: Ahrefs, March 2026

We measure it three ways. First, a fixed set of prompts run monthly across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Copilot, recording whether you appear and which source was cited. Second, AI referral sessions in GA4, which show visits arriving from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and similar sources. Third, branded search volume in Search Console, which tends to rise when AI answers mention you. None is perfect alone, so we report all three together.

Yes. AI systems draw their answers from the web, and pages that rank well are still the largest single source of what they cite. If you stop doing SEO, you shrink your chance of being in that source pool. What has changed is the measure of success. Fewer searches end in a click: in Pew's US study, 8% of searches with an AI summary led to a result click, against 15% without one. Being the cited source, and being mentioned on other sites, now carries more weight.

Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025

Yes. We run local campaigns across South East Queensland including Brisbane, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Toowoomba, and national campaigns for businesses selling Australia wide. Local work benefits from us knowing the market, so we take on more Noosa and Sunshine Coast clients than anywhere else, but the technical and content work is location independent.

No, and neither can anyone else. Google does not sell or promise positions and its ranking systems change constantly. What we can commit to is the work: a defined scope, monthly reporting on the metrics that matter, and an honest conversation if the strategy is not producing results. If a proposal guarantees rankings, check which terms it guarantees them for.