By Adam Cortez, founder of ARC Creative Co. Based on what we measured across dozens of local business websites in 2026.
SEO gets you found on Google. AEO and GEO get you named when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity for a recommendation. For a small business, one plan covers all three: a complete Google Business Profile with steady reviews, a website search engines and AI tools can read, pages that answer real questions with real numbers, and listings on the directories and “best of” lists AI assistants quote.
Customers now find local businesses in two places: a Google search, and a question typed into an AI assistant. Most small businesses are only set up for the first. This is the short version of our beginner’s guide. The full 13-page guide, with the website checklist, the myths we see cost owners money, a 30-day plan and a glossary, is a free download below.
Your guide is ready.
You’re on the list too: we’ll send the occasional email on getting found on Google and AI, and you can unsubscribe from any of them.
We’ve also emailed you the link, so you can find it later.
SEO, AEO and GEO in plain English
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is showing up in Google and Bing results, including the map listings. It is mostly decided by your Google Business Profile, your reviews, a working website and useful pages.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is being the direct answer in Google’s AI Overviews, voice assistants and “People also ask” boxes. It is mostly decided by pages that answer a specific question clearly, near the top.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is being named by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. It is mostly decided by what other websites, directories and reviews say about you.
The last point is the one to remember. Google mostly judges your own website and profile. AI assistants lean much harder on what the rest of the internet says about you.
The four steps that matter
1. Complete your Google Business Profile and keep it alive
It is the biggest single factor in local search, and AI leans on it too: when we asked ChatGPT “who should I hire” questions, all 171 links in its answers went to Google Maps listings. Pick the most specific category, fill in every field, ask every happy customer for a review, reply to every review, and post an update once a month. Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere they appear.
2. Make sure your website can be found and read
Set up Google Search Console, redirect old page addresses after a redesign, keep pages fast on a phone, and add LocalBusiness schema. Above all, send yourself a test enquiry after every website change: we have seen tracking silently break after a relaunch and report zero leads for months.
3. Write pages that answer real questions, with proof
One page per service, a short FAQ on each, and case studies with specific numbers in the text, not only in screenshots. On our own site, one salon case study with real numbers was the only page ChatGPT cited, and it brought in every lead ChatGPT sent us in a year. Do not write the same article twice: of 16 new articles Google had not indexed after a month, six were near-copies of older pages on the same site.
4. Get listed where AI assistants look
Gemini cited a directory or “best of” list in all 24 of its answers to our hiring questions. Claim Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Yelp and the directories for your trade, ask local “best of” writers to consider you, and correct outdated profiles AI tools may be quoting. Make sure your robots.txt does not block AI crawlers like GPTBot.
Three myths that cost owners money
- “A page for every nearby town gets me into the map there.” A locksmith we measured ranked #4 in its own city and appeared in the map results of none of the six suburbs it had pages for. The map is decided by your profile and distance.
- “More blog posts means more traffic.” Only if each one covers something new. Google skips near-duplicates.
- “AI can write my website for free.” It invents client stories and repeats outdated figures. Everything under your name needs a human check.
How long it takes
Expect early signs in about a month and real results in three to six. Watch your Google profile’s calls, Search Console impressions, AI visits in Google Analytics, and the answers you get when you ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude your customers’ questions each month. Then ask every new customer how they found you.
The free 13-page PDF covers each step in detail: the eight-point website check, all seven myths with what we actually measured, what to track each month, a week-by-week 30-day checklist and a plain-English glossary. Get the free PDF.
Questions about SEO, AEO and GEO
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO is showing up in Google and Bing results. AEO is being the direct answer in features like Google’s AI Overviews. GEO is being named by AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini. For a small business, the same work covers all three.
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Start with your Google Business Profile, because ChatGPT’s local recommendations linked to Google Maps listings in our tests. Then get listed on the directories and “best of” lists for your category and city, and publish pages with specific, quotable numbers.
How long does SEO take for a small business?
Profile and website fixes take effect within weeks. A new page usually shows whether it is working within about three months, and reviews, listings and AI mentions build over three to six months.
Want to know where your business stands? We’ll run a free visibility check: what the AI assistants say when your customers ask, your Google profile and listings, and your website’s biggest technical problems, with a short list of the fixes that matter most.