AEO
How to Show Up When Clients Search on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI
When did you last use Google to research a service provider?
For a growing number of buyers, especially those making high-value decisions, the answer is shifting. They’re asking ChatGPT. They’re typing questions into Perplexity. They’re reading the AI Overview that appears above the search results before they even reach your website.
If your business isn’t showing up in those places, you’re missing a conversation that’s already happening.
What AI Search Actually Is
There are now several distinct ways people use AI to find service providers:
Google AI Overviews: the AI-generated summary that appears at the top of many Google searches, pulling information from multiple websites to answer the query directly.
ChatGPT with web search: when someone asks ChatGPT “who does marketing for property developers in Brisbane?” it can now search the web and cite specific businesses in its response.
Perplexity: a search engine built on AI that answers questions directly and cites its sources. It’s growing rapidly, particularly among professionals and researchers.
Each of these tools works differently, but they share one thing in common: they prioritise businesses whose online presence is clear, structured, and consistently presented across multiple places.
Why Being “on Google” Is No Longer Enough
A well-optimised website used to be the whole game. Rank on page one, get found, get enquiries. That’s still important, but the landscape has shifted.
AI tools don’t just show you the first result. They synthesise information from multiple sources and construct an answer. If you only appear in one place, you’re a small signal in a large pool. If you appear consistently across your website, your Google Business Profile, industry directories, social media, and published content, you become harder to ignore.
AI tools are more likely to cite your business when you have:
- Clear, well-structured content that directly answers questions
- Consistent business information across multiple platforms
- FAQ sections that match how people actually search
- Schema markup (structured data) that helps AI understand your content
- Fresh, regularly updated content that signals an active business
The 5 Things That Make AI More Likely to Find You
1. Answer questions directly in your content. AI tools are built to answer questions. If your website content is written in a question-and-answer style (even informally), it’s much easier for AI to extract and cite. A FAQ section on your homepage or service pages is one of the simplest and highest-impact things you can add.
2. Be consistent across every platform. Your business name, address, phone number, and description should be identical on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, and any directories you appear in. Inconsistencies create doubt, and AI tools pick up on them.
3. Publish content that demonstrates genuine expertise. AI tools prioritise sources that clearly know what they’re talking about. Blog posts, guides, and case studies that go deep on a specific topic, written in plain language with real insights, signal expertise far more effectively than a polished service page with thin copy.
4. Add structured data to your website. Schema markup is code that tells search engines (and AI tools) exactly what your content means. LocalBusiness schema, FAQ schema, and Service schema all help AI tools understand and accurately represent your business. Your developer can add this in an afternoon.
5. Claim and optimise your Google Business Profile. This is still one of the most powerful signals for local AI search. A complete, regularly updated profile, with genuine reviews, photos, and service descriptions, significantly improves your chances of appearing in AI-generated responses to local queries.
A Quick Self-Audit Checklist
Check these off for your business:
- My website has a FAQ section with questions my clients actually ask
- My business name, address, and phone number are identical on every platform
- My Google Business Profile is fully completed (all sections filled in)
- My website has at least one blog post or guide published in the last 3 months
- My homepage clearly states what I do, who I do it for, and where I’m based
- My website has schema markup (ask your developer to check)
- I have at least 5 genuine Google reviews
The Opportunity Right Now
Most small businesses in Brisbane haven’t thought about AI search at all. They’re still optimising for Google 2019: keywords, backlinks, page titles, without any consideration for how their business appears when someone asks an AI tool for a recommendation.
That’s actually good news. The businesses that start thinking about this now will have a meaningful head start. AI tools are only going to become more embedded in how people research and make decisions, and the businesses already well-represented in those systems will compound their advantage over time.
This isn’t about chasing the latest trend. It’s about making sure that when your ideal client asks ChatGPT “who should I talk to about marketing my construction business in Brisbane?” your name comes up.
That’s entirely achievable with the right strategy and a bit of consistent work.
Want to know how your business currently appears in AI search, and what to do about it? Book a free discovery call.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I get my Brisbane business to show up in ChatGPT or Perplexity results?
- AI tools prioritise businesses whose online presence is clear, structured, and consistent across multiple platforms. The most impactful steps are: adding a FAQ section to your website, ensuring your business details match across every platform, publishing regular content that demonstrates expertise, adding schema markup, and keeping your Google Business Profile complete and up to date.
- Is showing up in AI search results different from showing up on Google?
- Related but not identical. A well-optimised Google presence is the foundation, but AI tools also draw on your consistency across other platforms, the structure of your content, and how clearly your business entity is defined. Businesses that appear in one place provide a weak signal. Appearing consistently across several platforms makes you much harder to overlook.
- What is schema markup and do I need it for AI search?
- Schema markup is code added to your website that tells search engines and AI tools exactly what your content means. LocalBusiness schema, FAQ schema, and Service schema help AI tools understand and accurately represent your business. Your developer can add this in an afternoon, and it is one of the highest-value technical changes you can make for AI search visibility.
- How do I know if my business is currently appearing in AI search?
- Ask directly. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's Gemini and ask what businesses they know of in your category and location. Then ask what they know about your business specifically. If the answers are thin or inaccurate, your entity signals need work. This is a free audit you can do in five minutes.
- How long does it take to start appearing in AI search results?
- There is no fixed timeline, but businesses that address the fundamentals, consistent information, a complete Google Business Profile, FAQ content, and schema markup, typically see improvement within a few months. The businesses starting now have an advantage because most local competitors have not thought about AI search at all.
