# AI Search Optimization Agency (GEO and AEO) Title: AI Search Optimization Agency (GEO and AEO) | SearchFocal Canonical URL: https://searchfocal.com/ Markdown file: https://searchfocal.com/index.md > SearchFocal strengthens the pages, profiles and sources that help ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity recommend your business. Order an AI audit. This file mirrors the HTML page at the canonical URL above. Where the two differ, the HTML page is authoritative. --- AI SEARCH OPTIMIZATION. GEO AND AEO. # Become the business AI recommends Your next customer is asking AI who to hire. Make sure your business is part of the answer. SearchFocal strengthens the pages, business profiles and independent sources that help ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity find, understand and recommend you. Order an AI audit [Try the AI readiness checker](https://searchfocal.com/tools/ai-search-readiness-checker/) See who gets recommended in your market, where your business stands and what to fix first. ## What helps AI recommend a business - A page that answers the buyer question in plain words. - Search crawlers allowed to read your site. - Business profiles that match your website. - Independent sources that say the same thing about you. - Proof a buyer can check: reviews, pricing, process. Work through the [AI search checklist](https://searchfocal.com/guides/ai-search-optimization-checklist/), or score your own site with the [readiness checker](https://searchfocal.com/tools/ai-search-readiness-checker/). - ChatGPT - Google AI Overviews - Gemini - Perplexity - Business profiles - Independent sources The problem ## The shortlist is being written without you. A buyer asks an assistant who to hire and gets a short list with reasons. If your business is not in that answer, you miss the chance to show why you are the right choice. Start with the facts buyers and assistants can check: what you do, where you work and why you are worth calling. Make those answers easy to find and back them with evidence beyond your own website. ### Your best answers are buried Buyers want to know who can solve their problem, what it costs and why they should trust you. Give them a clear answer on the page, not a paragraph about your passion for excellence. ### Your business tells different stories An old phone number, missing service or conflicting business profile gives buyers and search systems a reason to hesitate. Make every important source agree on who you are and what you do. ### Your expertise needs evidence Saying you are the best is easy. Detailed service pages, genuine customer reviews and independent mentions give a buyer something to check and a stronger reason to choose you. What we do ## Not another SEO report. The work that makes your business easier to recommend. You get changes made, not a document of observations. Each one is tied to a buyer question we recorded and a reason you can read. ### Give AI a clear answer to quote. Service and buyer-question pages open with a direct answer, your service area and your price range, so an assistant can lift them accurately. ### Make every business profile tell the same story. Google Business Profile, Bing Places and the directories buyers use all show the same name, services and categories as your website. ### Build evidence beyond your own website. Trade bodies, supplier pages, local press and reviews that describe you the way you describe yourself, so more than one place says what you do and where. ### Turn discovery into a reason to choose you. Being named is the start. Pricing, proof, process and a clear next step turn a mention into an enquiry. [AI search optimization (GEO and AEO) Done-for-you work on answer pages, business profiles and independent sources, with monthly monitoring included. See the monthly service](https://searchfocal.com/ai-search-optimization/)[AI visibility audit Recorded answers for 25 to 40 buyer questions across the four platforms, a competitor map and a 90 day plan. See what the audit delivers](https://searchfocal.com/ai-visibility-audit/)[AI search for contractors For plumbers, HVAC, roofers, electricians and other home service businesses that homeowners ask AI to recommend. See the contractor service](https://searchfocal.com/contractors/)[Competitive monitoring The same buyer questions re-run every month, so you know when you gain ground and when a competitor takes it. See how monitoring works](https://searchfocal.com/ai-visibility-audit/#monitoring)[AI search checklist Nine steps in order, each with a way to check it yourself and the official source behind it. Open the checklist](https://searchfocal.com/guides/ai-search-optimization-checklist/)[AI readiness checker Score nine signals on your own site and get the three fixes worth making first. Try the checker](https://searchfocal.com/tools/ai-search-readiness-checker/) Four platforms ## One strategy. Four different ways to be found. The fundamentals are shared, but each platform shows answers in a different place and reads the web in its own way. We test all four on their own and never assume a result on one carries over to another. ChatGPT search answers, with links to the pages it used ### ChatGPT ChatGPT looks things up on the web and links the pages it used. OpenAI publishes a separate crawler for search results, OAI-SearchBot, apart from GPTBot, which is for training. A summary at the top of some Google results, with links to supporting pages ### Google AI Overviews AI Overviews is a feature inside Google Search. Google says no special markup or AI-specific files are needed to appear in it, and that standard SEO practice still applies. Google's assistant, as its own product ### Gemini Gemini is not the same as AI Overviews. AI Overviews is a part of Google Search, while Gemini is a separate assistant, so a good result in one does not mean a good result in the other. Answers with numbered links to their sources ### Perplexity Perplexity shows its sources next to the answer. It documents PerplexityBot for its search results and Perplexity-User as a separate agent that fetches a page when a person asks. Sources and the full comparison are in [how the four platforms differ](https://searchfocal.com/research/#platform-differences). How it runs ## From overlooked to easier to recommend. Five steps, in this order. Nothing is built on a foundation that has not been checked. 1 ### AI visibility audit You send your website and the market you want to win. We agree the question list, test 25 to 40 real buyer questions on the four platforms and save every answer in full. 2 ### Competitor and source map We trace each mention to the exact pages, business profiles and independent sources behind it, showing where your business drops out and why. 3 ### Foundation fixes Crawler access, business profiles and the details on your site are corrected first, because nothing built on top of them works until they agree. 4 ### Answer pages and independent evidence Service pages that open with a clear answer go up, and the sources beyond your site that describe you are added to. 5 ### Monthly monitoring and reporting The same questions are asked again each month. You see who gained ground, who lost it and which enquiries were counted. What you get and what we need from you at each step is written out on the [process page](https://searchfocal.com/process/). Reporting ## A mention is useful. A qualified enquiry is better. Reports keep three things apart so one good number never hides a weak one. Each month you see what was recorded, what buyers searched for and what became a conversation. ### Mentions and cited pages Which businesses each platform named for your buyer questions, and which pages and profiles it pointed to. ### Search demand Queries and impressions from Search Console, so the next page follows what buyers actually look for. ### Counted enquiries Calls and forms we can count, including the ones that say how the buyer found you. Kept apart from mentions, never blended into one score. Who this is for ## Businesses chosen from a shortlist If a buyer compares options before they call, the work applies. Give them a clear reason to put you on their shortlist, whether they need a local contractor, a specialist firm or a trusted service provider. ### Contractors and home services Homeowners ask which plumber, roofer or HVAC company to call. We built a dedicated service around that question. [See the contractor service](https://searchfocal.com/contractors/) ### Local and multi-location businesses Clinics, studios, law and accounting offices and other service businesses where the buyer chooses someone nearby. [See the service](https://searchfocal.com/ai-search-optimization/) ### B2B and professional services Firms that win work when a buyer compares options, where the shortlist is built before anyone fills in a form. [See the audit](https://searchfocal.com/ai-visibility-audit/) - HVAC and heating - Plumbing - Roofing - Electrical - Tree service - Landscaping - Garage doors - Pest control Evidence ## See the sources. See the work. Check the results. Know what each platform documents, how your visibility is measured and what was done in a real engagement. The method sits beside the result, so you can judge the work for yourself. Measurement, not guesswork ### See exactly what AI says about your business The questions, answers, dates and cited sources are recorded so you can see who gets recommended and what changes after the work. The same buyer questions are checked across four platforms, with mentions and enquiries reported separately. [See how visibility is measured](https://searchfocal.com/research/#testing-protocol) Research, platform differences ### How the four platforms differ In ordinary language: where a buyer sees each answer, what each platform needs to read about you, and the official sources behind it. Sources: Google Search Central, OpenAI and Perplexity documentation. Published November 2, 2026. [Read the comparison](https://searchfocal.com/research/#platform-differences) Documented case, local search ### Custom cabinetry and joinery workshop A workshop with no website and referral-only enquiries, tracked for six months after profile work, a new site and quote forms. This is local search work, not an AI search result. 6 month attribution window. Calls over 60 seconds and completed quote forms counted as enquiries. [Read the case and its method](https://searchfocal.com/case-studies/#cabinet-case) How the work is run ## Specialist work with a reason behind every change Six commitments that apply to every engagement, whichever package you choose. ### A named specialist does the work You deal with the person making the changes, not an account manager relaying them. ### Every change has a reason you can read Each page, profile or source we touch comes with a note on what it fixes and what we will look at afterwards. ### You see the recorded answers Reports include the saved answers from each platform, not only a score, so you can check the evidence yourself. ### Mentions, enquiries and revenue stay separate A mention is useful. A qualified enquiry is better. We count them separately and never present one as the other. ### You keep everything we build Pages, profiles and documents are yours and sit in your accounts. Leaving does not mean losing the work. ### Plain statements about what is in our control We improve what you can control. No one controls what an assistant says, so we do not promise a placement. Pricing ## Choose the work your business needs. See the price before the call. Four pieces of work, priced separately. Start with the audit, build the foundation with a sprint, or hand over the monthly work. ### AI visibility audit $450 one time Find out who ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity recommend in your market, why they win, and what is missing for you. Credited in full if you start a sprint or monthly optimization within 30 days. - 25 to 40 real buyer questions tested and recorded across the four platforms - A map of the competitors that get named, and the pages and profiles behind each mention - A check of crawler access, business profiles and the pages an assistant would read about you - A 90 day plan ordered by commercial impact, delivered within five business days and credited in full toward a sprint or monthly work started within 30 days ### AI search optimization (GEO and AEO) $1,850 per month Ongoing done-for-you work on the pages, business profiles and independent sources that make your business easier to recommend, with monthly monitoring included. - Service and buyer-question pages that open with a clear answer an assistant can quote accurately - Structured data and business details kept consistent with what each page says - Google Business Profile, Bing Places and key directories kept telling the same story - Outreach for independent mentions, a review request routine and monthly monitoring ### Entity and answer-page sprint $3,500 one time Six weeks of fixed-scope work that builds the foundation while your team keeps running it. No retainer. - Crawler access, robots.txt, sitemap, llms.txt and site-wide structured data set up correctly - Up to 5 core service or buyer-question pages written or rewritten to give AI a clear answer - Business name, services and categories matched across your site, map listings and directories - A before and after check of the same buyer questions on all four platforms ### Competitive AI visibility monitoring $850 per month standalone, included with monthly optimization A monthly re-check of the same buyer questions, so you know when you gain ground and when a competitor takes it. - The agreed buyer questions re-run every month on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity - Gained and lost mentions and cited pages recorded, with competitor movement beside them - Search Console demand and counted enquiries reported separately from raw AI mentions - A one page monthly brief with the recorded answers and the next change worth making What drives each price and how the work is billed is on the [pricing page](https://searchfocal.com/pricing/). Free resources ## Use these before you pay anyone Both are free, need no email address, and run on your screen. ### AI search optimization checklist Nine steps from crawler access to monthly recording, each with a way to check it and the official source behind it. [Open the checklist](https://searchfocal.com/guides/ai-search-optimization-checklist/) ### AI readiness checker Enter what your site has today and see a readiness score, the three fixes worth making first and the review gap to your top competitor. It is a self-assessment, not a measured ranking. [Try the checker](https://searchfocal.com/tools/ai-search-readiness-checker/) Questions ## Common questions What does the $450 AI visibility audit include? A person tests 25 to 40 real buyer questions for your market on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity, saves every answer in full, maps the competitors and sources behind each mention, checks your crawler access and profiles, and delivers a 90 day plan within five business days. Is the audit an automated scan? No. Every question is checked by hand. We agree the buyer question list with you first, and the answers are recorded as they appear on each platform, not generated by a script. How is this different from SEO? SEO gets your pages into a list of links. AI search also has to understand your business well enough to name it in an answer. Much of the groundwork is shared, which is why we start with what you already have rather than a new site. Can you promise ChatGPT or Google will recommend us? No one controls what an assistant says. We improve what you do control: whether the pages can be read, whether your profiles agree, and whether other sources describe you. Then we record the answers every month and show you the movement. What does it cost? There are four pieces of work and each has a price on the pricing page: the audit is $450 one time, monthly optimization is $1,850 per month, the sprint is $3,500 one time, and monitoring is $850 per month standalone, included with monthly optimization. The audit fee is credited in full if you start a sprint or monthly optimization within 30 days. How long before we see a difference? Fixes to crawler access and business profiles can show up within weeks. New pages and independent mentions take longer. Each platform refreshes on its own schedule, so we record answers monthly rather than name a date. Do we need a new website? Usually not. If your site can be edited and loads well on a phone, the work goes into the pages, profiles and sources around it. We say so in the audit if a rebuild would help. Which businesses is this for? Businesses that win customers when someone compares options: home service contractors, local and multi-location service businesses, and B2B or professional firms. If buyers ask AI who to hire, the work applies. Start with the audit ## Find out who AI recommends in your market. Send your website and the market you want to win. Get a clear view of the competition, your biggest gaps and the next move worth making. The $450 AI visibility audit tests 25 to 40 real buyer questions across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity, maps the competitors and sources behind each mention, and delivers a 90 day plan within five business days. - Checked by a person on each platform, not an automated scan. - Every answer saved in full, with the businesses named, the sources cited and the first fixes worth making. - 100% of the $450 audit fee is credited toward a sprint or monthly optimization started within 30 days. Prefer email? Write to [info@searchfocal.com](mailto:info@searchfocal.com).