When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI for a recommendation in your industry - are you the answer? Or are you invisible?
People used to type keywords and scan 10 blue links. Now they ask AI a question and get one answer. If you're not one of the 3-8 sources cited, you don't exist.
10 blue links. Scroll, click, bounce, try again.
One answer. 3-8 sources cited. You're either the answer or invisible.
These are the six things AI search engines look at when deciding whether to cite your website. Miss any of them and you're leaving visibility on the table.
Structured data in your code that tells AI what your business is, what you do, and what people say about you. Think of it as a machine-readable business card. Sites with schema are 2.5x more likely to be cited.
Question-and-answer sections matching the real questions your customers ask AI. "How much does X cost?" or "Who is the best X in [location]?" Your website needs to answer these directly.
AI pulls from the first 30% of your content. Lead with a direct answer in 40-60 words, then expand. No long intros. Direct answers with specific numbers, dates, and facts.
Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trust. Awards, credentials, case studies with real numbers, author bios. AI engines need to trust you before they cite you.
Your robots.txt controls which AI bots can read your content. If GPTBot, ClaudeBot, or PerplexityBot are blocked, you'll never appear in AI answers. You need to invite them in.
85% of AI citations come from third-party sources. Google reviews, LinkedIn, directories, press mentions. Plus AI engines favour content updated within the last 12 months.
When someone asks ChatGPT "Who are the best AI consultants on the Sunshine Coast?" - Blue Seas AI is the first result. That's not luck. That's AEO.
Blue Seas AI implemented every AEO principle we now audit for clients. The result: ChatGPT consistently ranks us #1 for AI consulting on the Sunshine Coast. Here's what made the difference:
ChatGPT Ranking - April 2026
We run a comprehensive AEO audit across all 6 pillars. You get a clear scorecard showing exactly where you stand, what's missing, and what to fix first. No jargon - plain English.
We add the schema markup, fix your robots.txt, create FAQ content, restructure key pages for answer-first format, and set up your llms.txt. Most technical fixes take days, not weeks.
We track your visibility across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Claude. Monthly checks to see if you're being cited, what queries are working, and where to optimise next.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is about making your website visible to AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. SEO helps you rank on Google's list of links. AEO helps you become the source that AI cites when answering questions. In AI search, there are no 10 blue links - there is one answer citing 3-8 sources.
AI-referred website traffic grew 527% year-on-year. ChatGPT handles over 2 billion queries daily. Visitors from AI search convert at 4.4x the rate of standard organic visitors. Only 20% of businesses have started implementing AEO - the window to get ahead is open now.
We check 7 areas: schema markup and structured data, FAQ content, answer-first content structure, E-E-A-T signals (experience, expertise, authority, trust), AI crawler access, third-party presence, and content freshness. Each area gets a clear rating and specific actions.
Try it yourself. Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity a question your customers would ask - "Who is the best [your service] in [your area]?" If you're not mentioned, your website isn't optimised for AI search. Our audit shows you exactly what's missing.
Technical fixes (schema markup, robots.txt) take days. Content restructuring takes 2-4 weeks. Most businesses see improved AI visibility within 4-8 weeks. We rank #1 on ChatGPT for our category - the approach works.
We'll run a quick AEO audit on your website and show you exactly what AI search engines see - and what they're missing. Plain English, specific actions.
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