We have written before about why AI search recommends some businesses and ignores others. This post is the hands on follow up.

If you want your business to show up when someone asks Google, ChatGPT, or Perplexity for a recommendation, here is the checklist we work through. Most of it can be done in a few focused afternoons. None of it requires a new website.

Step 1: Find out where you stand

Before changing anything, run a baseline test. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google, and ask the questions your customers ask. Be specific and include a location:

• "Who is the best [your service] in [your city]?"
• "Who can [specific job] in [neighborhood] this month?"
• "What should I look for when hiring a [your service] in Minnesota?"

Write down who gets named, which sources get cited, and what the answers say about you if you appear. Save it. You will compare against it later.

Step 2: Lock down your business facts

AI tools look for facts they can confirm across several sources. Conflicting information makes them less confident about you.

• Google Business Profile. Complete every section: categories, services, service areas, hours, photos, and description. Our 20 minute weekly Google Business Profile routine keeps it fresh.
• Name, address, and phone. Make them identical on your website, Google, Apple Maps, Bing Places, Facebook, Yelp, and the industry directories that matter in your field.
• Hours and service areas. Update holiday hours and seasonal changes everywhere, not just on Google.
• About page. State who owns the business, how long you have operated, licenses, certifications, and associations.

Step 3: Format your pages so they can be quoted

This is where AEO differs most from older SEO habits. AI tools pull short, direct passages. Make yours easy to lift.

• Use question headings. "How much does a furnace replacement cost in the Twin Cities?" works better than "Pricing."
• Answer first, then explain. Put a clear one or two sentence answer right under the heading. Add detail after.
• Use lists and steps for processes, options, and comparisons.
• Add an FAQ section to key service pages, written from real customer questions.
• Keep one topic per page. A page that covers one service in one area clearly beats a page that covers everything vaguely.

Step 4: Get specific about what you do and where

Generic copy is the most common reason businesses get skipped. Replace it with facts:

• The cities and neighborhoods you actually serve.
• Typical timelines, lead times, and seasonality.
• What a project includes, and what it does not.
• Who you work best with, such as homeowners, property managers, or manufacturers.
• Your own photos of real jobs, crews, and results.

If you serve several cities, service area pages built with real local detail help both traditional search and AI answers.

Step 5: Add structured data

Schema markup states your key facts in a format machines read easily.

• LocalBusiness or a more specific type with name, address, phone, hours, and service area.
• Service markup for core offerings.
• Review information where it is allowed and accurate.

One note on FAQ markup. Google limited FAQ rich results to well known government and health sites in 2023, so most businesses will not get the expandable FAQ display in search. The on page FAQ content itself is still valuable, because it gives both people and AI tools clear answers to quote.

Step 6: Earn mentions beyond your own site

Your website is your claim. Other sites are the evidence.

• Reviews with detail. Ask customers to mention the service, the location, and the result. Our review playbook covers how many you need and how to ask.
• Local and industry mentions. Chambers of commerce, trade associations, local news, sponsorships, and partner businesses.
• Relevant directories only. A few credible listings beat a hundred low quality ones.
• Community content. Being quoted in a local article or featured on a podcast creates the kind of third party reference AI tools trust.

Step 7: Keep the technical basics healthy

Google states in its guide to AI features that there are no special requirements to appear in AI Overviews beyond standard SEO best practices. That makes the basics non negotiable:

• Pages load fast on a phone.
• Important pages are indexable and linked from your navigation.
• No duplicate or outdated pages contradicting your current services.
• A clear XML sitemap submitted in Google Search Console.

Step 8: Retest every month

Run the same questions from Step 1 each month. Track whether you appear, how you are described, and which sources get cited. When a competitor shows up and you do not, study what they have: more detailed reviews, a clearer service page, a mention in a local publication. That is your next task.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my business to show up in Google AI Overviews?

Follow strong SEO fundamentals, since Google says AI Overviews have no extra requirements. Then make your pages easy to quote with question headings, direct answers, and FAQs, keep your business facts consistent everywhere, and earn detailed reviews and local mentions.

How do I get ChatGPT to recommend my business?

You cannot pay or submit your way in. ChatGPT and similar tools draw on what the web says about you. Consistent listings, specific service pages, descriptive reviews, and credible third party mentions all increase the chance you get named.

Does FAQ schema still help with AEO?

FAQ rich results now show mainly for government and health sites, so most businesses will not see the visual benefit in Google. Writing clear FAQ content on the page still helps, because it gives AI tools direct answers to real questions.

How often should I check AI search results for my business?

Monthly is a good rhythm for most local businesses. AI answers change as new reviews, content, and mentions appear, so regular testing shows whether your work is moving the needle.

Want us to run the checklist for you?

AEO is part of the SEO work we do for clients. If you want to know where you stand today, reach out and we will test what AI tools say about your business and walk you through what to fix first.