AI search guide
More customers now ask ChatGPT or Google’s AI who to hire. Here’s how those tools choose businesses, what the 2026 research shows, and nine steps to get mentioned.
Short answer
AI search tools don’t have a secret list of businesses. They search the web, read the pages that come up, and summarise them. To get recommended, your business needs to be easy to find in normal search, clearly described on your own website, and mentioned consistently on other trusted sites like Google reviews, directories, news sites and “best of” lists. People call this AI SEO, AEO (answer engine optimisation) or GEO (generative engine optimisation). It’s the same idea under three names.
Key takeaways
- AI tools search the web, read pages and summarise them
- They break questions into many smaller searches (fan-out)
- Company sites and directories are the most-cited sources
- Clear answers, schema and third-party mentions matter most
- Track mentions over weeks, because answers change every time
Why this matters now
Think about how people search today. Instead of typing “accountant Dublin” and opening five tabs, many now ask:
“Who’s a good accountant in Dublin for a small construction company?”
They ask ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode or Perplexity, and get a short list of names. If you’re not on that list, you never got a chance.
At the same time, Google’s AI Overviews take clicks away from normal results. Studies in 2026 found that organic click-through rates drop sharply, by around 58–61%, on searches where an AI Overview appears (summary from ALM Corp, citing Seer Interactive and Ahrefs). Fewer clicks are spread across fewer winners.
How AI tools decide who to mention
Here’s the process in plain English:
01
You ask
“Who’s a good accountant in Dublin for a construction company?”
02
It fans out
The AI runs several smaller searches, like “construction accountants Dublin” and “RCT tax accountant”. Google calls this query fan-out.
03
It reads
It reads the pages that come up for each search.
04
It summarises
It names the businesses that appear most often and most clearly.
That’s why ranking for just one keyword isn’t enough anymore. You need to show up across the whole cluster of questions around what you do.
What the 2026 research tells us
| Finding | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Only 38% of pages cited in Google AI Overviews also rank in the top 10 for that search (down from 76% in 2025) | You can be cited without ranking #1, if your page answers the exact question well | Ahrefs via Search Engine Journal, March 2026 |
| YouTube is the most-cited single website in AI Overviews | Short how-to and FAQ videos help | Same source |
| For “who should I hire” questions, about 50% of AI citations were company websites and 26% directories and review sites | Your own site and your listings matter | Continuum, Sept 2026 |
| For local services, the businesses named changed between repeated runs every time they tested | AI answers shuffle. Aim to be mentioned often, not once | Same source |
| ChatGPT cited Reddit in 22% of answers | Real discussions about you count | Same source |
One honest caveat: these studies come from companies that sell SEO and AI-visibility services, and the tools change monthly. Treat them as direction, not gospel.
9 steps to get your business recommended by AI
1. Get the basics of normal SEO right first
AI tools mostly read pages that already rank somewhere. If Google can’t find or trust your site, ChatGPT won’t either. Start with our plain-English guide to SEO.
2. Say exactly what you do, for whom, and where, on your homepage
AI summarises. Make it easy. One clear sentence near the top works best:
“Slyne Digital is an SEO and marketing agency in Clonee, Dublin 15, helping trades and local businesses across Dublin and Meath get more enquiries from Google and AI search.”
3. Answer real questions directly, in the first two sentences
Put the answer first, then explain. Every post on this blog starts with a “short answer” box for exactly that reason. AI tools love lifting a clean, two-sentence answer.
4. Build a page for every question customers ask
Pricing, timelines, “is X worth it”, “X vs Y”, what’s included. If a customer asks it on the phone, it deserves a section or a page. That’s how you cover the whole fan-out cluster.
5. Show your prices (or at least price ranges)
AI tools are often asked “how much does X cost in Ireland?”. Businesses that publish real numbers get quoted. Businesses that say “contact us for a price” don’t.
6. Get listed on the directories AI tools read
Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Golden Pages, your trade body, Trustpilot or similar, and any “best X in Dublin” round-ups in your industry. Keep your details identical everywhere.
7. Earn mentions on other trusted sites
Local news, industry associations, podcasts, supplier websites, sponsorships. AI tools trust what others say about you more than what you say about yourself.
8. Add structured data (schema)
Schema is code that labels your content: LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, Article, Review. It removes guesswork for both Google and AI tools.
9. Make sure AI tools are allowed to read your site
Some website security settings and plugins block AI crawlers like OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT), PerplexityBot and Google’s crawlers. Check your robots.txt and firewall. If they can’t read your site, they can’t recommend you. Also set up Bing Webmaster Tools, because ChatGPT’s search leans on Bing’s index.
Go deeper Schema markup explained (step 8) →Which types to use and how
Go deeper Directory listings that AI reads (step 6) →Irish citations guide
Go deeper Want it done for you? See our AI SEO service →Audit, content, schema and tracking
What doesn’t work (or isn’t proven)
- Publishing loads of AI-written articles. Google’s 2026 core and spam updates specifically hit thin, mass-produced content. Google treats manipulating AI Overviews and AI Mode as spam under its existing policies.
- Hidden text “for the AI”. It’s spam, plain and simple.
- llms.txt files. This is a proposed file for AI tools, but Google has said it doesn’t use it, and there’s no solid evidence it helps. It does no harm, but don’t pay extra for it.
- Tracking one AI answer once. Answers change every time. Track your mentions across many questions over weeks.
How to check if AI tools mention you
Try this today. It takes 10 minutes:
- Open ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google (try AI Mode too).
- Ask 5 questions a customer would ask, such as “best [your service] in [your area]” or “how much does [service] cost in Ireland”.
- Write down who gets named and which websites are cited.
- Repeat next month.
The cited websites are your to-do list. Those are the places you need to be.
Frequently asked questions
What is AI SEO?
AI SEO is the work of making your business show up in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini and Perplexity. It builds on normal SEO, with extra focus on clear answers, structured data and being mentioned on trusted third-party sites.
What’s the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO is about ranking in search engines. AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) are newer names for getting your business into AI-generated answers. In practice, the work overlaps by about 80%.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
No. Normal ChatGPT recommendations can’t be bought. Some AI tools are testing ads, but those are labelled. Organic mentions come from your website and your reputation across the web.
How long does it take to show up in AI answers?
AI tools that search the web live, like ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Google AI Mode, can pick up changes within weeks of Google or Bing indexing them. Building the reputation that gets you mentioned consistently usually takes three to six months.
Does Google penalise AI-written content?
Google doesn’t penalise content just because AI helped write it. It penalises content made mainly to manipulate rankings, especially low-value pages published at scale. Use AI as a helper, but make sure a real expert adds experience, checks facts and edits.
See where you stand in AI search
We’ll ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI the questions your customers ask, and show you who gets recommended.