What AI reads
- 60% of the sources AI cited were the businesses' own websites
- 18% were Google's own pages: Maps and business profiles
- 8% were booking sites and directories
- From 4,657 citations in 733 AI answers, 11 areas across Australia
ai search·geo for local businesses
When customers ask AI,
are you on the list?
More people now ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Claude for a dentist, a physio or a salon before they open Google. AI doesn't give a page of links. It gives a few names. We help Melbourne small businesses become one of them.
What gets a business named
- A website that answers the questions customers ask, in plain text
- The same hours, phone and address everywhere AI looks
- Steady, honest Google reviews: the businesses AI named most had a median of 220, the others 81
- Mentions on sites AI trusts: directories, local press, lists
week 1
01
Ask what your customers ask.
We put the questions locals ask to four assistants, in your suburb, and record who gets named, in what order and why. That's the baseline we measure everything against.
- Four assistants
- Your suburb
- Who is named and why
week 1
02
Fix the facts at the source.
Opening hours, phone, address, services and prices, the same on your website, your Google profile and the booking sites. In our study AI got opening hours wrong 10 times in 43, so this comes first.
- Website
- Google profile
- Booking sites
weeks 2 - 4
03
Pages that answer the questions.
One clear page for each thing customers ask: what you do, for whom, where, when and how much, written as text AI can read and quote, with the structured data that says who you are.
- Service pages
- FAQ in customers' words
- Structured data
weeks 3 - 6
04
Get mentioned where AI looks.
Directory listings, honest reviews from real customers, local press with something worth reporting. AI trusts what other sites say about you more than what you say about yourself.
- Listings
- Reviews
- Press
every month
05
Ask again.
The same questions, the same assistants, every month. You see the number move, or not, and we change what we do next.
- Monthly re-test
- Before and after
0/32
our own case
We started at zero.
On 7 October 2026 we asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude the 8 questions our own customers ask, like "which agencies in Melbourne help small businesses show up in AI search". They named sbw studio in 0 of 32 answers. We're fixing that with the steps on this page, on our own site, and we publish the number every month, zeros included.
Why it matters: if we can't get our own studio named, we have no business selling it to you. Follow along in the journal.
questions owners ask
Plain answers.
- What is GEO, and is it different from SEO?
- SEO is about ranking in Google. GEO (generative engine optimisation) is about being named and quoted when people ask AI assistants. They overlap a lot: a fast site with clear pages and correct facts helps both. What GEO adds is answering the exact questions people ask AI, and being mentioned on the sites AI reads.
- Do I still need a website if I'm on Google Maps?
- For map searches, your Google profile and reviews do most of the work. For AI answers, your own website matters most: in our study 60% of the sources AI cited were businesses' own websites. One clear page with your hours, services, prices and area, written as text, goes a long way.
- Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend my business?
- No, and be careful of anyone who does. AI answers change, and every assistant gives a different list. What we can do is measure where you stand, fix what's in your control, and show you the numbers before and after.
- How long does it take?
- Fixing your facts and pages takes a few weeks. Being named takes longer, because AI has to see you mentioned elsewhere. We re-test every month so you can see whether it's moving.
- Where do I start?
- With where you stand today. Get the free audit of your website, or the A$29 AI Recommendation Report, which asks four assistants the questions your customers ask, in your suburb.