LAYER 05 / ANSWER ENGINES
Be the answer, not the tenth blue link.
People ask assistants for recommendations now. Getting quoted is a different job from ranking — and it starts today.
What ai search optimization means here
AI search optimization, also called answer engine optimization (AEO) or generative engine optimization (GEO), is the work of making a business the source an AI assistant cites. It relies on structured data, self-contained answers and consistent entity information.
People increasingly ask an assistant instead of scrolling ten blue links. Being the source it quotes is a different job from ranking, and it starts now.
INCLUDED / SCOPE
What you actually get.
- Structured data across every page so machines can parse your services, area and hours
- Answer-first content: each page opens with a direct, self-contained answer
- FAQ blocks with FAQPage schema — the highest-leverage answer-engine move
- An /llms.txt file summarising your business in plain text for language models
- Entity consistency across your site, profile and citations so you resolve to one business
- Crawl access for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot and Google-Extended, unless you opt out
THE REST OF THE STACK
What sits above and below this.
Each layer is sold separately. They compound when they are run by the same team.
LAYER 01
Branding & Identity
Logo, colour, type and voice — the identity everything else is built on.
Read moreLAYER 02
Web Design & Build
A fast, accessible site built to turn a visit into a phone call.
Read moreLAYER 03
Hosting & Care
Edge hosting, SSL, backups, monitoring and the small fixes as they come up.
Read moreLAYER 04
Local SEO
The technical work, the local signals and the content that earns the map pack.
Read moreLAYER 06
Google Ads
Bought visibility for the searches you cannot wait to earn.
Read moreLAYER 07
Meta Ads
Facebook and Instagram, for the work people do not search for.
Read moreFAQ / ANSWERS
AI Search Optimization — questions
What is AI search optimization?
It is the work of making your business the source an AI assistant cites when someone asks it for a recommendation. It relies on structured data, clear self-contained answers, and consistent business information — so a model can extract a fact about you and trust it.
Is this different from regular SEO?
It overlaps but is not the same. Classic SEO competes for a position in a list. Answer engines pick one or two sources to quote, and they favour pages with explicit structure, specific verifiable detail and consistent entity information over pages written to hit a keyword density.
Should I block AI crawlers from my site?
For a local service business, almost always no. Blocking GPTBot or ClaudeBot removes you from the answers those assistants give when a homeowner asks for a recommendation in your city. We leave them allowed by default and will block them only if you ask.
NEXT STEP
Talk it through in thirty minutes.
Tell us your trade and your city. We will tell you whether the market is open, what is currently ranking in it, and whether this layer is the one that will move your numbers.