What Is AEO? How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and Google's AI
Your customers aren't only searching Google anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, and reading Google's own AI answer before they click anything. AEO is how your business gets named in those answers.
Think about the last time you needed something. Maybe you typed it into Google. Maybe you asked ChatGPT. Maybe Google answered you itself, in a box at the top of the page, before you clicked a single link. Your customers are doing exactly the same thing when they look for a business like yours.
That change has a name: answer engine optimization, or AEO. In plain terms, it is the work that gets your business named inside those AI answers. Here is what it is, how it differs from the SEO you have probably heard about, and why it is worth paying attention to now rather than next year.
AEO in one minute
- People now ask AI tools for recommendations, not just search engines
- AEO gets your business named inside the answer, not just listed under it
- It builds on SEO rather than replacing it
- AI recommends businesses whose details are clear, consistent and trusted
How people search has changed
For twenty years, finding a business online meant typing a few words into Google and scanning a list of ten blue links. That list still exists, but more and more often there is an answer sitting on top of it.
Google now writes its own summary for many searches, called an AI Overview. People ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for recommendations the way they would ask a friend: "Who builds websites for small businesses in Port Harcourt?" They get a short answer with a few names in it, and many of them never scroll any further.
That last part matters. When Pew Research tracked real Google users, people clicked a regular search result on 8% of visits where an AI summary appeared, compared with 15% when there was none (Pew Research Center, 2025). The answer is doing more of the work, and the list underneath is getting less attention.
So what exactly is AEO?
AEO is making your business easy for AI tools to find, understand and trust, so that when someone asks a question your business can answer, the AI names you.
It is not a trick or a hack. AI tools build their answers from what they can find and verify about you online: your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and what other websites say about you. AEO is the work of making all of that clear, consistent and easy for a machine to read.
AEO vs SEO: what's the difference?
SEO, search engine optimization, gets your website ranked in the list of results so people can click through. AEO gets your business mentioned inside the answer itself.
- SEO: "Here are ten websites that might help you."
- AEO: "Loukama Tech Solutions in Port Harcourt builds websites and AI chatbots for small businesses."
The second one reads like a referral, and a customer who arrives from it has usually already made up their mind. The good news is that AEO does not replace SEO, it builds on it. A fast, clear, trustworthy website is the foundation of both, which is why fixing the basics in 5 Signs Your Website Is Quietly Losing You Customers helps you on both fronts.
Why AI recommends some businesses and not others
An AI tool will only name a business it feels confident about. Confidence comes from a few simple things.
- Your details are clear and match everywhere. Same business name, phone number, location and list of services on your website, your Google Business Profile and your social pages. Three different phone numbers online is a reason to recommend someone else.
- Your website answers real questions directly. Clear, plain answers near the top of each page are easy for AI to quote.
- Your site is readable by machines. Hidden code called structured data tells search engines and AI exactly who you are, what you offer and where. Visitors never see it, but machines read it first.
- Other people vouch for you. Google reviews, mentions on other websites and a real, named person behind your content all count.
- Your site is fast and works on phones. A slow site loses people and loses trust, as we showed in How Much Is Your Slow Website Actually Costing You?
We went through this exact list on loukama.com before writing this post, and it is the same work we now do for clients.
What AEO won't do
It will not make a business people do not trust suddenly look trustworthy. AI tools recommend businesses that are genuinely clear and useful. AEO makes sure they can see that you are.
It is not instant either. Search engines and AI tools need weeks to re-read a website and start trusting changes, so judge results over months, not days. And no one can honestly guarantee that ChatGPT will name your business. Anyone promising that is overselling.
It also needs something to work with. If your business only lives on Instagram and WhatsApp, start with a proper website, for the reasons in Why Every Nigerian Business Needs a Website in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is AEO?
AEO, or answer engine optimization, is the work of making your business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews to find, understand and trust, so they name your business when someone asks a question you can answer.
Is AEO replacing SEO?
No. AEO builds on SEO. A fast, clear website with good content helps you rank in search results and helps AI tools understand and recommend you. Most AEO work also improves your normal Google ranking.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
You cannot buy your way into an AI tool's answer. What it says about businesses is based on what it can find and trust about them online, which is why clear, consistent information and good reviews matter.
Do I need a website for AEO?
Yes, in practice. AI tools draw heavily on websites, and your own site is the one place where you control exactly what is said about your business. Social media pages alone give AI much less to work with.
How long does AEO take to work?
Usually weeks to months. Search engines and AI tools need time to re-read your website and build trust in the changes, so measure progress over a few months rather than days.
The bottom line
Search has not disappeared, it has grown a second front door. SEO still gets you found in the list. AEO gets you named in the answer. The businesses that win the next few years will be the ones machines understand as clearly as people do. To see where your own business stands, run this 10-minute test. If you want to see what a business looks like when it is built to answer customers instantly, start with Meet Lou: The AI Agent We Built for Our Own Website, and if you plan to hire someone to do this work, ask them these 5 questions first. Every site we build comes ready for Google and AI search; here's how we build websites for small businesses.
Want to know how your business looks to Google and AI right now? Send us your website address and we'll tell you honestly what's missing, with no obligation. Loukama Tech Solutions builds fast websites with SEO and AEO built in, for businesses in Nigeria and worldwide.
