In today’s digital landscape, being discoverable online isn’t just about SEO anymore. It’s about AI-SEO, or optimizing your business presence for artificial intelligence recommendations.
Like when people go to Chat GPT, Gemini or any other AI and ask “Who are the best restaurants in my city” or “who are the best marketing companies in Sydney, Australia“.
26% of search is predicted to move to AI by 2026. The move to AI will accelerate when AI is able to give much better responses than search. Especially to more nuanced questions like “Recommend a local doctor where people have mentioned asking for them specifically”.
Here’s how you can position your business to be recommended by AI models when people ask about your business or businesses like yours.
Grow your Online Presence
The first step is ensuring your business has a strong, consistent and accurate digital presence across multiple platforms where AI models are trained.
If your business is not listed on important services your business will not be in the training data. Even worse, your competitors will be.
Some things you should do are:
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date business profiles on Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and major directories and Niche services
- Keep consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across all platforms
- Regular updates to your website with relevant, high-quality content
- Make sure you are listed on important Industry services as AI models use data from these services over more generic sources. For example, if you are a restaurant be on OpenTable. If you are a Marketing company be on Clutch.co.
- Include as much information in your profiles as possible. Make maximum use of description fields, add your products and your services. Include your awards.
Online Reputation Management
Your Ratings and Reviews are used by AI models to help rank your business against your competitors when asked for a recommendation. Reviews are also a great source of keywords and information on what your customers love about your business. AI models will use your customers feedback in reviews to give users of AI models much more nuanced answers that can be provided by search engines like Google.
For example, If someone asks for “Contractors near me who are known for good prices but praised for high quality jobs”. It’s your review data that will be used to answer these questions.
To enhance your online reputation to get the most from AI you should:
- Actively encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews
- Maintain high ratings on major platforms (Google, Yelp, industry-specific sites)
- Respond professionally to both positive and negative reviews
- Build a portfolio of case studies and success stories
- Encourage users to leave more lengthy reviews that mention employees, services or products
- Setup an automated process to get new reviews every month from real customers
Use Structured Data
AI models love structured data. Make it as easy as possible for AI models to understand your business by telling them exactly what they want to know on your website.
- Implement Schema.org markup on your website
- Include relevant business categories and attributes
- Clearly define your services, specialties, and unique value propositions
- Use as many fields as possible to get your data into training models
Build Content Authority
Establish your expertise through content:
- Create in-depth, authoritative content about your services
- Publish regular blog posts addressing common industry questions
- Maintain active social media presence with relevant industry insights
- Secure mentions and backlinks from reputable industry sources
Data Verification
Ensure your business information is verified across platforms and appear in databases where local businesses are found such as chamber of commerce.
- Register with official business directories
- Maintain professional licenses and certifications
- Join professional associations and chambers of commerce
- Keep all credentials current and publicly accessible
Build Local Relevance
Many people will ask AI for business recommendations near them or in a particular location. You should build your association with this area by building local relevance.
- Create location-specific content
- Participate in local business events
- Build relationships with local media and organizations
- Include geographic-specific keywords in your content
For Example:
Let’s use your example of asking ChatGPT to “recommend the best lawyers in Austin, TX.”
A law firm wanting to be recommended would need to:
- Maintain detailed profiles highlighting specific practice areas
- Showcase awards, peer recognitions, and bar certifications
- Document case success rates and client testimonials
- Create content addressing local legal issues specific to Austin
- Build relationships with local business organizations
- Maintain active participation in Austin legal community events
Technical Optimization
Ensure your technical infrastructure supports AI discovery on your website.
- Fast-loading website
- Clear site architecture
- Regular security updates
- Comprehensive meta descriptions and tags
Future Considerations
As AI continues to evolve:
- Monitor changes in AI recommendation algorithms
- Adapt to new data sources used by AI models
- Stay informed about AI-specific optimization techniques
Action Steps for Businesses
1. Audit your current digital presence
2. Identify gaps in your online authority
3. Create a structured content calendar
4. Monitor and respond to online reviews
5. Regular updates to business profiles
6. Track AI recommendations in your industry
Remember: AI models are designed to recommend the most relevant, reliable, and reputable businesses. Focus on building genuine authority and maintaining accurate, comprehensive information across all platforms.
The key is consistency and authenticity. Rather than trying to “game” AI systems, focus on building a genuine, authoritative presence that naturally positions your business as a top recommendation.
Conclusion
As AI continues to become a primary source for business recommendations, maintaining a strong, verifiable digital presence is crucial. By following these guidelines and regularly updating your digital footprint, you can increase your chances of being recommended by AI models when potential clients seek services in your industry and location.
Remember that AI models are constantly evolving, so staying current with best practices and maintaining authentic, high-quality content will always be the best long-term strategy for visibility in AI recommendations.
This is a rapidly evolving field, so it’s important to regularly review and update your AI optimization strategy to ensure continued visibility in AI-powered recommendations.
myPresences is the leading platform to optimize your business to be found and recommended on AI.
Some of the reasons why include:
- myPresences supports Review Generation, Monitoring and Responding on over 300 review websites
- myPresences is the only listing management platform that supports the important niche services that AI models will get data from
- Our schema.org plugin automatically updates the schema on your website
- We include AI Rank Tracking and AI Presence Management on over 20 top AI models from OpenAI, Google, Meta, X, Anthropic and Perplexity.
Try a free 14 day trial of myPresences to see we can help your business take advantage of the move from Search to AI.
Please request a demo to see more and ask any questions.
