The AI SEO agency that works by Google's own rules
AI Overviews, AI Mode and ChatGPT read the web, pick a handful of sources and write one answer. Plenty of agencies now sell "GEO" as a new discipline with its own tricks. Google's guide to its AI features says the work that gets you cited is SEO, done well. Below: what that guide says helps, what to ignore, and how we measure it.
Updated
The pitch you'll hear: extra "GEO" work
An llms.txt file for GoogleGoogle ignores itSpecial "AI schema" markupNone existsPages chopped into chunks for AINot neededA paid "AI submission"No such thing
How an AI answer is builtIllustrative
Many sources go in; a few come out as cited links. Google says those answers rest on its core ranking and quality systems.
What Google's guide says counts
- EligibleIndexed, crawlable and allowed to show a snippet
- RelevantAnswers the question and the related searches around it
- OriginalAdds first-hand detail the other sources don't have
What an AI SEO agency should actually do
An AI SEO agency helps your business show up, and get linked, inside AI-written answers: Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus ChatGPT and Perplexity. The useful version of that service is ordinary SEO aimed at a new kind of result page. The less useful version sells special files and markup that Google says it doesn't use.
Google's guide describes two mechanics. The first is retrieval: Google's ranking systems pull relevant pages from its index, and the AI writes its answer from them, linking the ones it relied on. The second is query fan-out: the model runs several related searches at once to cover parts of the question the person didn't spell out.
If your page isn't indexed, can't show a snippet or isn't among the better answers to those related searches, the AI has no reason to cite it. That's why Google calls this SEO, and why we start with the same SEO audit as any campaign.
From Google's point of view, work aimed at its AI features is "still SEO".
Google Search Central, guide to generative AI features on Google Search, last updated 10 July 2026, read 3 October 2026
- after-hours plumber call-out fee
- how to turn off the water main
- 24 hour plumber near me
- what to do while waiting for a plumber
The answer is written from pages that cover those searches well, with links to the ones it used.
Six things Google says lift visibility in its AI features
All six come from Google's guide, in its order. Google says original content will likely matter most over time.
Say something nobody else can
Google contrasts "commodity" content, the generic tips anyone could write, with first-hand knowledge. For a business, that means your prices, your jobs, your local quirks and the questions customers ask you.
Write for the reader first
Clear headings and a page that's easy to follow. Google says there's no ideal length and no need to restyle pages for AI.
Use real images and video
AI answers can show images and video. Good photos of your work, with sensible file names and alt text, give the answer something of yours to show.
Be indexed and snippet-ready
To appear at all, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. Google adds that a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console. Our technical SEO work checks both.
Make the visit worth it
A visitor clicking through from an AI answer should land on a page that loads fast, works on a phone and puts the main content first. Google lists page experience among the basics.
Keep business and product data accurate
AI answers can include local business and product information. A complete Google Business Profile and, for stores, an up-to-date Google product feed help in both AI answers and ordinary results.
Six "GEO" tactics Google says you can skip
These six come from the mythbusting list in Google's guide. If a GEO proposal is built on them, you're paying for work Google says it doesn't need.
llms.txt and AI text files
Google Search doesn't use them. Google says creating one won't help or harm your rankings, though some other services may read them.
Special "AI schema"
Structured data isn't required for AI search and no special markup exists for it. It still earns rich results, so we keep using it.
Chunking pages into fragments
There's no need to cut content into tiny pieces. Google says its systems can find the relevant part of a longer page.
Rewriting copy "for AI"
The systems understand synonyms and meaning, so you don't need every long-tail variant of a phrase on the page.
A page for every fan-out query
Pumping out a page per variation to sway AI answers falls under Google's scaled content abuse policy.
Manufactured brand mentions
Seeding fake mentions across forums and blogs isn't as helpful as it looks, because Google's spam systems sit underneath the AI features too.
Source: Google Search Central, guide to generative AI features on Google Search, section "Mythbusting generative AI search", read 3 October 2026.
ChatGPT, Perplexity and the crawlers behind them
OpenAI and Perplexity document their crawlers, but as of October 2026 neither has published a guide like Google's on how sources are chosen. So we don't claim to know their ranking systems, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
What we can check is access. Each company names the bot that fetches pages for its search results, and one line in robots.txt can shut it out by accident. OpenAI's training bot is controlled separately, so you can appear in ChatGPT search without your content going into training.
Past access, the same work applies everywhere: accurate pages, real expertise, and the same business name and details across the web. Our article on SEO for AI search covers the wider shift for owners.
GooglebotGoogleGoogle Search, including AI Overviews and AI ModeOAI-SearchBotOpenAISurfacing sites in ChatGPT search resultsGPTBotOpenAIModel training, set separately from searchPerplexityBotPerplexitySurfacing and linking sites in Perplexity search, not model trainingSources: OpenAI, "Overview of OpenAI Crawlers"; Perplexity, "Perplexity Crawlers"; both read 3 October 2026.
Five facets of an AI search engagement
These five run inside an ordinary SEO plan rather than a separate product, with AI answers treated as one more place your pages can appear.
Eligibility
Confirm key pages are indexed, snippet-eligible and reachable by Googlebot, OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot.
Question map
List the questions buyers ask around your service, including the related ones an AI would fan out to.
First-hand content
Interview you for the details only your business knows, then build or improve pages around them.
Business details
Bring your Business Profile, listings and product data into line so every source tells the same story.
Measurement
Read Search Console's generative AI report and keep a dated log of answers to your key questions.
The content facet is where most of the hours go, and it relies on you. We'll ask about the jobs you turn down, the mistakes customers make before calling you and what you charge for what. That's the material Google describes as non-commodity, which is why it runs through our content and on-page service.
Two sources of truth, and no made-up scores
The first is Search Console's Generative AI performance report, Google's own data on how your content does in its AI features. The second is a plain monthly log: we ask the main AI tools your buyers' questions and note if you're named, linked or absent.
Prompt log · example layoutIllustrative
There's no "AI visibility score" here. Answers change between runs and between users, so a percentage built from a few dozen prompts looks precise without being reliable, and Google says no third-party tool can see its ranking or AI systems. We report what we saw, when, and what changed on your site in between.
Three things owners notice first, and what to check
Usually it's one of these: an AI answer has your details muddled, clicks have dipped, or you're wondering whether to shut AI out. Each has a check you can run yourself before paying anyone.
An AI answer lists the wrong hours, prices or services
There's no form for correcting a language model. The answer was assembled from what the web says about you, so fix the sources it read. Put hours, service areas and starting prices in plain text on your own site, not only in an image or a PDF, then make your Business Profile, directory listings and social profiles match.
Do this: search your business name in AI Mode and ChatGPT, note each wrong detail, find which page or listing says it, and correct that page. Re-check a month later.
Rankings look fine, but clicks from Google have dropped
Open Search Console's Performance report and compare a recent three months with the same months last year. If average position is steady and impressions are up but clicks are down, mostly on "how to" and "what is" searches, an AI answer is probably satisfying the question on the results page. Pew Research found people clicked a normal result on 8% of visits that showed an AI summary, against 15% without one (US data, July 2025).
Do this: judge the drop by calls, forms and bookings, not sessions, and put effort into pages that answer buying questions: price, timing, suitability, area.
Should I block AI from using my pages?
Google lists nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet and noindex as the controls for what Search shows from your pages, and they apply to its AI features too. The catch is that they also trim your ordinary search snippets. Google-Extended is a separate control for AI training and grounding in some of Google's other systems; it doesn't take you out of Search.
For most small businesses, blocking costs visibility and gains little. Publishers with paywalled or licensed content are the usual exception.
Sources: Google Search Central, "AI features and your website" (updated 10 December 2025, read 5 October 2026); Pew Research, short read published 22 July 2025.
Part of every plan, not an add-on
Since the work is SEO, it sits inside our normal plans. All three are billed monthly with no lock-in, and the pricing page lists what each one includes.
A local business that wants its Business Profile and core pages in shape for AI answers.
Regular first-hand content built around the questions buyers ask across a city.
Several locations, an online store with product data, or a crowded market.
The services AI search leans on most:
AI SEO and GEO, answered
What is an AI SEO agency?
An AI SEO agency helps a business appear and get linked in AI-written search answers, such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search and Perplexity. Google says this work is still SEO, so a good one improves your content, technical health and business details rather than selling special AI files.
Is GEO the same as SEO?
From Google's side, yes. Its guide says work aimed at generative AI search is work on the search experience, so it's still SEO. GEO is a handy label for the goal of being cited in AI answers, but the methods that work are SEO methods.
What is the difference between GEO, AEO and SEO?
SEO is the umbrella. AEO, answer engine optimisation, usually means aiming for direct answers such as featured snippets. GEO, generative engine optimisation, means aiming for citations in AI-written answers. Google treats both as part of SEO, and our SEO glossary defines the related terms.
How do I rank in Google AI Overviews?
Make sure the page is indexed and can show a snippet, then make it the most useful, original answer to the question and the related ones around it. There's no separate ranking for AI Overviews; Google says they're rooted in its core ranking and quality systems.
How do I get my business cited by ChatGPT?
Check that robots.txt doesn't block OAI-SearchBot, the crawler OpenAI uses for ChatGPT search results. Beyond that, OpenAI hasn't published how it picks sources, so the safe route is accurate pages, consistent business details and genuine expertise on your site.
What is llms.txt, and do I need one?
It's a proposed text file that lists a site's key content for AI tools. Google states that Google Search ignores llms.txt, so it won't help or hurt you there. Some other services may read it; if you'd like one for them, it's a small job, but it isn't a strategy.
Someone offered to get my business into AI answers for a setup fee. Is that real?
Ask exactly what the fee pays for, in writing. Google says there are no extra requirements or special optimisations for appearing in AI Overviews or AI Mode, so a fee for "submitting" you to them buys nothing Google asks for. If the work turns out to be fixing pages, listings and robots.txt access, that's ordinary SEO and should be priced like it.
Does structured data help with AI search?
Not directly. Google says structured data isn't required for its AI features and there's no special schema for them. It's still worth using because it makes pages eligible for rich results in ordinary search.
How long does AI SEO take to show results?
On the same clock as other SEO, because the AI answers draw on the same index. Google's starter guide says some changes take effect within hours and others take several months. We set expectations after the audit, once we know where your site starts.
Do you offer AI SEO services across Australia?
Yes. Boltly is based in Melbourne, so we're an AI SEO agency in Melbourne in the literal sense, but we work with businesses anywhere in Australia. Everything runs by email, phone and video call.
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Find out if AI answers can see you
The free audit starts with whether your key pages are indexed and readable.