AI Search Optimisation — AEO & GEO
AI Search Optimisation: Dominate the Generative AI Landscape (GEO & AEO)
AI Is Answering Your Customers' Questions. Is Your Business in the Answer?
When someone asks ChatGPT “which digital marketing agency in Melbourne should I trust?” — the business cited in that AI answer wins the lead. No ad spend. No click required. Just presence in the AI answer layer — and NexIT builds that presence for you.
- ✓GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) — gets your business cited by name inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot answers.
- ✓AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) — wins Google Featured Snippets, People Also Ask boxes, Voice Search answers and AI Overviews.
- ✓Together — they capture the audience shift from blue links to AI-generated answers — the biggest change in search since 2004.
Traditional SEO vs AEO vs GEO — Know the Difference
Three strategies. One goal: maximum visibility wherever your customers search.
Traditional SEO
Targets Google’s 10 blue links
- ● Keyword rankings
- ● Backlink building
- ● On-page optimisation
- ● Click-through from SERP
AEO
Targets Google’s Answer Layer (Position 0)
- ✓ Featured Snippets
- ✓ People Also Ask
- ✓ Voice Search answers
- ✓ Google AI Overviews
GEO
Targets AI-Generated Answers
- ★ ChatGPT & Perplexity
- ★ Google Gemini
- ★ Microsoft Copilot
- ★ Voice AI Assistants
Our 6-Pillar AI Search Optimisation Framework
Every NexIT GEO/AEO engagement implements all six pillars simultaneously — partial optimisation doesn't move the needle.
Answer-First Content
Every page section opens with a 40–60 word direct answer that AI engines can extract and cite verbatim.
Schema Markup
FAQPage, Service, Organization, LocalBusiness and Article schema on every target page — the hard requirement for AI citation.
Entity Building
Consistent NAP across 20+ Australian directories, a verified GBP, and named expert profiles that AI can identify and trust.
Third-Party Citations
Mentions on Clutch, DesignRush, GoodFirms and Australian business media teach AI engines to trust your brand.
GBP & Local Signals
Verified Google Business Profiles for both NexIT offices, with keyword-rich descriptions, photos and regular GBP posts.
Content Freshness
AI engines favour recently updated pages. We embed a quarterly content refresh programme into every AEO engagement.
The 5 AI Citation Signals NexIT Builds
Answer-First Content Structure
Every section opens with a 40–60 word direct answer to the heading’s question. AI engines extract and cite the first 1–2 sentences — so we make them complete and quotable before expanding the explanation.
Complete Schema Markup
FAQPage, Service, Organization, LocalBusiness, BreadcrumbList, and Article schema on every relevant page. Schema is a hard requirement for AI citation in 2026 — not optional.
Entity Building
Consistent NAP across GBP, LinkedIn, Clutch, and 20+ AU directories. A verified Google Business Profile. Named team members with expert quotes. Entity recognition is what makes AI confident enough to name you.
Third-Party Citations
AI learns from where else you’re mentioned. We build citations on Clutch, DesignRush, GoodFirms, Australian business press, and guest articles — being named on trusted sites is how you get pulled into AI answers.
Fresh, Specific Content
Most AI citations come from pages updated in the last 6–12 months. Original data, hard statistics, and named methodologies boost AI visibility measurably — we build original research into every content programme.
Why is NexIT the right partner for AI search?
NexIT is one of the only Australian agencies that has built AEO and GEO into a named, structured service. We don’t talk about AI search in blog posts while continuing to run the same link-building playbook from 2018. We build answer-first content, FAQPage schema, entity signals, and llms.txt files on every client site — and on our own site, so you can evaluate the results before hiring us.
AI Search Optimisation — Questions Answered
Is GEO/AEO the same as SEO?
No — but they work together. SEO targets blue-link rankings in Google search results. AEO targets Google’s featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and AI Overviews. GEO targets citations inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and other AI assistants. All three are organic channels, and all three are strengthened by the same underlying work: high-quality content, schema markup, authoritative citations, and technical site health.
How long does it take for GEO to produce results?
First AI citations typically begin appearing 6–12 weeks after properly structured pages are indexed — faster than many SEO results because AI engines crawl frequently and reward freshness. Consistent citation across multiple AI platforms takes 3–6 months as entity signals build up. NexIT tracks AI visibility monthly across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude so you can measure progress.
What is llms.txt and should my website have one?
llms.txt is an emerging web standard — a plain-text file at your site’s root that tells AI crawlers exactly what your business does, who you serve, and where to find key information. It’s modelled on robots.txt but designed for large language models rather than search engine bots. NexIT adds an llms.txt file to every client site as a baseline GEO signal. It’s free to add and is increasingly referenced by AI research crawlers as they index the web.
What AI engines does NexIT optimise for?
We optimise for the four AI engines that currently drive meaningful commercial traffic: Google AI Overviews (integrated into Google Search), ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity AI, and Google Gemini. We also monitor Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft Copilot. Each engine has different citation preferences — we apply a unified strategy that works across all of them because it’s based on the same fundamentals: authoritative, structured, fresh, entity-rich content.
How does NexIT measure AI search visibility?
Each month we run your 30 most important queries through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews and record whether your business is cited, named, or linked. We track share-of-voice against your main competitors across each AI engine. This gives you a clear month-on-month picture of AI visibility growth — something most agencies aren’t even tracking yet.
Find Out If Your Business Appears in AI Search
Book a free AI visibility audit — we'll check your current AI search presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Gemini, and identify exactly what needs to change.
Or call us: 1300 899 259
Frequently Asked Questions — AI Search Optimisation (AEO & GEO)
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?
AEO optimises your content to be directly cited by AI engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and voice assistants — when users ask questions. The goal is to be the answer, not just appear in a list of blue links.
How is GEO/AEO different from traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO targets Google's blue-link rankings. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO target AI-generated answers and conversational search responses. As AI search grows, brands that are cited by AI engines capture attention that bypasses traditional search results entirely.
How long does it take to see results from an AEO strategy?
AI citation patterns can shift within 4–8 weeks of targeted content optimisation. Building sustained authority to be consistently cited across multiple AI engines typically takes 3–6 months.
Can smaller Australian businesses compete for AI search citations?
Yes — AI engines prioritise authoritative, well-structured, and factually accurate content over domain size alone. Deep niche expertise and clear entity-building are significant advantages, even for smaller businesses.
What does a full AEO strategy involve?
Structured data markup (FAQ, HowTo, Speakable schemas), entity-building, authority content in a question-and-answer format, citation acquisition from trusted Australian sources, and ongoing monitoring of AI search citations — all tailored to your specific industry.