In short: more and more customers ask ChatGPT or Perplexity "what's the best [trade] near me" instead of typing the question into Google. These tools answer by drawing on your reviews, your up-to-date Google listing and content that clearly answers common questions. No one pays to appear in an AI answer: you simply make yourself easier to cite. Here's how a local business goes about it.
Two years ago, the question "best electrician near me" almost always ended up in a Google search. Today, a share of those questions land in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Copilot instead. What comes back doesn't look like a list of ten blue links: it's a written answer, sometimes naming two or three businesses. Being one of those names is what's called AEO (answer engine optimization), SEO's cousin for the age of AI assistants.
Why it matters now
Habits are shifting fast. A customer who asks a question out loud to their phone, or types a full question into a chat window, expects a direct answer, not a list to sift through. If your business doesn't have the information an AI needs to cite it with confidence, it will recommend the next one that does.
This isn't a fad that's going away. And unlike an ad campaign, visibility in an AI answer can't be bought directly: it's built with the same ingredients as a strong Google listing, just cared for more closely.
How an AI decides who to recommend
Models like ChatGPT or Perplexity don't have your business memorized. For a local, time-sensitive question ("a plumber open Sunday in Trois-Rivières"), they look for up-to-date information: your Google listing, your reviews, your website, sometimes directories. Three things come up again and again:
- Rating and review volume. A strong rating with dozens of recent reviews is a trust signal that's easy to cite.
- Consistency of information. Name, address, hours, phone number. If these don't match between your website and your Google listing, the AI hesitates to recommend you with confidence.
- Content that directly answers a question. A page that clearly states "we offer this service, in this area, at roughly this price" is easier to cite than a page that only talks about your business in general terms.
Reviews remain the heaviest signal
If you only worked on one thing, it should be your Google reviews. They do double duty: they convince a human customer comparing two options, and they give an AI a clear, dated, verifiable text about what you actually offer. A business with 80 reviews at 4.6 stars, replied to regularly, has a clear edge over a competitor with 12 unanswered reviews, for a human customer and for a language model alike.
An up-to-date Google listing matters more than you'd think
Accurate hours, a precise category (not just "business," but "dental clinic" or "general auto repair"), recent photos, a description that names your services in plain words. None of it is sophisticated, but it's often neglected once the initial setup is done. A listing that hasn't moved in two years sends the wrong signal, even if the business itself is doing just fine. Regular Google Business posts are the easiest way to keep it moving.
Content that answers real questions
The content that helps most isn't a sales pitch. It's a clear answer to a question a customer actually asks: "how much does a drain clog cost to clear," "do I need an appointment for a dental cleaning," "are you open Saturdays." A page, or even a section, that directly answers that kind of question, in plain language, with a number or a clear answer, is exactly the kind of content an AI can cite with confidence.
What you don't control
Let's be honest: no one can guarantee a spot in an AI answer, any more than anyone can guarantee the top spot on Google. Models change, criteria evolve, and two equally good businesses can get different results. What you control is the quality and freshness of the basic ingredients: reviews, listing, content. The rest follows more often than not.
How to get started
The most reliable starting point is the same as for classic local search: up-to-date reviews, a complete listing, and content that answers real questions. It's also what helps you measure what a missed call on the phone actually costs you: visibility, like the phone, translates directly into calls and appointments when it's working.
Bottom line
Getting recommended by an AI isn't mysterious: it rests on the same foundation as a strong local reputation, with a little more discipline around freshness and clarity of information. No one can guarantee a result, but tending to your reviews, your listing and your content remains the most reliable thing we know of today.
Meerkly helps local businesses in Quebec respond to their reviews and build their visibility, including with AI answer engines. See your free reputation score or call Milo at +1 450 600-9090.