SEO stands for search engine optimization, but since the explosion of AI, it has evolved into search everywhere optimization. At its core, it’s about getting your business found on major search engines (Google and Bing) and major AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, etc.). You may have seen the term GEO lately. GEO stands for generative engine optimization, the practice of getting businesses recommended in AI search engines. In practice, they’re nearly the same thing.
Think of SEO as owning property in a high foot traffic area versus renting there. When you pay for ads, you are renting your leads. The day you stop paying, the water stops running from the faucet. SEO is building a well. You won’t have water in month one, but by months 6 to 12, leads should be finding your business without you paying to acquire them.
Earn Google’s Trust
When you first make a Google Profile or a website, search engines have no reason to trust you. Google looks at how many clicks your website receives, which puts you in a chicken-and-egg situation: you need clicks to be trusted, but you can’t get clicks when you don’t show up.
The way out is having your website link appear on websites Google already trusts. If you’re a local business, start by getting listed with your local chamber of commerce, the youth teams you sponsor, and your partner vendors, so other sites begin to vouch for you.
Prioritize Conversion on the Website
In an AI world, only two things matter on your website: trust and the action you want visitors to take. To get that result, you need (1) a fast, good-looking website and (2) plenty of proof that you deliver.
If sales are low, look at how much traffic your website receives and how much of it converts. If fewer than 1% of visitors convert, you need to improve your offer, your trust, or both. If you have fewer than 1,000 monthly visits, getting more traffic is priority number one, because you don’t have enough data yet to know whether your offer is good enough.
Gather Customer Reviews
Reviews are the internet’s currency for referrals, so take them seriously, both the good and the bad. Lean into them as a chance to show how you handle the bad experience every business eventually has.
Good reviews should be targeted. Instead of leaving it to the customer to decide what to write, prompt them: “If you enjoyed this order, could you leave a review about what you liked most about the process?” Ask steadily, never in bursts, since bursts can trigger a spam flag.
Understand AI Intent
An AI recommendation is a high-intent digital referral. If you have a Yelp profile, you’re eligible to show up in ChatGPT. If you have a Google Business Profile, you’re eligible to show up in Google and Claude.
Being shown and being recommended are two different things. AI platforms can’t easily tell who is best, so they rely on listicles (lists of the top businesses in a category) and then use reviews to decide who fits each request.
Acquire Backlinks
Backlinks are when another website links to your site, a thumbs-up from someone else on the internet. Most business owners think more links from anywhere is better. You want targeted links that describe your business correctly. Get those, and you can see results with as few as 10 to 20 solid backlinks.
Localize Your Keywords
Use all of the space in your Google Business Profile description, since it helps Google decide which searches your business matches. Low-volume, high-intent searches are often neglected, and that’s where local businesses can outcompete bigger enterprise companies.
Grow Your Business With SEO
Done properly, SEO is a well of leads. It’s often best handled by an AI marketing agency with both AI and SEO experience, because it takes time to implement. While SEO ramps up, supplement it with ads to keep your business growing.
Amir Haider is the founder of AmirGetsLeads, a California marketing agency that specializes in Google and AI search performance.
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