Guide
AI optimization guide
The full guide with demos: technology, content, reputation and tracking.
AEO optimization, or AI optimization, for businesses
68%
of Google searches ended without a single click (SparkToro)
That is why AEO optimization, also called AI optimization, matters. It used to be said that “if your website isn’t on Google, you’re invisible”. Today even that is not enough.
Happy clients since 2012
What does AEO mean?
AEO, or AI optimization, is the work that gets AI to find your business, understand it correctly and put it in its answer.
When a customer asks ChatGPT, Google’s AI, Copilot or Perplexity for advice, they get a ready answer. Your business can appear in it in three ways:
- Mention: your business’s name is in the answer.
- Recommendation: the AI puts you first among the options and says why.
- Source: the answer links to your site, and the customer gets there in one click.
The same thing goes by several names: AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), LLM optimization and AI optimization.
Try it: the demo goes through the levels by itself. Pick a level and see how the same answer changes.
More in the guide: what AI optimization is.
The same question, four levels. AEO work lifts a business from one level to the next. Kampaamo Kulma and its competitors are made up.
What’s a good hair salon in central Tampere?
My top recommendation is Kampaamo Kulma:
- Kampaamo Kulma You On the corner of Keskustori, Tampere’s central square. Prices from €29, online booking.
- Hiusstudio Kaisla Specializes in coloring, good reviews on Google.
- Parturi Veitikka Men’s haircuts without an appointment on weekdays.
- Kampaamo Sointu A hair salon and a beauty salon in one place.
- Sources:
- kampaamokulma.fi
- Google Business Profile
Level 3/3 Source
The answer links to your site, and the customer can book in one click. This is what AEO aims for.
AEO or SEO?
AEO extends SEO, it does not replace it. The goal and the measure differ, the foundation is the same.
Google’s own guide says the same: optimizing for AI search is still SEO. When an AI answers a current or local question, it looks for information through a search engine.
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | A ranking in the search results | A mention and a recommendation in the AI’s answer |
| Where it shows | Google’s and Bing’s results | ChatGPT, Google’s AI, Copilot and Perplexity |
| What people ask | A search term: “hair salon tampere” | A whole question: “which hair salon in Tampere is good with curly hair?” |
| What is judged | The whole page | Single passages that answer the question |
| What weighs | Content, technology and links | The same base, plus what others say about you |
| The result shows as | Clicks and rankings | Mentions, often without a click |
| Tracking | Search Console and rankings | The same questions to the AI every month |
In common: both need a page the search engine can find. That is why AEO is built on top of SEO.
Try it: switch the view between the search engine and the AI.
More in the guide: AI optimization and SEO.
Switch the view: a search engine shows a list, an AI gives an answer. Kampaamo Kulma and its competitors are made up.
hair salon tampere
- 1. Hiusstudio Kaisla Coloring and haircuts in Tampere | Hiusstudio Kaisla Specializes in coloring, good reviews on Google.
- 2. Kampaamo Kulma kampaamokulma.fi You Hair salon in central Tampere | Kampaamo Kulma Haircuts, coloring and shaves on the corner of Keskustori, Tampere’s central square.
- 3. Parturi Veitikka Men’s haircuts without an appointment | Parturi Veitikka Men’s haircuts without an appointment on weekdays.
- 4. Kampaamo Sointu Hair and beauty salon in Tampere | Kampaamo Sointu A hair salon and a beauty salon in one place.
You compete for A ranking
A search engine shows a list of pages. The customer compares and clicks, and you compete for a place on the list.
Why AEO pays off now
Customers ask AI more and more, and search visibility alone does not make sure you show up there.
- AI is already used on a huge scale. ChatGPT has more than 900 million weekly users according to OpenAI. Google’s AI Overviews have more than 2.5 billion monthly users according to Google.
- About one search in five already happens in AI. Graphite’s study put the AI assistants’ information seeking at 22% of all information seeking worldwide in late 2025 and 15% in the United States. There is no such figure for Finland.
- Most searches end without a click. SparkToro’s study found that 68% of US Google searches ended without a single click in early 2026. When Google shows an AI summary, people click a result almost half as often: 8 times in a hundred searches instead of 15 (Pew Research Center 2025).
- Search visibility alone reaches only the clicked searches. When the answer stays on the results page or with an AI, your business shows only if the answer mentions it.
Try it: switch between search visibility alone and AEO and see how much of information seeking each reaches.
More in the guide: why AI optimization matters now.
All information seeking in the United States as one pie. Switch and see how much of it search visibility alone reaches.
- Search ends in a click 27% You show if you rank at the top
- Search ends without a click 58% Not necessarily shown
- AI assistants 15% Not necessarily shown
You reach Clicked searches only
Search visibility brings visitors only from searches that end in a click: at most 27% of all information seeking. When the answer stays on the results page or with an AI, you are not necessarily in it.
Sources: Graphite 2026, SparkToro 2026. Worked out from two studies based on Similarweb data (United States, late 2025 and early 2026). Clicks include ads and Google’s own services. There are no figures for Finland.
What my own site tells me
AI reads my site a lot, but still sends few visitors.
I follow my own site in its server log. In the week of 29 Oct – 4 Nov 2026:
- 2,013 requests came from AI robots.
- Three in four collected data for AI training. Search bots, which bring pages into AI answers, made 16%.
- 2 visitors came from AI assistants.
What I learned: the answer is often enough for the person asking, and they do not click. That is why AEO is measured by whether the answers mention your business, not by visitor numbers.
Try it: switch the view: what the robots did and how many visitors came.
My own server log, 29 Oct – 4 Nov 2026. Switch the view: what the robots did and how many visitors came.
2visitors from AI assistants
Robot requests 2,013
Visitors from AI assistants 2
On the same scale, two visitors are a barely visible line.
How many visitors 2 visitors
AI reads a lot but sends few visitors: the answer is often enough for the person asking. That is why AEO is measured in mentions, not visitors.
1. Let AI bots into your site
AEO is done in six parts. First, the AI has to be able to read your site.
AI companies read pages with bots, and a company often has several:
- A search bot collects pages for the AI’s search.
- A user bot fetches a page when someone asks the AI to read it.
- A training bot collects text to train language models.
You can refuse training and still show up in AI answers. Many sites block the bots without knowing it, through an old robots.txt rule, a plugin setting or a firewall. Also check that your key information is on the page as text: many AI bots do not run JavaScript.
My free SEO test (in Finnish) checks these for you, and it includes a test for AI agents: it tells you whether agents can read and use your site.
Try it: switch the search bot between blocked and allowed and see what the AI answers.
More in the guide: the robots.txt tool, JavaScript, images and PDFs.
The same question with ChatGPT’s search bot blocked and allowed. Kampaamo Kulma is made up.
kampaamokulma.fi/robots.txt
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: / User-agent: GPTBot Disallow: /
What’s a good hair salon in central Tampere?
I recommend Kampaamo Kulma. It is on the corner of Keskustori, Tampere’s central square, and you can book online.
- Sources:
- kampaamokulma.fi
- Review site
Search bot allowed A source
With the search bot let in, the AI can use you as a source. You can still block a training bot such as GPTBot.
2. Structured data: tell machines who you are
Structured data removes the guesswork: a machine gets your business’s details without room for doubt.
Structured data is a summary of your business added to the page’s code, usually as JSON-LD in schema.org’s vocabulary. Without it, a machine works the details out from the text, and opening hours can hide in a picture. State at least:
- the type of business, its name and address
- opening hours and price level
- links to the business’s other profiles.
It is no shortcut into the answers: Google says its AI features need no special structured data, while Microsoft recommends it.
Try it: switch structured data on and see which details a machine gets right for certain.
More in the guide: the structured data tool, llms.txt.
The same page without and with structured data: which details a machine gets right for certain.
What a machine knows for certain
- Type of businessHair salon (HairSalon)
- NameKampaamo Kulma
- AddressEsimerkkikatu 1, 33100 Tampere
- Opening hoursMon–Fri 9–18, Sat 10–16
- Pricesfrom €29
- Websitekampaamokulma.fi
With structured data Certain 6/6
Structured data states the same facts without room for doubt. The guide’s tool writes the code for your own business.
3. Find out what your customers ask AI
SEO starts with keywords, AEO with questions.
People ask AI in whole sentences and include what matters to them: price, location, timing or a special need. That is why one search term hides dozens of questions. You find them:
- in customers’ messages and calls
- in Google’s “People also ask” box
- in Search Console’s long searches phrased as questions.
Answer every important question on your site. If the answer is missing, the AI recommends whoever has it.
Try it: switch from the search term to the questions and see what one search term hides.
More in the guide: question research.
One search term, and the same needs as questions, the way people ask an AI.
The same need, asked of an AI
- How much is a haircut in Tampere?
- Is the salon open on Saturday?
- Does the salon cut children’s hair too?
- Can I get a haircut today?
- Is the hairdresser good with curly hair?
- What is the best hair salon in central Tampere?
Questions 6 questions
People ask an AI in whole sentences: price, opening hours, whether it suits them. Answer every important question on your site.
4. Answer at once, in passages that stand on their own
An AI picks passages from a page, not the whole page.
Microsoft’s guide says AI answers pick content in pieces and favour clear, self-contained wording. So:
- Answer first. A passage’s first sentence answers the question.
- The passage makes sense alone. Write “a women’s haircut at Kampaamo Kulma costs €39–49”, not “it costs €39–49”.
- Evidence. In the GEO study (Princeton University et al., 2024), expert quotes, statistics and sources raised visibility by 27–41%, and repeating keywords lowered it.
Try it: a customer asks what a women’s haircut costs. Switch between before and after and see what the AI can quote.
More in the guide: answer at once, figures, sources and experience, prices and comparisons.
A customer asks an AI what a women’s haircut costs at Kampaamo Kulma. The same price on the page, written two ways.
A women’s haircut at Kampaamo Kulma costs €39–49. The price depends on the length of your hair.
You can book online.
“A women’s haircut at Kampaamo Kulma costs €39–49.”
- Sources:
- kampaamokulma.fi
After Quotable
The answer is the paragraph’s first sentence, and it makes sense on its own. An AI can quote it as it is.
5. Business details and reputation: what others say about you
An AI does not take your own site’s word for it: it compares what others say about you.
An AI checks business profiles, directories, reviews, news stories and forums. The work goes like this:
- The same details everywhere. Make your own site, Google Business Profile, Bing Places and directories match. Conflicting opening hours make the AI answer unsure or wrong.
- Reviews. Ask happy customers for a review and ask them to say what you did. Stars alone tell the AI nothing.
- Mentions. In Ahrefs’ study (75,000 brands, 2025), mentions on other sites were more strongly linked to visibility in Google’s AI Overviews than links (0.66 vs. 0.22). It is a correlation, not proof of cause.
Try it: switch from conflicting details to the same ones and see how the answer changes.
More in the guide: business details, reviews, mentions.
Saturday’s opening hours in three sources: first different, then the same.
Is Kampaamo Kulma open on Saturday?
Yes. Kampaamo Kulma is open 10–16 on Saturdays.
- Sources:
- kampaamokulma.fi
- Google Business Profile
- Business directory
The same details A sure answer
When the details are the same everywhere, the AI answers with confidence. Reviews and mentions on other sites strengthen the picture.
6. Track whether AI recommends you
The answers vary, so the results are tracked regularly and as a share.
Make a list of 10–20 questions your customers ask and ask them of the main AIs once a month. Write down:
- whether your business is mentioned, and in which place
- whether the answer links to your site
- which competitors are mentioned
- whether the details are correct.
Ask the same question several times: the better measure is the share, in how many answers out of ten you are mentioned.
Try it: switch from one answer to ten and see why the share tells more.
More in the guide: track the answers, AI traffic in Analytics, wrong information.
The same question once and ten times.
Is Kampaamo Kulma mentioned?
- ✓Mentioned
- –No
- –No
- ✓Mentioned
- –No
- ✓Mentioned
- –No
- –No
- ✓Mentioned
- –No
A made-up example.
Ten answers Mentioned 4/10
The better measure is the share: in how many answers out of ten you are mentioned. Ask the same questions once a month.
Do AEO yourself, or have it done?
You can do much of it yourself. Get help when the work goes into your site’s code or settings.
You can do these without technical skills:
- finding the questions and writing the answers on your site
- making your business details match
- asking for reviews.
You need a developer for robots.txt and the firewall, content built with JavaScript, structured data and analytics filters.
Try it: tick what you have done and filter what you can do yourself and what needs a developer.
Check off what’s done. Filter what you can do yourself and what’s worth getting help with.
Want me to do AEO for you?
AEO is part of the Coding SEO Consultant: €760 a month, typically 8 hours of work a month. No start-up fee, and you can cancel any time.
Monthly service
Coding SEO Consultant
€760 /month
Typically 8 hours a month. Prices exclude VAT.
A monthly service in which I take care of your SEO and AI optimization, your website and Google Ads.
No start-up fee. Cancel any time.
Need only one thing? Custom quote
The price includes
- Search engine optimization New content and fixes every month.
- Website maintenance and development Server, domain, updates, security, backups and technical support.
- Google Ads Campaign management and optimization. The ad budget is paid straight to Google.
- A check-in meeting every month We look together at how your marketing went and what to do next.
How the work goes
- Free check. A 60-minute Google Meet call: we look at whether AI answers mention your business today.
- The foundation. Bots let in, the sitemap and structured data in order.
- Answers and reputation. Answers on your site, business details made to match.
- Tracking. I typically do 8 hours of work a month. Once a month we look together at whether you are mentioned and what to do next.
Who is AEO for?
AEO pays off especially when customers ask for advice, prices or comparisons before they buy: service businesses, local businesses and experts.
SEO is still the foundation: if search engines cannot find your site, AI usually cannot either.
Need only one thing? Ask for a custom quote
Who does the work?
I’m Tapio Kauranen, an SEO consultant and WordPress developer in Finland. I’ve run my own business since 2012.
I do the work myself, code included: structured data, robots.txt, firewall rules and page templates are code. When something stops AI from reading your site, I fix it instead of leaving it in a report.
AEO optimization FAQ
What is AEO?
AEO, Answer Engine Optimization, means optimizing a site so that AI finds your business, understands it correctly and puts it in its answer.
The same thing is also called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and LLM optimization.
Is AEO the same as AI optimization?
Yes. AEO, GEO and AI optimization are names for the same work: getting a business into AI answers.
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO aims for a ranking in the search results, AEO for a mention and a recommendation in the answer.
The foundation is the same: if search engines cannot find your site, AI usually cannot either. That is why AEO is built on top of SEO.
Can you buy a place in an AI answer?
No. You influence the answer through what your site and the rest of the web say about your business.
How fast do results show?
It depends on where the AI gets its information. When it uses web search, it reads your site at the time of the search, so fixes can show sooner than in knowledge held in the model’s memory.
I promise no mentions or places: AI answers vary from one time to the next.
How are the results tracked?
I ask the AIs the same questions every month and note whether your business is mentioned, in which place and whether the details are right.
The answers vary, so one answer tells little. That is why I ask the same questions several times and of several AIs. I also follow visitors from AI assistants, though there are still few of them.
Should I allow AI bots?
Bots that serve search and users’ questions are worth allowing, since they lead to answers: for example OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User, Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User, PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User.
Whether to allow training bots such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot and Google-Extended is your call. Blocking them usually does not keep you out of the answers of AIs that use search.
Check your firewall too: Cloudflare’s defaults, for example, can block the bots even when robots.txt allows them.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
No. None of the big AI services has said it uses the file, and Google’s guide says Google Search does not. robots.txt and the sitemap are what count.
Is AEO for small businesses?
Yes. People ask AI about small and local businesses much as they would ask a neighbour: what is a good service around here.
For a small business, getting into the answer often comes down to the basics: one clear answer on the site, correct business details and the bots let in.
How much does AEO optimization cost?
AEO is part of the Coding SEO Consultant: €760 a month, typically 8 hours of work a month. No start-up fee. Prices exclude VAT.
Can I do AEO myself?
Yes. Start by asking AI what your customers would ask, and test your site with my free SEO test (in Finnish). It includes a test for AI agents too.
The AI optimization guide has step-by-step instructions, with a demo beside every section.
What is the free check?
A 60-minute Google Meet call. We look together at how your site shows up on Google and in AI answers today, and what to do next.
Then you decide whether to do the work yourself or have me do it.
Read more and do it yourself
Free guides to get you started without me.
Guide
SEO: a beginner’s guide
The basics AEO is built on.
Service
Technical SEO
The technology that lets bots in and brings the content out.
Service
SEO services in Finland
AEO’s foundation: being found on Google.
Service
Coding SEO Consultant
SEO, your website and Google Ads for one monthly price.
Booking
Free SEO check
A 60-minute Google Meet call about your site.
Let’s start with a free check
We look together at how your site shows up on Google and in AI answers today, what gets in the way and what I would do.
Free SEO check
A 60-minute Google Meet call. Then you decide whether to do the work yourself or ask me for a quote. No hard sell, I promise.
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