What Is AI Search Optimisation?
AI search optimisation is the work of making your business easy for AI tools to find, understand, trust and recommend. When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode a question like "who's a good accountant near me?" or "best supplier for steel sections in the North West", you want your business in the answer, with a link.
You'll also hear it called generative engine optimisation, GEO SEO, answer engine optimisation (AEO) or AI SEO. The names differ, but the goal is the same: improve your AI visibility, so generative engines mention and cite you rather than a competitor.
It sits alongside traditional search, not instead of it. Google search results still drive a lot of enquiries for most SMEs. AI search adds a second place to be seen, and the two increasingly overlap.