When buyers ask AI who to hire, your business should be the answer.
Your next customer is asking ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Gemini for a recommendation, and getting a short list of names instead of ten links. We find out whether AI names you, show you who it names instead and why, then build the proof that gets you recommended.
Free. Real buyer questions. Results within 2 business days, with screenshots.
What is AI search visibility, and what does SMB Strategy Consultants do about it?
AI search visibility is how often AI tools name your business when a buyer asks who to hire. SMB Strategy Consultants, an Atlanta-based firm serving owner-led service businesses nationwide, provides an AI Search Visibility service. We combine answer engine optimization (AEO) and generative engine optimization (GEO): we test the questions your buyers ask, fix your website, listings and outside proof, and measure how often you are named, cited and called every month.
Buyers stopped scrolling. They ask, and AI answers.
of US consumers used an AI tool like ChatGPT for local business recommendations in the past year, up from 6% the year before.
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026Google users clicked a regular search result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, versus 15% when it did not.
Pew Research Center, July 2025higher organic click-through for sites cited inside Google AI Overviews, even as overall organic clicks on those searches fell 61%.
Seer Interactive, November 2025correlation between brand mentions across the web and AI Overview visibility, compared with 0.218 for backlinks, across 75,000 brands.
Ahrefs, May 2025The takeaway: fewer people click through to websites, so being the business AI names, and the source it cites, is worth more each year. Research on how AI picks sources points the same way: pages with statistics, quotations and cited sources were up to about 40% more visible in AI answers (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024).
AI knowing your name is not the same as AI recommending you.
In November 2026 we ran full baselines on a law firm and a multi-location medical practice, then tested a whole category: Atlanta event and nightlife venues. AI described the businesses correctly when we asked for them by name. When we asked the way a buyer does, without the name, the picture changed.
The gaps were rarely about writing more blog posts. They were dead domains, missing location pages, conflicting phone numbers, no business schema and no presence on the directories AI trusts. That is fixable work, and it is the work we do.
Fixed question sets, run without the business name, ChatGPT and other models, November 2026. Client names withheld. Venue test: 20 buyer questions, GPT-5.5 with web search, Nov 10, 2026.
The four checks AI runs before it names a business
Miss any one and the other three cannot make up for it. Our audit scores all four.
- 1
Can AI find you?
Your site is indexed in Google, Bing and Brave, AI crawlers are allowed in, your text loads without JavaScript, and old domains still forward to you.
- 2
Does a page answer the exact question?
One clear page per service and place, and per common buyer question, with the answer in the first lines. AI lifts answers; it does not dig for them.
- 3
Do other sites vouch for you?
Mentions, reviews and listings on the directories, associations and publications AI already cites for your market. This is where most businesses fall short.
- 4
Do your facts match everywhere?
The same name, address, phone, services and people on every profile. When facts conflict, AI repeats the mistakes or skips you.
One method, built around your buyers' real questions
Audit
We test the real questions your buyers ask, without your name, across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity. Then we crawl your site, check your listings and confirm your lead tracking.
Prioritize
We choose the questions and services most likely to bring qualified business, and show who AI recommends instead and which sources it cites.
Build
We fix access and indexing, write answer and proof pages, correct your business facts and earn mentions on the sites AI trusts.
Verify
We check every change live, rerun the same questions under the same conditions, and track calls and form leads by source.
Compound
Every month we keep what worked, cut what did not and move to the next question. Your scorecard shows the trend.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO gets your pages found. AEO makes them easy for AI to quote. GEO earns the outside proof AI needs before it recommends you. You need all three, and good SEO feeds the other two.
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank pages in search results | Be the answer AI quotes | Be the business AI recommends |
| Where the work happens | Your site and links | Your site: question-first pages, direct answers, tables, schema | Off your site: reviews, directories, associations, press, expert mentions |
| What AI checks | Can it find and crawl you? | Does a page answer this exact question? | Do trusted sources vouch for you, and do your facts match? |
| How we measure | Impressions, clicks, positions | Citation rate: answers that cite your pages | Recommendation rate: answers that name you |
Start with the audit. Keep what works.
Every engagement starts from your own baseline, so the plan fits your market, your site and your buyers. We set scope and price after the free check, with a 90-day first term and month to month after that.
Website SEO & AEO Audit
A full baseline: your AI recommendation rate, who AI names instead and why, technical and listing gaps, and a prioritized 90-day plan. Credited toward Foundation.
Foundation
The fixes that every other step depends on: business fact sheet, schema, AI crawler access, sitemap cleanup, redirect recovery, Google Business Profile and top listings.
Guided
For owners with a team. We run the monthly AI test, set the task list and coach your people through it. They do the work; we keep it on track.
Managed
We do the work: new answer and proof pages, an authority outreach queue, listing fixes, review follow-up, monthly testing and a one-page scorecard.
Authority
For multi-location, regulated or high-ticket firms: more markets and service lines, comparison and cost pages, earned media and competitor monitoring.
Pass-through costs such as press distribution or paid directory listings are only added with your approval, at cost. Our AI bootcamps pair well with Guided for teams who want to do more of the work themselves.
Built for businesses whose buyers ask specific questions
Strong fit
- Law firms, medical and dental practices, home services and trades
- Accounting, consulting and B2B service firms
- Local and regional markets, or a clear niche
- Real proof to show: reviews, credentials, results
- An owner or manager who can approve facts within 48 hours
Not a fit yet
- Chasing broad national questions against major brands
- No real difference from competitors to prove
- No access to edit the website
- Looking for a guaranteed ranking or placement
If the audit shows your questions are not winnable yet, we will tell you, and tell you what would change that.
What we promise
- The work, done in the right order
- The same buyer questions tested every month, so trends are real
- A clear list of why you are or are not named
- Calls, leads and closed business reported by source
What we never promise
- A guaranteed AI placement or ranking
- A set number of calls
- Paid links, fake reviews or listing networks
- Results from one screenshot
Questions owners ask about AI search
What is AI search visibility?
AI search visibility is how often AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Perplexity name your business when someone asks who to hire for what you do. It depends on whether AI can find your site, lift a clear answer from it, see other trusted sites vouch for you and confirm your facts match everywhere.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO helps your pages rank in search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) makes your pages easy for AI to quote: question-first pages, direct answers, tables and schema. GEO (generative engine optimization) earns the outside proof AI relies on when it recommends someone: reviews, directory listings, press and expert mentions. Good SEO feeds both.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT or Google will recommend my business?
No, and nobody honestly can. AI answers change by person, place and day. We promise the work, a fixed monthly measurement on the same questions, honest reporting and a clear list of why you are or are not being named. We judge success by calls and closed business, not by one screenshot.
How long does it take to show up in AI answers?
AI tools usually pick up fixes to your site and listings within 2 to 6 weeks. Earning mentions on trusted outside sites takes longer, so we plan in 90-day cycles and read trends over at least four weeks before changing course. Businesses with little history online should expect 6 to 12 months.
Which businesses is this service a good fit for?
Owner-led service businesses whose buyers ask specific questions: law firms, medical and dental practices, home services, trades, accountants, consultants and B2B service firms. It works best when you have real proof to show, such as reviews, credentials or results, and someone who can approve facts and pages quickly.
Who is this not a good fit for?
Businesses hoping to win broad national questions like "best CRM" against major brands, businesses with no real difference from competitors, and owners who cannot give us access to their website or approve content. If the audit shows your questions are not winnable yet, we will tell you.
What happens in the free AI visibility check?
You give us your website, your main service and your market. We ask AI the questions your buyers ask, without your name, and send you a short summary within two business days: whether you were named, who was named instead and the sources AI cited, with screenshots. There is no obligation.
Do I need a new website?
Usually not. Most gains come from fixing what is already there: forwarding old domains, adding schema, building real location and service pages and correcting your listings. If your site cannot be edited or blocks AI crawlers, we will say so in the audit and quote any rebuild separately.
How do you measure results?
We track four numbers: AI recommendation rate (how often you are named across a fixed set of buyer questions), citation rate (how often your site or a page about you is cited), accuracy of the facts AI repeats and, most important, calls, form leads and closed business by source.
Who does the work?
SMB Strategy Consultants, led by founder Corbin Cook. Our own AI agents handle research, testing, drafting and checking; people handle strategy, relationships, approvals and anything published. Licensed professionals approve legal and medical content before it goes live.
Find out if AI recommends you, or your competitor.
Tell us your website, your main service and where you work. We ask AI the questions your buyers ask and send you what we find within two business days.
- Whether you were named, and for which questions
- Who AI named instead, and the sources it cited
- Screenshots and the next fix we would make
Prefer to talk it through? Book a free 30-minute call.
Get my free AI visibility check
No obligation. We only use your details to send your results and follow up about them.