Search in 2026 isn’t just ten blue links. People ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, and get a synthesised answer with a handful of citations. If your business isn’t in those answers, you’re invisible to a fast-growing slice of buyers.
Optimising for this is called AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). It overlaps with classic SEO but adds a few new moves.
Write answers, not just pages
Answer engines lift concise, self-contained passages. Lead each section with a clear, quotable one- or two-sentence answer, then expand. FAQ blocks with direct questions and direct answers are gold.
Make your entity unmistakable
AI models build a picture of “who you are”. Consistent name, address and phone number everywhere, a proper Organization schema with a stable identifier, and links to your real social profiles all help the model connect the dots and trust you.
Structured data does double duty
Schema.org markup — Organization, Service, FAQ, Breadcrumb — helps both Google’s rich results and the language models that read structured data to understand context.
Let the AI crawlers in
Check your robots.txt isn’t blocking GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot or Google-Extended. You can’t be cited by a crawler you’ve locked out.
Earn real mentions
Models weight brands that are talked about across the web — directories, reviews, guest articles and genuine PR. Being referenced elsewhere is the new backlink.
How Sumit Brands can help
We build the on-page structure, schema and entity signals that get you found by Google and the answer engines alike. Our SEO and visibility service is built for exactly this — with clear, fixed-price quotes and our no-fix, no-fee promise on emergencies.
Want a hand? Message us on WhatsApp for a free, no-obligation diagnosis, or call +61 481 199 624. We work with businesses on the Gold Coast and worldwide.
