Get found by Google. And by AI.
People used to find a plumber by typing into Google. Now half of them ask ChatGPT, Siri, or their phone's assistant instead. Your site needs to win both. Here is what that means, and exactly what we build into every SiteLyncs site to make it happen.
01 What is SEO?
SEO - Search Engine Optimization - is the practice of making sure Google can find your business when someone searches for what you offer. A well-optimized site ranks higher in the results, which means more people find you without you paying for ads.
02 What is AEO? And why does it matter more now?
AEO - Answer Engine Optimization - is the newer version of SEO, built for a world where people ask ChatGPT, Google AI, Siri, or Alexa instead of typing into a search bar.
Picture a customer holding their phone and saying: "Hey Siri, who's the best plumber in St. Albert?" They don't get a page of ten blue links. They get one answer. A direct recommendation. AEO is what decides whether your business is the name the assistant says out loud.
That is a completely different game from ranking on Google. Google shows a list and lets the person choose. An AI assistant picks for them. If the assistant doesn't understand your business clearly, you don't get mentioned. There is no second place.
Here is the part most business owners don't know yet. Most web companies haven't caught up. They're still building sites the old way, optimized only for the search box. We build AEO into every site from day one, so when an AI is asked about businesses like yours, it has a clear, accurate picture of who you are.
The shift is simple. Search engines used to send people to your door. Now AI assistants decide whether to recommend you at all. Being the answer is worth more than being on the list.
03 What it actually means in practice
You don't need to understand the technical side. Here's what we're actually doing, in plain English:
- We structure your site so AI systems can read it clearly and don't have to guess.
- We tell search engines exactly what your business does, where you serve, and what questions you answer.
- We create a dedicated file called llms.txt - a plain-language briefing document that AI crawlers read to understand your business. Think of it as a one-page summary handed straight to ChatGPT about who you are and what you do.
04 What we do at each tier
Every plan gets the foundation. The higher plans go deeper, especially on the AEO side. Here's the breakdown.
Get Found
- Sitemap - a list of all your pages that we submit to search engines automatically, so nothing gets missed.
- robots.txt - instructions for crawlers that tell them what to index and what to skip.
- llms.txt - a plain-language briefing file that AI crawlers read to understand your business.
- Schema markup - structured data that tells Google you're a local plumbing business, not just a page that happens to contain the word "plumbing".
Build Authority
- Everything in Starter, plus the items below.
- Deeper schema - structured data for every service you offer, every FAQ, and your reviews, so Google understands the full shape of your business.
- Search Console verification - we connect your site to Google's own tool so you can see how you show up in search.
- AEO-structured content - pages written and formatted the way AI assistants prefer to read and quote them.
- Internal linking - your pages link to each other in a way that helps both Google and AI see how your services connect.
Dominate Local Search
- Everything in Pro, plus the items below.
- llms-full.md - a comprehensive document for AI systems with full service descriptions, all your FAQs, every location you serve, and a review summary. When an AI assistant is asked about businesses like yours, this is what it draws from.
- IndexNow - every time your site changes, we notify search engines immediately instead of waiting for them to come back and check.
- Speakable schema - structured data that marks your content as suitable for voice assistants to read aloud.
05 Why this matters right now
AI search is changing how people find local businesses faster than most realize. A year ago, almost nobody asked an assistant for a contractor. Now it's normal.
Getting ahead on AEO today compounds. The site that AI assistants already understand and trust keeps getting recommended, while everyone else scrambles to catch up. Every SiteLyncs site is built this way from the first line of code, not bolted on later.
Want to see how it fits with the rest of what we build? Read about what's on every site, how we handle security, and why page speed matters for getting found. Or see real before-and-after rebuilds.
AEO goes deepest on the Pro and Premium plans. If getting recommended by AI assistants is the goal, those are the two to look at.