AI search optimisation (AEO and GEO)

Every service and sub-service page includes a 50–80 word definition block that answers the core "what is [service]" query in a complete, self-contained paragraph. A clear, direct answer that works without surrounding context is the easiest passage for an AI engine to quote.

Pages that answer the questions your customers actually ask, with real prices, real processes and first-hand detail a competitor cannot copy. Google gives the same advice for AI Overviews as for ordinary search: unique, helpful content written for people. That, not markup, is what gets a page quoted.

Statistics with named sources (Google's own data, published research, Scalepoint client results with context) and quotes from the people who do the work. In a Princeton-led benchmark (Aggarwal et al., KDD 2024), adding citations, quotations and statistics lifted a page's visibility in generative engine answers by up to around 40%. We include them in every substantive content piece, not as padding, but as genuine evidence that strengthens the content's credibility.

AI search engines prefer to cite businesses they can identify as real, established entities. This requires consistent NAP across all web properties, verified Google Business Profile, organization schema, social media profiles linked to the domain, and Wikipedia-level entity signals where achievable. We build entity authority as part of the broader SEO strategy.

AI engines weight content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This means first-person experience claims where relevant ("in our experience managing Google Ads for Manchester plumbers..."), author attribution with credentials, and writing that goes beyond surface-level information to demonstrate genuine domain expertise.

Robots.txt that lets Googlebot and Bingbot (which feed AI Overviews and Copilot) plus GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot and ClaudeBot reach your pages, and a check that your key pages are indexed. Blocking a crawler means that platform cannot use your content, a silent problem most businesses never spot. We also keep Organization, LocalBusiness, Service and FAQPage schema valid and matching the page. Google says you need no special markup or AI files such as llms.txt to appear in AI Overviews, so we treat schema as hygiene, not the lever.

If your customers ask "how much does X cost", "what is the best Y for Z", or "how do I find a good [trade]". These are exactly the queries triggering AI Overviews. Your content needs to be the source AI cites when answering.

AI Overviews increasingly answer local queries, "best plumber in Birmingham", "electrician near me in Leeds", pulling from GBP data, local landing pages, and review content. Local businesses with well-structured content and strong GBP signals are already appearing in AI-generated local answers.

ChatGPT and Perplexity are increasingly used for B2B research. "best SEO agency for small businesses in Manchester", "how do I find a mortgage broker in Birmingham".Professional services businesses with authoritative, well-structured content are being cited in these AI-generated research summaries.

AI Overviews for product and category queries often include specific brand or product recommendations. Ecommerce businesses with detailed, structured product content, genuine reviews, and transparent pricing are more likely to be cited than those with thin product descriptions.