Answer engine optimization
Play Smart. Be the Business AI Recommends.
When Customers Ask AI, Make Sure It Says Your Name.
We help your business get recommended across ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity.
ChatGPT answer
“Who’s the best HVAC repair company in Austin?”
Based on reviews, licensing, and service area, here are the top options:
- 1.Alamo Air Services
- 2.Capitol Comfort Systems
- 3.Hill Country HVAC ← this could be you
- 4.Lone Star Climate Co. ← this could be you
Sources: Google Business Profile, Angi, BBB
Gemini answer
“What’s the best dentist near me for a family in Denver?”
Based on patient reviews, accepted insurance, and family services, here are the top options:
- 1.Cherry Creek Family Dental
- 2.Highlands Dental Studio
- 3.Mile High Smile Care ← this could be you
- 4.Front Range Dental Group ← this could be you
Sources: Google Business Profile, Healthgrades, Yelp
Perplexity answer
“Who are the best freelance web designers in Portland for a small business?”
Based on portfolios, client reviews, and small-business experience, here are the top options:
- 1.Rose City Design Co.
- 2.Bridgetown Web Studio
- 3.Pearl District Creative ← this could be you
- 4.Willamette Web Works ← this could be you
Sources: Clutch, Google Business Profile, Dribbble
Google AI Overview
“What are the best accounting platforms for mid-sized companies in the US?”
Based on feature depth, pricing, and mid-market reviews, here are the top options:
- 1.Ledgerline
- 2.Northbook Accounting Cloud
- 3.Meridian Books ← this could be you
- 4.Clearfold Finance ← this could be you
Sources: G2, Capterra, Forbes Advisor
Four names. If yours isn’t one of them, the conversation ended before it started.
01The shift
Search changed. Most businesses haven’t noticed yet.
For twenty years, being found meant ranking on Google — ten blue links and a decent shot at a click.
That’s not how people search now. They ask an AI and get a direct answer: three or four names, sometimes one.
There’s no page two. There’s no scrolling to find you.
68%
of Google searches now end without a click
SparkToro / Similarweb, 2026
48%
of Google searches now show an AI Overview
BrightEdge, 2026
25%
projected drop in search engine volume from AI chatbots
Gartner, 2024
Your competitors are still optimizing for last decade’s search.
SEO was about ranking in a list of links. AEO — Answer Engine Optimization — is about being the answer itself.
It’s a different job. AI systems don’t rank pages the way Google does. They read what your website says about you, check the sources they trust in your industry, and decide whether to name you.
Most businesses have never checked whether they’re being named. That’s the opening — and it won’t stay open long.
02The cost
Right now, someone is asking AI for exactly what you sell.
It’s naming three businesses.
If you’re not one of them, you didn’t lose to a better competitor. You lost to one AI knows about — and you’re not.
You’d never know it happened. No notification, no missed call, no bounced visit. The customer simply never learned you exist.
Illustrative example
Local HVAC Company
Before
ChatGPT mentions
3/20 prompts
After
ChatGPT mentions
15/20 prompts
AI recommendation rate
+400%
Competitor displacement
#4 → #1
Example prompt
“Who are the best HVAC repair companies in Austin for an emergency AC repair?”
Before
- Alamo Air Services
- Capitol Comfort Systems
- Client
- Lone Star Climate Co.
After
- Client
- Alamo Air Services
- Capitol Comfort Systems
- Lone Star Climate Co.
Citations gained
Google Business Profile · Angi · BBB · Local news
03The upside
Being the answer is worth more than being a result.
When AI names your business, you arrive pre-recommended. Not one option among ten — the one that got mentioned.
- More qualified enquiries. People who arrive already trusting the recommendation.
- Less competition for attention. Three names instead of ten links.
- A first-mover position. Most of your competitors haven’t started.
If people search for what you do, this applies to you.
Solo professionals
Consultants, coaches, freelancers, independent practitioners
Local businesses
Clinics, restaurants, contractors, salons, repair services, studios
Professional firms
Legal, accounting, medical, real estate, engineering
Agencies and service companies
Marketing, IT, design, recruiting, logistics
Brands and online businesses
E-commerce, SaaS, D2C, subscription services
B2B companies
Manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, distributors
Different industries, same question: when AI recommends someone in your field, is it you?
Find your industry →04The audit
The AI Visibility Audit
Your AI Visibility Score
One number out of 100, measured independently by Semrush
The competitors AI names instead of you
By name, with frequency
The questions your customers ask AI
Which ones you appear in, which you're missing
The sources AI trusts in your industry
And whether you're on them
Your AI readiness check
Whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI can read your site
Your priority fix list
5–8 actions ranked by impact
Four weeks. Three deliverables.
01
Your baseline report
Your complete AI visibility picture, delivered within 5 business days. Where you stand, who's beating you, and what to fix.
02
We implement the foundations
We prepare everything ready to deploy: structured data, your llms.txt file, page-by-page fixes written out and ready to paste. Your developer installs it in under an hour — or give us access and we handle it directly.
03
Re-measurement
We run the full analysis again and show you what moved: your score, new mentions, new citations, and where your competitors shifted.
05The proof
Your score. Your proof.
We don’t ask you to trust us. We show you the difference.
Before we start, we measure your AI visibility with AIRankMeter and establish your baseline. After we implement our recommendations, we measure it again. You’ll receive both scores, side by side.
Answeriva · AI Visibility Report
Austin HVAC Co.
Illustrative example
Baseline
AI Visibility Score
46 / 100
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Google AI
After Answeriva
AI Visibility Score
61 / 100
- ChatGPT
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Google AI
Independently measured with AIRankMeter
View AIRankMeter ↗Our commitment: your AI Visibility Score will improve — even if it’s just by one point.
No vague promises. No “trust the process.” Just a measurable before-and-after.
06Start
Find out whether AI is recommending you — or your competitor.
One audit. $499. No contract.
We don’t guarantee rankings — nobody controls what ChatGPT says. We show you where you stand and what to fix. → FAQ
Why us
We don’t optimize for rankings.We optimize for answers.