AI search optimization is the work of getting a business named and cited in AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Dye Media, a Tennessee agency based in Smyrna, does it with clear answer-first pages, connected schema markup, AI crawler access, consistent listings and monthly prompt testing.
AEO, GEO and SEO: what's the difference?
They overlap, and most businesses need all three. The difference is what you are trying to win.
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stands for | Search engine optimization | Answer engine optimization | Generative engine optimization |
| The goal | Rank in Google's blue links and map pack | Be the direct answer: featured snippets, AI Overviews, voice answers | Be named and cited inside ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot answers |
| What the engine wants | Relevance, links, a fast and crawlable site | A short, quotable answer near the top of the page | Confidence about who you are, from your site and from the rest of the web |
| How you measure it | Search Console rankings, clicks and calls | Snippet and AI Overview appearances | Repeated prompt tests, and AI referral traffic in GA4 |
More on that in AEO vs SEO: what actually changes.
What we actually do
- Test where you stand. We ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI the questions your customers ask (best X in your city, who does Y, what is your business) and record whether you are named, where, and which sources it used.
- Open the doors. Make sure robots.txt and your host are not blocking AI crawlers like GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot. It happens more often than you would think.
- Write answer-first pages. Every important page gets a 40 to 60 word answer near the top that a model can quote as-is, plus real FAQs written the way buyers ask.
- Connect the schema. One linked graph per page: your organization, people, services, locations and FAQs, so engines are certain the business on your site is the same one on your listings.
- Publish llms.txt. A plain-language summary of the business and a full-text version of the site, generated from the same data as the pages.
- Fix your footprint. AI answers lean heavily on Google Business Profile, review sites and the directories each industry trusts. Your name, services and website have to match everywhere.
- Re-test every month with the same prompts, so progress is measured, not guessed. AI referral traffic gets its own channel in GA4. See how to track AI search traffic.
We test it on ourselves first
dye-media.com is built with the same method we use for clients, and we track it the same way. In a ChatGPT test on October 21, 2026, asking which Tennessee agencies do AI search optimization, Dye Media was named third out of eight. The aim is first, and we will keep publishing how it goes.
Who it's for
Any business whose customers ask before they buy: medical and dental practices, law firms, real estate agents, home services and contractors, B2B companies and e-commerce brands. Local businesses gain the most, because AI tools are increasingly where people ask who to call in their town.
Where we work
We are based in Smyrna, Tennessee, and work with businesses in Nashville, Memphis, Smyrna, Murfreesboro, Franklin, across Tennessee, and nationwide. AI search work runs entirely online, so location does not limit it.
Questions we get
What is AI search optimization?
It is the work of getting your business named and cited in answers from AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. It overlaps with SEO but adds answer-first content, connected schema, AI crawler access and consistent listings across the web.
What is the difference between AEO and GEO?
AEO (answer engine optimization) aims to make your content the direct answer, as in featured snippets and AI Overviews. GEO (generative engine optimization) aims to get your business named inside conversational AI answers like ChatGPT. Most of the work serves both.
Can you guarantee my business will be recommended by ChatGPT?
No one can honestly guarantee that, because AI answers change and draw on many sources. What we can do is remove the reasons an AI tool would skip you, strengthen the signals it relies on, and test the same prompts every month so you can see the trend.
How long does AI search optimization take?
Technical fixes and on-site changes can be picked up within weeks once pages are recrawled. Being named consistently for competitive questions usually takes a few months, because it also depends on listings, reviews and mentions elsewhere on the web.
Do I still need SEO if I do AEO and GEO?
Yes. AI tools lean on the same web that search engines index, and Google's AI Overviews draw from pages that already rank. Good SEO is the foundation the AI work is built on.
Do you work with businesses outside Tennessee?
Yes. Dye Media is based in Smyrna, Tennessee, and has clients in all 50 states. AI search optimization runs online, so it works the same wherever you are.