Answer Engine Optimization

Your customers stopped searching. They started asking.

AI Search Visibility Audit: Get Cited When Customers Ask AI

When someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI who to trust, the engine gives one answer. You are either in it or you do not exist. AEO is the work of becoming the answer.

$2,500 Β· Delivered in about 10 business days

We track our own AI visibility weekly and publish the scoreboard below. Ask any other agency to do the same.

The Shift

SEO got you ranked. AEO gets you quoted.

A growing share of buyers start their research by asking an AI instead of scanning ten blue links. The answer engines do not show a page two. They synthesize one response, cite a few sources, and move on.

That changes the job. Traditional SEO optimizes to be listed. Answer engine optimization structures your content, your schema, and your presence across the web so AI systems can extract you, verify you, and name you. A site can rank #1 and still be invisible in the answer above the results.

There is no second page in an AI answer. You are cited, or you are absent.
The Backstory

The market was not ready. Now it is bleeding.

In early 2024, Josh built a project called AEO Masters and offered a simple AI search visibility report. Almost nobody bought it. The pain of being invisible to AI assistants was theoretical. Business owners were still focused entirely on traditional Google rankings.

Then Google rolled out AI Overviews, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search, and the pain arrived all at once. Traffic dropped, and customers began showing up quoting recommendations from generative engines that favored competitors.

We run this exact optimization engine on ourselves. We pull multi-engine visibility data weekly, monitor Search Console for extraction rates, and maintain a strict queue where a human approves every structural fix. AEO is not a magic prompt; it is a technical discipline. We built the audit because you need a clear baseline before you change anything on your website.

The Receipts

We rank ourselves before asking for your trust.

Our own AI visibility, from our own tracked query set, measured continuously across four engines. Every client gets this same scoreboard.

πŸ” Perplexity

100%

cited in every tracked query

πŸͺŸ Copilot

100%

cited in every tracked query

πŸ€– ChatGPT

20%

our brand appeared in 20 percent of the tracked queries

πŸ”΅ Google AI

Tracking

monitoring now live

Figures from our continuously tracked query set. AI answers vary by phrasing, location, and time; that is exactly why we measure instead of promise.

The Audit

What we actually measure.

Multi-engine answer test

We run discovery queries and branded queries across five major AI engines to measure exactly how often you are recommended and in what position.

Method: Position-weighted scoring via helpers/aiEngineClients and helpers/llmVisibility, plus coverage data via helpers/otterlyApi across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Copilot, and Gemini.

AI crawler access

We check whether your site accidentally blocks the bots that feed these engines, keeping you invisible by default.

Method: Verification of allowed and blocked bot lists for GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, and Google-Extended via otterlyApi.fetchOrRunCrawlability.

Entity and schema audit

We review your business data footprint to ensure AI systems can clearly read and verify your name, phone, address, and core services.

Method: Entity-graph validation ensuring a single Organization node, NAP consistency, sameAs profiles, and valid Service and FAQ markup mimicking GlobalSchemaMarkup.

Answer-shaped content audit

We grade your page content on how easily an AI can extract direct answers, looking for clear question headings and structured response blocks.

Method: Scoring technical, structure, metadata, and content readiness via otterlyApi.fetchOrRunContentAudit, checking for llms.txt and extractable blocks.

Competitor answer leaderboard

We show you exactly which competitors the engines recommend instead of you and the sources they cite to justify those answers.

Method: Citation gap analysis and leaderboard generation via llmVisibility.buildCompetitorLeaderboard.

The Fix Plan

We provide a prioritized, page-by-page list of exact changes to make, ranked by their expected impact on your AI visibility.

Method: Typed fix queue generation matching our internal seoFixProposer and seoFixDetectors, complete with a recorded baseline for future re-tests.

This page practices what it sells. Answer-first paragraphs, question-led structure, FAQ and Service schema validated in the rendered code. Ask an AI about answer engine optimization in Phoenix in a few months and see who it cites.

The Process

How the audit works.

01

Baseline

We run the query set and record exactly where you stand today.

This establishes the undeniable starting point before any fixes are applied, giving us a true benchmark to measure against.

02

Diagnose

We expose the technical and structural reasons you are missing from the answers.

We audit your crawler access, schema markup, content structure, and competitor citations to locate the exact friction points.

03

Fix Plan

We hand you a prioritized, copy-paste ready action list.

Every fix is detailed with the exact title, meta description, heading, FAQ, and schema code required to improve your extraction rate.

04

Re-test

We re-run the exact same queries against the baseline.

After fixes are applied, we measure the delta to prove impact and queue up the next tier of optimizations as the engines shift.

The Deliverable

Written Audit + Fix Plan document plus a 45 minute walkthrough call with Josh.

AEO vs Traditional SEO

FocusTraditional SEOAnswer Engine Optimization
What winsBacklinks and domain authorityDirect answers and entity credibility
Unit of successRanking position and clicksMentions and verified citations
How you find outSearch console trafficPrompt testing and citation tracking
The fixMore keywords and long articlesSchema markup and extractable facts
Feedback timeMonths to move rankingsWeeks to update AI indexes

Pricing and Engagement

AI Search Visibility Audit + Fix Plan

$2,500 one-time

Delivered in about 10 business days. Written Audit + Fix Plan document plus a 45 minute walkthrough call with Josh.

AI Visibility Monitoring

$750/month add-on

It is optional but recommended. AI engines and competitors shift constantly. The monitoring retainer re-tests your query set regularly, tracks the changes against your baseline, and queues new fixes as the landscape evolves.

Free Brief vs. Paid Audit

Free Brief

A one-engine Perplexity snapshot that tells you whether there is a problem at a high level.

Paid Audit

A deep audit across five engines covering branded and discovery queries, crawler access, schema, page-level content scoring, competitor citations, and a comprehensive fix plan with a re-test baseline.

Powering growth for brands in Phoenix and across the US

Google PartnerSEMrush Agency PartnerThe PorchGrubIQd'Lite FranchisingValley FulfillmentDemko OrthodonticsCelebrity SkincareMonarch Auction and Estate ServicesBuzza CafeEffortless ShedE&S OrthodonticsSea Glass Bistro & Lounge

"I had no idea how many people were bypassing Google entirely until we saw the citation gap. The audit made it obvious what we had to change."

A Good Fit

  • Businesses with strong traditional SEO looking to capture AI search traffic.
  • Companies with verified reviews and an established local footprint.
  • Owners willing to make structural changes to their website code and content.

Not a Fit

  • Brand new businesses with no digital footprint or reviews.
  • Anyone looking for a guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend them.
  • Businesses unwilling to update their website structure or copy.
Start Here, Free

Get the free baseline snapshot.

Not ready for the full audit? Our free intelligence report runs real AI visibility tests on your business to give you a high-level view of where you stand.

Get Your Free Competitive Intelligence Brief

Enter your business info and we'll generate a custom report showing exactly how your competitors are winning online β€” and how to beat them.

No credit card. No sales call required. Report delivered instantly.

Apply for the AEO Audit

Find out exactly why AI engines are ignoring you and what it takes to fix it. We review every application personally to ensure you are a fit before moving forward.

The AI Search Visibility Audit + Fix Plan is $2,500, delivered in about 10 business days. Submitting this application does not charge you.

FAQ

Asked and answered.

What does the audit include and what does it cost?

The audit costs $2,500 one-time. It includes a multi-engine visibility test, crawler access check, entity and schema review, content structure audit, competitor leaderboard, and a prioritized fix plan, all delivered in a written document and a 45 minute walkthrough call.

How long does it take?

We typically deliver the completed audit and fix plan in about 10 business days from the moment we begin.

How does this differ from the free brief?

The free brief is a simple snapshot on one engine to show you if a problem exists. The paid audit tests five engines extensively, analyzes your code, scores your content, tracks your competitors, and gives you the exact blueprint to fix the gaps.

Can you guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend me?

No, and no agency can. AI engine answers are non-deterministic, and no platform sells guaranteed inclusion. We measure your current visibility and apply the structural improvements that provenly increase your chances of being extracted and cited.

What do you need from me to start?

We need your core website URL, your primary business category, the main cities you serve, and your top three competitors. We handle all the crawling and testing from the outside.

What happens after the audit?

You can hand the Fix Plan to your development team to implement, or you can hire us to apply the fixes directly if your platform allows it. Once applied, we recommend monitoring the results.

Do I need the monitoring retainer?

It is optional but recommended. AI engines and competitors shift constantly. The $750/month monitoring retainer re-tests your query set regularly, tracks the changes against your baseline, and queues new fixes as the landscape evolves.

Be the answer, or be absent.

Find out which one you are today. Get the audit and the fix plan to capture the new wave of search.

Answer Engine Optimization | Phoenix born, works anywhere AI answers questions