The AEO Checklist: How to Get Named by ChatGPT and AI Search

Ask a mate for a plumber and they name one. Ask ChatGPT the same thing and it does exactly that: it names one, maybe two, and moves on. No page of links to compare. Just an answer.

If your business isn’t the name in that answer, you don’t lose in a way you can see. You just quietly stop getting the call. Getting named is what AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) is about, and here is the practical checklist to work through.

1. Answer the real questions, in plain words

AI pulls from content that answers what people actually ask, written the way they’d ask it. Go through the questions your customers ask before they buy: “How much does it cost?”, “How long does it take?”, “Do you service my area?”. Answer each one plainly on your site, in a heading and a short paragraph a person would actually say out loud. Marketing waffle gets skipped. Straight answers get quoted.

2. Add structured data

Structured data is behind-the-scenes markup that spells out who you are, what you do, where you work and what you charge, so the AI never has to guess. At a minimum, mark up your organisation, your services, your location and your FAQs. It is one of the strongest signals you can send, because it removes the guesswork that makes AI hesitate.

3. Make your business details identical everywhere

Your name, address, phone and services should match, character for character, across your website, your Google Business Profile and any directories. Mismatched details make AI unsure which version of you is real, and hesitation means it names someone else. Pick one format and use it everywhere.

4. Earn honest reviews, and reply to them

Consistent, genuine reviews across Google tell the AI you’re the real deal. You don’t need hundreds. You need a steady trickle of real ones, and replies that sound like a human. Ask happy customers at the right moment, and make it easy. Reputation is something AI reads and weighs.

5. Keep the basics solid

A fast, well-structured, mobile-friendly site is easier for AI to crawl, read and trust. If your site is slow or a mess underneath, you make the machine’s job harder. Speed and clean structure aren’t just for Google anymore; they’re table stakes for being quoted.

6. Track where you’re named

You can’t improve what you can’t see. Check where your business gets mentioned across AI tools and search over time. It’s less about a single ranking and more about how often you’re surfaced as the answer. Track it, and you’ll know what’s working.

The honest truth

No one can promise you’ll show up in ChatGPT tomorrow. What you can do is stack the odds: be clear, be structured, be well-reviewed, and be consistent. That’s what gets you understood, and understanding is what gets you named.

If you’d like a hand working out where you stand today, that’s exactly what we do. Our SEO and AI search work is built around getting Australian businesses named by AI, not just found in a list. Start with a free check and we’ll show you how visible you are right now.