When Google's AI answers the question, be the business it names.
More and more Birmingham searches now start with an AI answer at the top of Google — and that answer cites a handful of businesses. We do the work, documented by Google itself, that makes yours one of them. Some agencies sell this as GEO (generative engine optimization) or AEO (answer engine optimization). Google calls it SEO, and so do we — measured, so it is a number in your report, not a promise.
There is no secret AI trick. Google says so in writing.
A whole industry sprang up overnight selling "AI optimization" — special files, special markup, special content formats. Google publishes documentation on exactly how pages appear in AI Overviews, and it kills every one of those products.
What the documentation actually requires: your page must be indexed, eligible for a snippet, and good enough to be worth citing — because the AI features run on the same ranking systems as the rest of Google. That is work we already know how to do, and it is why this is built into every SEO plan instead of sold as a separate mystery.
Google's own words
- "The best practices for SEO continue to be relevant because our generative AI features… are rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems."
- "You don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, markup, or Markdown… as Google Search itself doesn't use them."
- "Structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there's no special schema.org markup you need to add."
- "You don't need to write in a specific way just for generative AI search."
Source: Google Search Central — AI features and your website — read it yourself.
How we get a business cited
Four steps, all of them from Google's documentation rather than a guru's thread.
Eligibility audit
A page can only be cited if Google can index it and show a snippet of it — that is the documented entry requirement. We check crawling, indexing and snippet controls across your site so nothing quietly disqualifies you.
Answer-first pages
AI answers quote pages that answer the question directly, in plain words. We put the straight answer at the top of every page we build — one job, one town — and keep the facts current.
The same ranking work
Google’s AI features run on its core ranking systems, so the map listing, the pages and the reviews still decide who gets cited. No shortcuts exist; the fundamentals are the mechanism.
Citations measured
Google Search Console reports when your pages appear in generative AI results. That number goes in your report next to the phone calls, month after month.
AI search visibility is included in every SEO plan — from $395/mo. It is not an upsell, because the work that earns AI citations is the SEO.
AI search, without the fog.
Can you guarantee my business shows up in AI Overviews? +
No — nobody can, the same way nobody can guarantee a #1 ranking. Google decides what its AI cites, query by query. What we control is everything Google says matters: being indexed, being snippet-eligible, and having the page that answers the question best. Then we measure whether the citations actually happen.
Is this different from SEO? +
Google says it plainly: its AI features are "rooted in our core Search ranking and quality systems." The work that earns AI citations is the same work that earns rankings — done with AI answers in mind: direct answers high on the page, facts kept current, nothing blocking the snippet. That is why this is included in every SEO plan rather than sold as a separate mystery service.
Do I need special AI files or markup on my site? +
No. Google's documentation says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files, or special markup to appear in its generative AI features — Google Search doesn't use them. If an agency is charging you for llms.txt files or "AI schema," you are paying for something Google has said in writing does nothing.
How do I know if it is working? +
Google Search Console reports when your pages appear in generative AI results. Those numbers go in your monthly report next to the phone calls. If the citations are not coming, you will see that too — we do not report activity and call it an outcome.
What about ChatGPT and the other AI tools? +
Different systems pull from different sources, and only Google publishes documentation and measurement for its own. We optimize for Google first because that is where your Birmingham customers actually search, and it is the only platform where the result is measurable rather than a story.
Ask Google's AI about your trade in Birmingham. Who does it name?
We will run your searches, show you what the AI says today, and tell you honestly what it would take to change it. You keep the answer whether or not you hire us.