Service · AEO (AI search)
AEO: get named when buyers ask AI who to call
In short: Answer engine optimisation (AEO) is the work of making a business easy for AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to find, understand, trust and recommend. Da Vinci Systems does AEO for real estate and premium brands, starting in Dubai.
Buyers now ask AI who to call
Someone looking for a broker on the Palm, a jet to London or an architect in Dubai increasingly asks an AI assistant instead of scrolling ten blue links. The answer names two or three businesses. If yours isn't one of them, that buyer never sees you.
Google's own guidance is clear that optimising for its AI features is still SEO: crawlable pages, helpful content and accurate structured data. The difference is that AI answers reward clarity. A plain sentence that states what you do, where and for whom is worth more than a beautiful slogan.
Our 20-point AEO checklist
This is the checklist we run on every client site, and on our own.
| Area | What we do |
|---|---|
| 1. AI crawler access | robots.txt allows OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Googlebot, Bingbot and the other answer-engine crawlers. |
| 2. XML sitemap | Every important page listed with a last-modified date and submitted to search engines. |
| 3. Structured data | Organization, Service, Person, Article, FAQ and Breadcrumb markup in JSON-LD. |
| 4. Semantic HTML | Real headings, lists, tables and links, not text baked into images or scripts. |
| 5. Clear page titles | Each title says what the page is about and who it is for. |
| 6. Meta descriptions | A plain summary of each page, written for people and machines. |
| 7. Canonical tags | One official address per page, so signals are not split across duplicates. |
| 8. Indexing errors fixed | Redirects, broken links and blocked pages checked in Search Console. |
| 9. Content in the HTML | Key text is served in the page source, because many AI crawlers do not run JavaScript. |
| 10. Descriptive headings | Headings phrased the way buyers ask questions. |
| 11. Common questions answered | Real buyer questions answered in the first lines of each section. |
| 12. FAQ sections | Short, standalone answers an AI can quote without context. |
| 13. Credible sources cited | Claims linked to primary sources such as Google, OpenAI and official bodies. |
| 14. Author information | A named author with a profile, so content has an accountable expert behind it. |
| 15. Publication dates | Published and updated dates shown on the page and in the markup. |
| 16. Outdated content updated | Prices, facts and screenshots refreshed when they change. |
| 17. Internal links | Service, blog and area pages linked so crawlers understand how topics connect. |
| 18. Original research | Your own data and observations, which AI cannot find anywhere else. |
| 19. Search visibility checked | Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools set up and monitored. |
| 20. Brand mentions off-site | Consistent listings, reviews and mentions on the sources AI tools trust. |
Which AI crawler does what
| Crawler | Owner | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | Whether pages can appear in ChatGPT search answers |
| GPTBot | OpenAI | Model training only, not ChatGPT search |
| Claude-SearchBot | Anthropic | Whether pages can appear in Claude's search answers |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Perplexity search results |
| Googlebot | Google Search, AI Overviews and AI Mode | |
| Google-Extended | Gemini training and grounding, not Google Search inclusion | |
| Bingbot | Microsoft | Bing and Copilot results |
AEO vs SEO
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank on the results page | Be named inside the AI answer |
| Where | Google and Bing results | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews |
| Rewards | Depth, links and speed over time | Clarity, direct answers, structured data, trusted mentions |
| Overlap | Fast, crawlable, helpful pages help both | Fast, crawlable, helpful pages help both |
Frequently asked questions
What is AEO?
AEO, answer engine optimisation, is the work of making your business easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to find, understand, trust and recommend when someone asks who to hire.
Is AEO the same as GEO?
Mostly. GEO, generative engine optimisation, and AEO describe the same goal: being cited in AI-generated answers. Different agencies use different names for it.
What is the difference between AEO and SEO?
SEO gets you ranked on the results page. AEO gets you named inside the AI answer. Most of the groundwork overlaps, so we do both together.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No, and be careful with anyone who does. AI systems choose their own answers. We do the work that makes you the clearest, best-supported choice and show you what changed.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
It's optional. Google says llms.txt is not needed for its AI features and doesn't affect rankings. Some other AI tools may read it, so we add one, but we don't rely on it.
Does structured data help with AI answers?
It helps machines read facts about your business accurately: what you do, where, who runs it and what customers ask. It is not a guarantee, but it removes guesswork.
How do you measure AEO results?
We test the questions your buyers actually ask in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, record who gets named, and track impressions and clicks in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
How long does AEO take to work?
It depends on how often AI crawlers revisit your site and how much trusted coverage you already have. Technical fixes count within weeks; reputation and mentions build over months.
See it on your business first.
Book a 30-minute call. Bring your current website and we'll show you what we'd change, with a free homepage mock-up.
Book a demo