For about twenty years, SEO had a simple goal: get onto page one of Google, ideally the top three, and collect the clicks.
That goal still matters, but it’s no longer the whole job. Someone looking for a physio, a guesthouse or an accountant today might read an AI summary at the top of Google and never scroll, have a back-and-forth with Google’s AI Mode, ask ChatGPT for a shortlist, search on TikTok or YouTube, or, yes, click a normal Google result.
Each of those works a little differently. This guide covers what has changed, what the new acronyms mean, and the approach we take with clients.
What has changed
Google answers before it sends anyone anywhere
AI Overviews now appear at the top of a large share of searches, especially questions and research-type searches. They pull information from several websites and show a handful of source links. One industry study this year found them on the large majority of business-related searches it tracked.
That’s convenient for searchers and costly for websites. Pew Research found people clicked a traditional result in about 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, against about 15% when there wasn’t one.
AI Mode turns search into a conversation
AI Mode goes further: a conversational answer instead of a list, with room for follow-up questions. Google said at its I/O conference in May that it had passed a billion monthly users, and it’s widely available, including in South Africa.
The questions people ask there are longer and more specific. Where someone once typed “physio Cape Town”, they now ask “which physio in the southern suburbs is good with running injuries and open on Saturdays?”. The businesses that get named are the ones whose information clearly answers that kind of question.
AI assistants have become word of mouth
ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of weekly users, and “who should I use for…” is one of the most common things people ask it. With search switched on, it reads live web pages and recommends a few businesses, usually with links.
Those recommendations carry weight because they feel like advice rather than adverts. Adobe’s data this year suggests visitors arriving from AI tools convert better than average, which makes sense. By the time they click, they’ve already been told you’re a good fit.
Search happens everywhere
Younger customers search on TikTok and Instagram. Shoppers research on YouTube. B2B buyers read LinkedIn and Reddit threads. “Search” is no longer one box on one website.
What hasn’t changed
The fundamentals matter as much as ever. AI tools build their answers from web content, and the pages they lean on are largely the ones search engines already consider relevant and trustworthy. A business with a weak website, inconsistent details and no reviews won’t suddenly be recommended by ChatGPT.
The acronyms
You’ll see three terms used, often loosely.
SEO, search engine optimisation, is making your website rank in search engines: technical health, relevant content, links from other sites, and a strong Google Business Profile for local businesses. It’s still the foundation.
AEO, answer engine optimisation, is structuring content so it can be lifted straight into an answer: featured snippets, AI Overviews, voice assistants. Clear questions, direct answers, well-organised pages.
GEO, generative engine optimisation, is about being visible and recommended in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Mode. It depends less on one page ranking and more on whether AI tools understand and trust your business across many sources.
In practice these aren’t three separate services. They’re layers of one job: being the most findable, understandable and trusted option for the questions your customers ask. There’s a fuller comparison in SEO vs AEO vs GEO.
How AI tools decide who to mention
Nobody outside Google or OpenAI knows the exact recipe, but testing and published research point the same way. AI tools favour businesses that are:
- Easy to verify, with the same name, address, phone number and services on the website, Google Business Profile, directories and social profiles.
- Clearly described, with a page per service explaining what it is, who it’s for, where it’s offered and what it costs.
- Well reviewed, with a steady flow of recent, genuine reviews.
- Mentioned elsewhere, by industry bodies, local media, directories and community discussions. Reddit is one of the most-cited sources across AI platforms.
- Specific, with content that answers real questions directly, with facts and figures.
- Current, keeping information up to date and publishing regularly.
Nothing there is a trick. It’s much the same list that good customer service would produce: be clear, be consistent, be well thought of.
How we approach it
This is the order we work in with clients. You can use it as a checklist.
1. Fix the foundations. Make sure the website loads fast on a phone and has nothing blocking search engines, your name, address and number are identical everywhere online, the Google Business Profile is complete and active, and the site has structured data (schema) describing the business, its location and its services.
2. Build a clear page for every service and location. The most common gap we see is one vague “Services” page trying to cover everything. Each important service needs its own page that says what it is, who it’s for, where you offer it, how it’s priced and what customers usually ask.
3. Write answer-first content. If the question is “How long does physio for a sprained ankle take?”, answer it in the first paragraph, then explain. Short paragraphs, clear headings, lists and tables where they help, and figures with their sources. That makes content easy for AI tools to quote and easy for people to read. We go into this in how to write content that AI tools quote.
4. Build topical authority. One article doesn’t make you an authority on a subject. A connected set does: one in-depth guide supported by several focused articles that link back to it. Ten useful articles on your specialism will do more than a hundred thin ones.
5. Earn mentions beyond your website. AI tools look for consensus, so it matters what other credible sources say about you. Get listed on relevant industry and local directories, be visible in your professional bodies, earn coverage in local and trade media, and keep reviews coming in on Google and on the platforms your industry uses.
6. Measure what matters now. Rankings and traffic still count, but they miss part of the picture. We also track whether the business is named when we ask AI tools the questions its customers ask, traffic arriving from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, growth in people searching the business name, and, most importantly, enquiries and revenue. Your website traffic dropped but your leads didn’t explains why that last point matters more than ever.
By industry
The principles hold everywhere. The priorities shift.
Medical and allied health practices. Patients ask very specific questions: “Which GP near me is open on Saturdays?”, “Which dentist in Umhlanga accepts Bonitas?”. AI tools can only recommend you for what they can verify, so put hours, medical aids, services, languages and booking options on the website and Google profile. Patient education content helps, and all of it needs to stay within HPCSA advertising rules, which happen to favour exactly this kind of clear, factual information.
Tourism and hospitality. Travellers plan with AI: “What should we do on the Garden Route with teenagers?”, “Dog-friendly places to stay near Knysna with a pool?”. The businesses that get named usually have strong reviews across Google and travel platforms, listings on tourism sites, and pages that spell out the experience, location, duration, price and who it suits. Seasonal content (“things to do in Plett in December”) helps too.
Online stores. Shoppers ask AI tools to compare products and suggest options within a budget. That relies on clean product data: descriptions, specifications, prices, stock, delivery and reviews. Well-built product feeds and product schema matter more than they used to, and category pages that explain the differences between options are more likely to be cited than ones that just list them.
Professional services. For attorneys, accountants and consultants, AI tools lean heavily on expertise: detailed service pages, articles answering real client questions, named authors with credentials, and mentions by professional bodies and trade media. Someone asking “which attorney in Joburg handles cross-border estates?” wants a specialist, so be specific about what you do and don’t do.
A 90-day plan
If this feels like a lot, here’s a sensible order.
Month one: foundations. Run a technical check of the website (speed, mobile, indexing, security). Find and fix every inconsistency in your business details online. Complete your Google Business Profile. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode ten questions your customers would ask, and write down who gets named. That’s your baseline. Set up proper conversion tracking and an AI referral report in Google Analytics.
Month two: pages. Create or rewrite a page for each core service or product line, add FAQs based on real customer questions, add structured data, and start a steady, guideline-friendly way of asking for reviews.
Month three: authority. Publish your first cluster: one in-depth guide and three or four supporting articles. Get listed on the directories that matter in your industry. Offer one story or expert comment to local or trade media. Then rerun the AI test and compare it with your baseline.
After that it’s about consistency: publishing, earning mentions and keeping information current.
What to stop doing
Some tactics were already weak. Now they waste money.
- Publishing large volumes of generic AI-written content. AI tools already know the generic answer, so they look for sources that add something.
- Stuffing keywords into pages or into your Google Business Profile name.
- Buying links or reviews. Google is actively penalising both, including pausing reviews on offending profiles.
- Chasing a single ranking while ignoring the enquiries it does or doesn’t bring.
- Relying on one channel when search now spans Google, AI tools and social platforms.
For South African businesses
There’s an opening here. Many South African businesses, especially local and specialist ones, still have thin websites, inconsistent listings and no content plan. Local questions are where AI tools are most likely to name a specific business, and competition for those answers is often lighter than in bigger markets. Businesses that sort out their foundations, service pages and reputation now are well placed to be the ones recommended.
A good first step is knowing where you rank today. Our free keyword ranking scan checks the searches that matter to your business by hand. If you’d also like to know what ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Mode say about you, get in touch.
Common questions
Is SEO dead because of AI? No. AI tools build answers from web content and lean on the same signals SEO has always valued: relevance, quality and trust.
What’s the difference between SEO and GEO? SEO is about ranking your website in search results. GEO is about your business being mentioned and recommended in AI answers. They overlap heavily, and the best results come from doing both.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT or Google’s AI answers? Not in ChatGPT’s recommendations. Google is introducing ads in and around its AI features, but organic AI visibility has to be earned.
How do I know if AI tools recommend my business? Ask them the questions your customers would ask, and note who gets named. Then check Google Analytics for visits referred by AI tools.
How long does it take? Fixing listings and your Google profile can help within weeks. Content, reviews and mentions build over months, much like traditional SEO.
Related reading: SEO vs AEO vs GEO · Your website traffic dropped but your leads didn’t · How to write content that AI tools quote · Does your website need llms.txt? · Is ChatGPT recommending your competitors?
