Google AI Overviews appear in approximately 45% of Google searches. ChatGPT and Perplexity are answering questions that used to lead to a search results page. Being ranked is no longer enough — your content needs to be the source these AI engines cite when your customers ask their questions.
AI Search SEO — also called Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) or Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) — is the practice of structuring content to be cited and surfaced by AI-powered search tools including Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT with search, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini. Unlike traditional SEO where the goal is a position on a results page, AI SEO aims to have your content extracted and cited directly in AI-generated answers — appearing as the source when someone asks "who is the best plumber in Essendon" or "what does an electrician cost in Melbourne." Research by Princeton University (KDD 2024, studying Perplexity.ai at scale) identified the specific content signals that increase AI citation probability. Scalepoint implements all of them as a standard part of every content deliverable.
AI Overviews launched globally in 2024 and now appear in approximately 45% of Google searches — reducing clicks to websites by up to 58% for queries where they appear. This is not a future concern; it is happening now. The businesses whose content is being cited in AI Overviews are getting brand awareness and authority signals even when users do not click. The businesses whose content is being bypassed are losing visibility they may not even be tracking. Simultaneously, ChatGPT's user base now exceeds 200 million weekly active users, and Perplexity is growing rapidly as an alternative to Google. The search landscape is fragmenting across AI engines and traditional results. Scalepoint optimises for all of them.
of Google searches now show an AI Overview — the majority of informational and commercial queries trigger AI-generated answers
higher visibility in AI search for content with cited statistics (Princeton University, KDD 2024 — Perplexity.ai at scale)
more likely to be cited in AI search via third-party sources than via your own domain — making brand mentions and PR links doubly important
AI engines do not rank pages — they extract passages. The content that gets cited is content structured to be extracted cleanly, with sufficient authority signals that the AI trusts it as a credible source.
Every service and sub-service page includes a 50–80 word definition block that answers the core "what is [service]" query in a complete, self-contained paragraph. This is the primary format AI Overviews extract from — a clear, direct answer that works without surrounding context.
FAQPage JSON-LD schema on every service page, suburb page, and blog post — matching the natural language questions your customers ask. FAQ sections with schema are one of the most reliably cited content formats in Google AI Overviews and Perplexity.
Statistics with named sources (Google internal data, Princeton University research, Scalepoint client results with context) increase AI citation probability by 40% according to Princeton's GEO research. We include cited statistics in every substantive content piece — not as padding, but as genuine evidence that strengthens the content's credibility.
AI search engines prefer to cite businesses they can identify as real, established entities. This requires consistent NAP across all web properties, verified Google Business Profile, organization schema, social media profiles linked to the domain, and Wikipedia-level entity signals where achievable. We build entity authority as part of the broader SEO strategy.
AI engines weight content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This means first-person experience claims where relevant ("in our experience managing Google Ads for Melbourne plumbers..."), author attribution with credentials, and writing that goes beyond surface-level information to demonstrate genuine domain expertise.
Robots.txt configuration to allow GPTBot (ChatGPT), PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended (Gemini/AI Overviews), and Bingbot (Microsoft Copilot). Blocking any of these bots means that platform cannot cite your content — a silent visibility problem most businesses do not know they have.
If your customers ask "how much does X cost", "what is the best Y for Z", or "how do I find a good [trade]" — these are exactly the queries triggering AI Overviews. Your content needs to be the source AI cites when answering.
AI Overviews increasingly answer local queries — "best plumber in Essendon", "electrician near me" — pulling from GBP data, local landing pages, and review content. Local businesses with well-structured content and strong GBP signals are already appearing in AI-generated local answers.
ChatGPT and Perplexity are increasingly used for B2B research — "best SEO agency for small businesses in Melbourne", "how do I find a mortgage broker in Sydney". Professional services businesses with authoritative, well-structured content are being cited in these AI-generated research summaries.
AI Overviews for product and category queries often include specific brand or product recommendations. Ecommerce businesses with detailed, structured product content, genuine reviews, and transparent pricing are more likely to be cited than those with thin product descriptions.
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