WHY THIS CHECKLIST
Four reasons AI skips over good businesses.
Most small businesses that don’t show up in AI answers aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re just missing a few specific things AI tools rely on. The checklist helps you spot which ones apply to you, and shows you what to do about each.
AI can’t reach your site
Firewalls and hosting settings often block the bots behind ChatGPT and Perplexity, even when your site looks fine in a browser. Step 1 shows you, or whoever manages your site, what to check.
Nobody knows what’s actually wrong
AI might leave you out, cite your site without naming you, or describe you incorrectly. Each one needs a different fix. Steps 5 and 6 help you tell which one you’re facing, and what to tackle first.
You’re measuring the wrong thing
One ChatGPT search proves very little, because the answer changes almost every time. Steps 2 to 4 help you choose the right questions and set up simple tracking, so you can see where you really stand.
Your reputation lives on other sites too
AI leans on reviews, directories, and mentions across the web, not just your own website. Steps 7 and 8 cover both sides, so your work adds up month after month.
HOW IT WORKS
From form to findings in three steps.
No calls and no logins. Just a practical checklist and a few short emails to help you use it.
Get the checklist.
Add your name, email, and website URL above, then confirm your email. The checklist lands in your inbox once you confirm your email.
Start with steps 1 to 4.
They’re one-time setup, and step 1 is the quickest win. Check whether AI tools can actually reach your site.
Go further with my help.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll send four short emails. They cover the steps most businesses miss and how to see where you stand in AI search.
6+ Years · 20+ Small Businesses
A track record across legal, dental, and other professional services.
Small-Business Raised
Grew up watching my family run their own businesses. Now I run mine too.
Google and AI, Together
One method that covers rankings and AI answers, measured every month instead of guessed.
Real Replies, From Me
Questions about the checklist? Reply to any email, and I’ll answer personally.
Who’s behind this AEO checklist?
Hi, I’m Ines. I grew up around small businesses — my mom, dad, and stepdad each ran one — and now I run my own. One thing hasn’t changed since I was a kid: you need customers to find you.
What’s changed is where they look. Today it’s Google and, more and more, AI tools like ChatGPT. Helping small businesses show up in both is what I do.
This checklist follows the same method I use with clients, written in plain language. You can work through it yourself or hand it to whoever manages your website. Either way, you’ll know exactly what to check and why it matters.
Know the steps. Then decide who takes them.
The checklist shows you every step, in order. Doing them is up to you. Work through it yourself, hand it to your web developer, or let me run it for you every month.
Ways to take it further:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are the answers to the questions I get most often. If yours isn’t here, get in touch.
AEO, or answer engine optimization, means making your business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s AI to find, understand, and recommend. More customers ask AI for recommendations now, so if AI doesn’t name you, they may never hear about you.
Small businesses that depend on customers finding them online, like law firms, dental practices, and other local or professional services. It works on any website platform, whether you do the work yourself or hand it to whoever manages your site.
Not for most of it. A few steps, like checking whether AI bots can reach your site, are technical. For those, the checklist tells you exactly what to ask whoever manages your website.
Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console, which are both free. You’ll also need an AI visibility tracker to measure how often AI names you. Affordable options like SE Ranking work well for small businesses.
Technical fixes take effect once AI tools revisit your site. Getting recommended regularly usually takes a few months, because AI also relies on your reputation across the web. That’s why steps 5 to 8 repeat every cycle.
It’s completely free, with no payment details needed. You’ll get the checklist, four short emails over the next couple of weeks, and then occasional tips. You can unsubscribe anytime.