One connected search capability

AI Search
Optimization Services.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) are commonly used terms for work designed to improve visibility in AI-generated answers. LocalCatalyst treats that work as AI Search Visibility within a wider organic search strategy.

LocalCatalyst helps improve the signals, content and source coverage that influence whether your business appears in AI-powered answers.

Part of the wider organic search landscape. Connected to how customers research, compare and choose.

Book a discovery call ↗Part of Organic Search Management →
The visibility system
Customer question“Who should I choose?”
Your websiteThird-party sourcesBusiness information
AI Search VisibilityUnderstood.
Retrieved.
Referenced.Relevant information + credible evidence
Informed customer choice ↗
Another search surface. The same customer.

A question becomes an answer.
The sources shape the choice.

01

Ask

Recommendations · Comparisons · Alternatives

02

Retrieve

Website · Reviews · Third-party evidence

03

Choose

Understand · Validate · Contact

Your business needs to be credible in the sources behind the answer.

How AI search fits the customer journey +

Customers increasingly use AI-powered search experiences to research options, compare businesses and ask for recommendations.

LocalCatalyst helps improve the signals, content and source coverage that influence whether your business appears in those answers.

We treat AI search as part of the wider organic search landscape - not as a replacement for SEO and not as a separate world of acronyms.

Book a Discovery Call

Organic Search Management ↓AI Search Visibility

A user might ask:

  • “What is the best company for this service?”
  • “Who are the most reputable providers in this category?”
  • “What are the alternatives to this company?”
  • “Which local business should I choose?”
  • “What should I look for before hiring someone for this?”

Platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity may answer those questions differently, but the underlying challenge is similar:

Your business needs to be understood as a credible entity and represented in the sources those systems use.

That means AI visibility is not solved by adding a few FAQs or installing a schema plugin.

It requires a wider search strategy.

CUSTOMER QUERY**“Who should I choose?”**

SOURCE RETRIEVAL

Your website Third-party coverage Business information

MENTION / CITATIONYour business.
In the answer.[1][1] Relevant source evidence

The workstreams

The work that improves the system

Better questions.
Stronger sources. Clearer information.

Being mentioned, being cited and being recommended are different outcomes. We establish the baseline, identify the constraint and improve the assets that matter.

01

Commercial questions

Know which buyer questions matter and how your business currently appears.

  • Representative query sets
  • Mentions vs citations
  • Competitor and recommendation patterns
Question → Baseline → Gap
Explore this workstream +

01Customer questions + baseline

Know where the opportunity sits.

Questions → Baseline → Gaps

What AI Search Visibility Means

Being named is different from being cited.

A brand can appear in an AI-generated answer without its website being linked.

It can also be cited as a source without being recommended.

Those are different outcomes.

We look at:

  • whether your brand is mentioned
  • whether your website is cited
  • which pages are cited
  • which third-party domains are cited
  • how competitors appear
  • which brands are recommended
  • what context your business is associated with
  • which queries matter commercially

The objective is to understand where your business currently sits in the AI search landscape and what is influencing that position.

Start With the Queries Customers Actually Ask

The first step is not “optimise for ChatGPT.”

It is understanding the questions that matter to the business.

We build a representative query set around commercial intent, which may include:

  • category searches
  • recommendation queries
  • comparisons
  • alternatives
  • problem-aware searches
  • brand searches
  • competitor searches
  • trust and reputation questions
  • local recommendations
  • use-case queries
  • research questions that influence buying decisions

This becomes the baseline for measuring visibility over time.

Establish the AI Search Baseline

We test how the business currently appears across the relevant AI search experiences.

Depending on the market, that may include:

  • ChatGPT
  • Gemini
  • Perplexity
  • Google AI-powered search experiences
  • other relevant search or answer platforms

We record:

  • brand mentions
  • citations
  • cited URLs
  • cited domains
  • competitor presence
  • recommendation position
  • context and sentiment
  • recurring source patterns

A single favourable screenshot is not enough.

AI-generated answers vary.

The goal is to identify patterns across a repeatable query set.

02

Source influence

Find the evidence and third-party sources that repeatedly shape the answers.

  • Citation landscape
  • Relevant third-party coverage
  • Attainable source opportunities
Sources → Retrieval → Answer
Explore this workstream +

02Source landscape + external evidence

Find what shapes the answer.

Sources → Retrieval → Answer

Find the Sources That Influence the Answers

The website is only part of the battlefield.

AI-powered search systems often rely on a mixture of first-party and third-party sources.

Those may include:

  • industry publications
  • review sites
  • directories
  • comparison pages
  • research
  • news sites
  • local sources
  • business databases
  • expert commentary
  • forums or communities
  • competitor websites

We identify which domains and page types repeatedly appear around the queries that matter.

That source landscape often reveals the real opportunity.

Sometimes the answer is to improve your own page.

Sometimes the better move is to get your business included on a third-party source the system already uses.

Third-Party Mentions and Citations

What other sources say about your business can be as important as what your own website says.

Depending on the source landscape, opportunities may include:

  • editorial mentions
  • expert contributions
  • digital PR
  • industry directories
  • review and comparison pages
  • local publications
  • data partnerships
  • trade organisations
  • niche publications
  • existing pages already cited by AI systems

We prioritise sources based on relevance, visibility, authority, attainability and how frequently they appear in the query set.

The best AI citation opportunity is not always the same as the best backlink opportunity.

03

Retrievable information

Make important business information clear, consistent and easy to verify.

  • Page and passage structure
  • Business entity consistency
  • Crawlability and supporting evidence
Pages + Entity → Understanding
Explore this workstream +

03Owned assets + entity clarity

Make the business retrievable.

Pages + Entity → Understanding

Improve On-Site Retrievability

Your website should make important information easy to identify, extract and verify.

We may improve:

  • entity naming
  • service descriptions
  • direct answers
  • page structure
  • heading hierarchy
  • factual clarity
  • tables and lists
  • internal links
  • supporting evidence
  • crawlability
  • indexability
  • structured data where useful
  • consistency between pages

The aim is not to rewrite the site for machines.

It is to make the information useful to customers and easy for search systems to interpret at the same time.

Build Clear, Extractable Information

AI search often works at the passage level rather than treating an entire page as one unit.

Important information should therefore be able to stand on its own.

That means a strong section should make clear:

  • what the subject is
  • what the answer is
  • why it is credible
  • what supporting facts matter

We favour concise, self-contained passages where appropriate rather than burying key information inside long introductions or vague marketing copy.

Strengthen the Business Entity

AI systems need to understand that your business is a real, distinct thing.

We review how consistently the business is represented across:

  • the website
  • business profiles
  • directories
  • industry sources
  • social profiles
  • review platforms
  • press
  • business databases
  • structured data
  • leadership and author profiles

The goal is consistent identification and corroboration.

Not “entity stacking” for the sake of checking boxes.

Every source should help reinforce who the business is, what it does and where it fits.

04

Information worth citing

Give the search ecosystem a reason to use your business as a source.

  • First-hand expertise
  • Original data and useful assets
  • Connected SEO foundations
Original evidence → Useful source
Explore this workstream +

04Original information + search foundations

Give the answer something to cite.

Original evidence → Citation

Build Information Worth Citing

AI has made generic content cheap.

If your website repeats the same information as everyone else, there is little reason for a search system to rely on you.

Where possible, we help businesses develop stronger information assets such as:

  • original data
  • surveys
  • benchmarks
  • pricing research
  • expert commentary
  • customer insights
  • tools
  • calculators
  • original comparisons
  • first-hand operational information
  • useful statistics
  • proprietary analysis

These assets can support both traditional search and AI visibility.

The goal is to contribute information the wider search ecosystem actually has a reason to use.

AI Search Visibility and Traditional SEO Work Together

AI search is not separate from the rest of organic search.

Traditional search visibility can influence which pages and sources are available for retrieval.

Strong site architecture improves understanding.

Links and authority can influence which pages are surfaced.

Third-party mentions strengthen the wider entity footprint.

Content structure affects whether useful passages can be extracted.

That is why AI Search Visibility sits within our broader Organic Search Management service.

We work on the website, entity and source ecosystem together.

Explore Organic Search Management

Evidence determines the order

Evidence determines the order

Follow the sources.
Prioritise the opportunity.

Establish the evidence
  • Commercial query set
  • Current visibility
  • Competitor presence
  • Recurring cited sources
Identify the constraint

Prioritise.

Commercial value
Source opportunity
Attainability
Implementation cost + risk

Put the work in motionOwned assets.
External footprint.

Implement → Re-test → Refine ↺

Our six-step research and execution process +

Understand the market Establish the baseline

IDENTIFY THE CONSTRAINTPrioritise.

Commercial value
Search opportunity
Implementation cost + risk

Implement Measure + refine ↺

1. Build the Query Universe

We identify the AI search queries that actually matter commercially.

Not hundreds of random prompts.

The goal is a representative set that reflects how real buyers research and choose.

2. Measure the Baseline

We test those queries across the relevant platforms and establish:

  • where you appear
  • where you do not
  • who is winning
  • what gets cited
  • which sources keep recurring

That gives us the starting point.

3. Map the Citation Landscape

We identify the domains and pages influencing the answers.

We classify them by:

  • source type
  • relevance
  • frequency
  • competitor presence
  • whether the source is controllable
  • whether it is realistically influenceable

This tells us where effort is likely to produce the highest return.

4. Improve the Owned Assets

We strengthen the website and entity foundation so important information is:

  • clear
  • consistent
  • crawlable
  • indexable
  • extractable
  • supported by evidence

This includes both technical and content improvements where necessary.

5. Improve the External Footprint

Where third-party sources matter, we work to strengthen representation outside the website.

That might mean earning:

  • mentions
  • citations
  • editorial coverage
  • directory presence
  • expert inclusions
  • comparison-page placement
  • locally relevant references

The exact mix depends on what the source landscape shows.

6. Re-Test and Refine

We re-run the same query set over time.

The goal is to see whether:

  • mention rate improves
  • citation rate improves
  • more relevant URLs are cited
  • competitor share changes
  • brand context improves
  • recommendation frequency changes

AI visibility is dynamic.

Measurement needs to be repeatable.

The difference

Expert-led. AI-powered.

Human judgement.
Research at greater scale.

Expert direction

Commercial priorities
Source selection
Risk decisions
Quality control

LocalCatalyst
Operating SystemStrategy + intelligence + execution
System capability

Query research
Pattern analysis
Monitoring
Execution support

Where expertise leads and AI adds capacity +

We combine experienced search strategy with AI-powered research, analysis, monitoring and execution support.

**AI improves the operating system.**It does not replace strategy, judgement, prioritisation, risk decisions, quality control or accountability.

Expert-led Human judgement

  • Strategy
  • Prioritisation
  • Judgement
  • Quality control

Judgement + intelligence

LocalCatalyst Operating System

Strategy + intelligence + execution

  • Strategy
  • Research
  • Prioritisation
  • Analysis
  • QA
  • Monitoring

Expert direction. Systematic execution.

AI-powered System capability

  • Research
  • Analysis
  • Monitoring
  • Automation
  1. 01 / ClarityFaster research
  2. 02 / DirectionBetter decisions
  3. 03 / ImpactMore execution capacity

Our outcomes

Visibility has to matter commercially

More than being named.
A role in customer acquisition.

  1. 01Search visibility
  2. 02Qualified demand
  3. 03Qualified actions
  4. 04Customers
  5. 05Revenue
Repeatable queries.
Meaningful patterns.

Mentions, citations and recommendations are diagnostic signals. Where possible, we connect them to inquiries, customers and revenue. A single favourable screenshot is not a baseline.

Measurement, attribution and the role of human judgement +

Visibility is only useful when it creates qualified opportunities, customers and revenue.

See how we measure success →

  1. Search visibility

    Rankings · Maps
    AI mentions · Citations

  2. Qualified demand

    Organic traffic · Brand demand
    Lead quality

  3. Qualified actions

    Calls · Forms · Bookings

  4. Customers

  5. Revenue

Diagnostics explain what is happening.
Outcomes tell us whether it matters.

Rankings, organic traffic, Maps visibility, AI mentions, citations, branded demand and conversion rate are diagnostic signals. They are not the final objective.

What We Measure

There is no universal “GEO score” that tells you whether the work is successful.

We measure defined outcomes against a known query set.

These may include:

  • brand mention rate
  • citation rate
  • recommendation rate
  • cited URLs
  • cited domains
  • competitor share of voice
  • source overlap
  • brand sentiment and context
  • AI referral traffic
  • assisted conversions
  • branded search demand

Where possible, we connect those signals back to:

  • qualified inquiries
  • forms
  • calls
  • bookings
  • customers
  • revenue

AI visibility is useful when it contributes to the wider acquisition journey.

AI-Powered Does Not Mean AI-Unattended

We use AI extensively within the work.

It helps us:

  • expand query research
  • analyse source patterns
  • process large datasets
  • identify recurring entities
  • accelerate content analysis
  • monitor changes
  • improve execution efficiency

But automation does not replace judgement.

Experienced people still decide:

  • which queries matter
  • which sources are worth pursuing
  • which findings are noise
  • which pages should change
  • what claims are safe to publish
  • what quality looks like
  • when the strategy should change

AI is part of the operating system.

It is not the client relationship.

See how we measure success →
The right priority

AI search earns its place
in the strategy.

Strong fit

  • Customers research and compare before buying
  • Recommendations influence the decision
  • Competitors appear where your brand is absent
  • Customer value justifies the investment
Where this work is most useful

Who AI Search Visibility Is For

This work is most useful where customers actively research, compare or ask for recommendations before buying.

That often includes:

  • professional services
  • B2B companies
  • local and multi-location businesses
  • healthcare
  • legal services
  • software and technology
  • financial services
  • complex or high-consideration purchases
  • businesses in competitive recommendation categories

It is particularly relevant where competitors are already being named or cited and your brand is absent.

Probably not the priority

  • The core organic search foundation is weak
  • Local search has a larger commercial opportunity
  • Relevant AI usage is limited in your market
  • Measurement cannot support sensible decisions
When to strengthen the foundation first

When AI Search Should Not Be the Priority

AI visibility is not automatically the highest-value search investment.

We may deprioritise it where:

  • your traditional organic foundation is weak
  • core commercial pages do not rank
  • local visibility has a much larger revenue opportunity
  • the business entity is unclear or inconsistent
  • relevant AI usage is still limited in the market
  • measurement cannot yet support sensible decisions

In those cases, the better move may be to strengthen the core search asset first.

AI search should compete for budget like every other channel.

It does not get a free pass because it is new.

No activity theatre

Accountability without manufactured certainty

No guaranteed AI rankings.
A clear standard for the work.

#1 in ChatGPTFixed citation quotasPermanent recommendationsGuaranteed revenue

Accountable for research, strategy, implementation and measurement.

What we can own — and what no agency controls +

Strategy.
Execution.
Accountability.

No agency controls the output of an AI system.

We do not guarantee:

  • a #1 position in ChatGPT
  • a fixed number of AI citations
  • permanent recommendations
  • visibility across every model
  • customer volume
  • revenue

Anyone selling guaranteed AI rankings is pretending the environment is more deterministic than it is.

Our accountability is for the quality of the research, strategy, implementation and measurement.

One strategy. Connected capabilities.

One strategy. Connected capabilities.

AI visibility works with the wider search system.

Explore Organic Search Management →
How the capabilities connect +

Organic Search
Management↓

Local SEOWebsite SEO & ContentAI Search Visibility

Local SEO · Website SEO & Content · AI Search Visibility

Explore Organic Search Management →

Start with the opportunity

Start with the opportunity

Find out how your business
appears in the answer.

We’ll look at the queries that matter and the sources shaping the answers, then determine whether AI search represents a meaningful commercial opportunity.

Book a discovery call ↗
What the first conversation covers +

Find out how your business currently appears and which sources are shaping the answers.

We will look at your business, the queries that matter and the current search landscape to determine whether AI search visibility represents a meaningful commercial opportunity.

Where appropriate, we may run a focused baseline to identify major gaps and recurring source patterns.

This is not a promise of rankings.

It is a way to determine where the opportunity exists and what work would be required to compete.

Book a Discovery Call

Also exploring the wider organic opportunity?

Explore Organic Search Management

Explore Local SEO

Explore Website SEO & Content