AEO Grader

Blog

Guides on AI search visibility, sourced data, and practical steps for local businesses.

Latest

We Scanned Ourselves. AEO Grader Scored 45/100. Here is the honest breakdown.

We ran AEO Grader on AEO Grader. Overall score: 45/100 (AI Emerging). The contextual relevance dimension failed on 8 of 12 buying-question queries. Here is exactly what the AI engines said about us and what we are doing about it.

Read article

How to Optimize for ChatGPT Search

ChatGPT now browses the live web in real time. Here is how local businesses get cited in ChatGPT Search results, and how it differs from optimizing for Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity.

Read article

Schema Markup for AEO: Which Schemas AI Actually Reads

Not all schema markup is equal. Here is which schemas move the needle for AI citations, which are hygiene, and the FTC rule that makes one of them a legal liability.

Read article

AEO for Dentists: 5 Fixes That Move the Needle

Five concrete fixes that improve how ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity recommend your dental practice. Each takes under a day to implement.

Read article

AEO for Law Firms: How AI Ranks Personal Injury Attorneys

AI engines now answer "best personal injury lawyer near me" with one or two names. Here is how they pick and what PI firms can do this week to be on the list.

Read article

BrightLocal 2026 Data Deep-Dive: What the 45% Shift Actually Means

The headline stat is 6% to 45% AI usage in one year. The methodology, trust data, and verification behavior underneath that number matter more.

Read article

What Is Google AI Overviews and How Do You Show Up?

Google AI Overviews now reach 1.5B users across 200+ countries. Here is how Google picks the sources it cites and what local businesses can do to appear.

Read article

AEO Tools Comparison: AEO Grader vs Knowatoa vs Profound vs Otterly

Honest side-by-side of the four main AEO tools in 2026. Pricing, AI engine coverage, free tiers, and the use case each one actually fits.

Read article

The AEO Glossary: 30 Terms Every Local Business Owner Should Know

A plain-English glossary of 30 AEO terms local business owners actually need to know - from llms.txt to schema markup to E-E-A-T.

Read article

Why Your Best Reviews Aren't Helping AI Recommend You

A wall of 5-star "Great service!" reviews tells AI engines almost nothing. Here is how AI actually parses reviews and what to ask customers to write instead.

Read article

What Does ChatGPT Actually Say About Your Practice?

We asked ChatGPT about thousands of local businesses. Here is what we found - and what it means if AI is recommending your competitor instead of you.

Read article

5 Things You Can Do This Week to Improve Your AEO Score

Practical steps to improve your AI visibility. Most take less than an hour and can show results in days, not months.

Read article

SEO vs AEO: Do You Need Both?

Your SEO agency says you rank well on Google. But AI search uses different signals. Here is why you need both strategies and where they overlap.

Read article

Structured Data for Local Businesses: The AEO Foundation

JSON-LD schema markup is the single highest-leverage thing you can add to your website for AI visibility. Here is exactly what to implement and why.

Read article

AI Search Statistics Every Local Business Should Know in 2026

The data behind the AI search shift: 45% of consumers use AI for local recommendations, Google is below 74% share, and ChatGPT has 800M+ weekly users.

Read article

Google Lost 10% of Search Share. Where Did It Go?

Google's grip on search is loosening for the first time in a decade. The data shows AI tools are absorbing the difference - and local businesses need to pay attention.

Read article

What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are replacing search for millions of consumers. AEO is how you get your business into those AI-generated answers.

Read article

Want to see where your brand stands?

60 real prompts across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.

Score My Brand