Unlike traditional SEO, which can take months to show movement, AEO changes can have an impact in days to weeks. AI engines re-query their data sources regularly, so improvements to your structured data and content are picked up quickly.

Here are five things you can do this week, ordered by impact.

1. Add LocalBusiness schema to your website

This is the single highest-leverage AEO action for most businesses. JSON-LD schema markup tells AI engines exactly what your business does, where it is located, and what services you offer - in a machine-readable format they can parse directly.

At minimum, add a LocalBusiness schema to your homepage with your business name, address, phone, hours, and service area. If you offer specific services, add Service schemas. If you have an FAQ page, add FAQPage schema.

Most businesses have zero schema markup. Adding it puts you ahead of the majority of your competitors immediately.

2. Create an llms.txt file

Think of it as robots.txt for AI. Place a plain text file at yourdomain.com/llms.txt that tells AI models what your business does, what you specialize in, and where you are located.

This is a newer convention, but AI models that browse the web are starting to look for it. It takes 10 minutes to create and gives AI engines a clean, authoritative summary of your business in your own words.

3. Fix your directory listings

AI engines cross-reference your business information across multiple sources. If your name is “Smith Family Dentistry” on Google but “Smith Dental” on Yelp and “Dr. Smith DDS” on Healthgrades, that inconsistency confuses AI engines and lowers your authority.

Audit your listings on Google Business Profile, Yelp, your industry's main directories, and your own website. Make the name, address, and phone number identical everywhere.

4. Publish answer-format content

AI engines prioritize content that directly answers questions. Instead of writing marketing copy like “We offer the best dental care in the area,” write content that answers the questions your clients actually ask:

  • “How much do dental implants cost in [your city]?”
  • “What should I look for in a personal injury lawyer?”
  • “Do I need a financial advisor for retirement planning?”

Structure each answer with the question as a heading followed by a clear, concise paragraph. If your content reads like a sales page, AI skips it.

5. Ask for specific reviews

AI engines weight review sentiment heavily, but not all reviews are equal. A review that says “Dr. Kim did my Invisalign treatment and the results were amazing - finished in 14 months” gives AI engines more signal than a generic “Great dentist, 5 stars.”

When asking clients for reviews, encourage them to mention the specific service they received. This gives AI the entity associations it needs to recommend you for those services.

Measure the difference

After making these changes, run a free scan through AEO Grader to see how your score has changed. Because AI engines update faster than Google's index, you should see movement within days to weeks - not months.