AI search visibility (GEO) for local businesses across the UK
Drivn is a UK GEO agency. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), also called AI search optimisation, is the work of making your business easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend when someone asks them for a local provider instead of typing keywords into Google.
It builds on the same foundations as good SEO, with a stronger focus on the things AI systems lean on: clear structured data, content that answers real customer questions, consistent business information across trusted sources, and crawlers being allowed to read your site at all.
Key facts
2024
the year Google AI Overviews expanded to UK users and ChatGPT launched its search feature, both showing linked sources in answers
Google and OpenAI announcements
Cited sources
Perplexity and ChatGPT search attach source links to their answers, so being a clear, citable source is what earns a mention
How these tools present answers
Same basics
Google's own guidance says the fundamentals of SEO still apply to its AI features, with no special markup required to appear in them
Google Search Central
Live now
Drivn's own site is built this way: schema on every page, AI crawlers explicitly allowed, and a machine-readable llms.txt summary
drivnhub.com
30 days
notice to cancel: ongoing GEO work runs on a rolling basis with no fixed term
Drivn terms
Who this GEO service is for
Local service businesses
Trades and home services whose customers increasingly ask AI tools questions like "who's a reliable electrician near me?" and expect a short list back.
Hospitality businesses
Lodges, hotels and accommodation whose guests ask AI assistants for places to stay and things to do, and who want to be named accurately.
Businesses that want to be early
Few local businesses are deliberately optimising for AI answers yet. Acting now means building visibility while competition is thin.
Businesses with an existing website
GEO works on the site you have. If it needs restructuring to be readable by search engines and AI tools, that can be part of the work.
Benefits
How AI search visibility benefits your business
- 01
Be named where customers now ask
More people ask AI tools for recommendations instead of scrolling search results. Being included in those answers puts your business in front of them at the moment they decide who to contact.
- 02
Recommendations carry weight
An AI answer that names your business reads like a recommendation, not an advert. Visitors who arrive that way are already pointed toward you.
- 03
Get the facts about you right
AI tools can describe a business inaccurately when information is missing or inconsistent. Clear structured data and consistent details reduce the chance of wrong services, wrong areas or out-of-date information being repeated.
- 04
Work that also helps Google
Structured data, useful content and consistent listings improve classic SEO too, so the effort pays off in two channels. Google's own guidance says the same fundamentals apply to its AI features.
- 05
Machines can understand you
Schema markup (LocalBusiness/ProfessionalService, Service, FAQ and more) states what you do, where and how to contact you in a format machines read directly, rather than leaving them to guess from prose.
- 06
Your content answers real questions
Pages are structured around the questions customers actually ask, with clear, direct answers. That is the format AI tools can lift accurately, and it helps human visitors too.
- 07
Consistent details across trusted sources
AI tools draw on many sources. Making your name, services, areas and contact details consistent across your website and the directories and listings they rely on removes conflicting signals.
- 08
Not accidentally blocked
An AI crawler audit checks that your robots.txt and settings allow the crawlers behind these tools, such as OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended and Bingbot, so you are not invisible because of a stray rule.
- 09
Reputation signals reinforced
Reviews, accreditations and named expertise are the kind of trust evidence AI answers tend to reflect. We help you surface them clearly on the site and in structured data.
- 10
Measured, not assumed
Real prompts that customers might use are tested across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, and whether and how your business appears is recorded over time, so progress is visible rather than assumed.
- 11
Early-mover advantage
Most local competitors haven't started. Being one of the first in your area and trade to be clearly readable and citable is a lead that is harder to close later.
- 12
Future-proofing
Search is shifting toward answers. A site with clean structure, clear facts and consistent listings is in a better position whichever tools customers end up using next.
What's included in AI search visibility work
AI visibility audit
How your business currently appears (or doesn't) for realistic customer prompts across the main AI tools, plus a technical review of what those tools can read.
Structured data (schema)
Implementation and validation of the schema types that describe your business, services, service area, FAQs and reviews where appropriate.
Content and internal linking
Service and location content structured around customer questions, with internal links that make relationships between your pages clear to crawlers and models.
AI crawler access
A review of robots.txt and site settings so AI answer-engine crawlers can read the pages you want them to, with sensible controls where you don't.
Business information consistency
Checking and aligning your name, address or service area, services and contact details across the listings and directories AI tools pull from.
Machine-readable summary
An llms.txt file summarising your business and key pages for tools that read it. It is a proposed convention rather than a confirmed ranking factor, so it is a low-cost addition, not the strategy.
Tracking and reporting
Regular prompt testing and a plain-English report of where you appear, what changed and what is next.
How it works
From first call to results, in 4 steps
- 1
Audit
We test how AI tools currently describe your business and check what they can and cannot read on your site.
- 2
Fix the foundations
Schema, crawler access, page structure and business information are corrected so your site is clear and consistent.
- 3
Build citable content
Pages and answers are shaped around the questions customers ask, so there is something accurate and quotable to cite.
- 4
Monitor and refine
Prompts are re-tested on a regular basis, and the plan is adjusted as tools and results change.
What to expect, honestly
- No one can guarantee that an AI tool will mention or recommend your business. Answers vary by prompt, by user and over time, and the tools change constantly.
- There is no fixed timeline. It is ongoing, compounding work; expect first signs within a few months, not overnight.
- GEO complements SEO and ads rather than replacing them. Most clients start with a strong site and SEO/GEO foundation, then add ads.
FAQ
Common questions about ai search visibility (GEO)
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?
GEO is the practice of making your business easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend. It is sometimes called AI search optimisation. It builds on SEO fundamentals with extra focus on structured data, clear answers and consistent business information.
How is GEO different from SEO?
SEO aims to rank pages in traditional search results. GEO aims to make your business a clear, accurate source that AI tools include in their generated answers. They overlap heavily: structured data, useful content and consistent listings help both.
Can you guarantee my business will appear in ChatGPT?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. AI answers change by prompt, user and over time. What can be done is to remove the obstacles, make your information clear and consistent, and give the tools accurate, citable content, then measure how you appear.
How do you measure whether it's working?
By testing realistic customer prompts across the main AI tools on a regular schedule and recording whether your business is mentioned, how it is described and which sources are cited, alongside your normal search and analytics data.
Do I need a new website for GEO?
Not necessarily. GEO works on your existing site where it can be made readable and well-structured. If the site is built in a way that blocks that, such as heavy page-builder markup or content hidden in images, a rebuild may be the better route.
See website design →How long does it take to show results?
There is no fixed timeline. It is ongoing, compounding work: expect the first signs of movement within a few months, building steadily from there rather than in a single jump.
Ready to talk it through? Get a tailored quote.
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