The rules of search have changed. In 2026, over 40% of Australians now use ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Perplexity as their first point of research when looking for a product, service or business recommendation. If your business isn’t appearing in those AI-generated answers, you’re invisible to nearly half your potential customers.
This guide covers exactly how to optimise your business for Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) — the discipline of getting cited in AI search results — with specific strategies for the Australian market.
What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring your website content, schema markup and digital authority so that AI models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity AI, and Claude cite your business when users ask relevant questions.
Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking in Google’s 10 blue links, AEO focuses on becoming the source that AI engines trust and reference in their responses — often delivering a single definitive answer rather than a list of options.
Why AEO Matters for Australian Businesses
Consider what happens when an Australian business owner asks ChatGPT: “Who are the best Google Ads agencies in Sydney?” ChatGPT doesn’t return 10 results — it returns 3–5 named agencies with a brief explanation of why each is recommended.
If your business isn’t in that shortlist, you don’t exist for that user. And unlike Google rankings where you can compete for position 1–10, AI recommendations typically surface far fewer options with much higher authority and trust signals.
The 7 Core AEO Strategies That Work in Australia
1. Create Your llms.txt and ai.txt Files
Just as robots.txt tells Google crawlers what to index, llms.txt is a new protocol that tells AI models how to understand your business. Create a plain-text file at yourwebsite.com.au/llms.txt with:
- Your business name, location and what you do
- Your specific services and the cities you serve
- Key facts about your pricing, experience and credentials
- Links to your most authoritative pages
2. Answer Questions Directly in Your Content
AI models are trained on content that directly answers questions. Format your pages with clear H2 and H3 headings that are questions (“What is the cost of Google Ads management in Sydney?”) followed by direct, factual answers in the first sentence.
3. Implement Comprehensive Schema Markup
Structured data (Schema.org markup) is the bridge between your website and AI model training data. At minimum, implement:
- Organization schema with your NAP (Name, Address, Phone)
- LocalBusiness schema for each service area
- FAQPage schema for common questions
- Service schema for each service you offer
- Review/AggregateRating schema if you have testimonials
4. Build Topical Authority Through Comprehensive Content
AI models favour sources that comprehensively cover a topic rather than touching on many topics superficially. For each core service you offer, build a content cluster with:
- A comprehensive pillar page (2,000+ words)
- Supporting blog posts targeting related questions
- Case studies demonstrating real results
- Location pages for each city you serve
5. Earn Digital PR Mentions and Citations
AI models are significantly more likely to cite businesses that are mentioned by authoritative Australian publications. Target PR placements in Smart Company, Business Insider Australia, StartupSmart, and industry-specific outlets relevant to your niche.
6. Optimise for Perplexity AI Specifically
Perplexity AI (which has exploded in Australian usage in 2025-2026) retrieves live web results and synthesises answers. This means:
- Your pages need to load fast (Core Web Vitals matter)
- Content should be current with recent dates
- Include data, statistics and specific facts that Perplexity can reference
7. Create Your Google Business Profile Authority
Google Gemini pulls heavily from Google Business Profile data. Ensure your GBP is complete with: services listed, posts published weekly, questions answered, and photos updated regularly.
How Long Does AEO Take to Work?
Unlike Google SEO which can take 3–12 months, AEO can show results faster for some queries because AI models are frequently re-crawled and updated. In our experience with Australian clients:
- Perplexity AI: 30–60 days for initial citation
- Google AI Overviews: 60–120 days with schema markup
- ChatGPT: 90–180 days (depends on training cycles)
- Claude: 60–120 days
Measuring Your AEO Performance
Track AEO results by manually querying ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity with your target keywords and noting whether your business appears. We run these checks monthly for all our clients and track position, sentiment and citation frequency.
Get AEO Right with D1 Marketing
D1 Marketing was one of Australia’s first agencies to offer dedicated AEO services, included in our Scale and Enterprise packages. We’ve already achieved first-page ChatGPT and Perplexity citations for clients across finance, legal, healthcare and professional services in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
See our ChatGPT Marketing service in Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane
Want this done for you? See our ChatGPT Advertising & marketing service — we run ChatGPT Ads and GEO for Australian businesses.