How to Get Your Melbourne Business Cited in ChatGPT and AI Search

When someone in Melbourne types into ChatGPT: 'Who is the best electrician in Werribee?' — the answer comes from publicly available content. If your content isn't there, your competitor's is. This is the next frontier of search. And almost no Melbourne business is doing it yet. Khalis Marketing offers a dedicated AEO / LLM SEO service built specifically for this. Here's the full picture.

What Is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?

AEO = optimising for AI-generated answers. It builds on top of traditional SEO — it doesn't replace it.

How AI Systems Decide What to Cite

5 Steps to Get Your Melbourne Business Cited in AI Search

Step 1: Write Content That Answers Questions Directly

AI systems extract answers. They don't summarise meandering content. Every section of every page on your site should be able to stand alone as a complete, extractable answer.

• State the answer in the first 1 to 2 sentences of each section
• Follow with supporting data or explanation
• Keep paragraphs under 3 sentences
• Use question-based H2 and H3 headings that mirror how people actually search
• See how this is applied across Khalis Marketing's service pages — each section opens with a direct answer, not a preamble.

Step 2: Implement Schema Markup

Our technical SEO service includes full schema implementation across all of these types:

• LocalBusiness schema: Business name, address, phone, hours, service area.
• FAQPage schema: Any page with a Q&A section. Increases AI extraction by 60%.
• Service schema: Describes each service with name, description, provider.
• Person schema: For the named author on blog content — signals human expertise.
• Review schema: Marks up customer reviews as verifiable data points for AI.

Step 3: Build Brand Mentions Across the Web

Our link building service covers the full citation and mention landscape:

• Australian business directories: True Local, Yellow Pages AU, StartLocal, Hotfrog
• Industry-specific directories for dental, restaurant, and trades sectors
• Local Melbourne publications and news sites — seek features and mentions
• Social profiles: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram — fully completed with consistent NAP
• Chamber of commerce and local business association listings

Step 4: Demonstrate E-E-A-T

AI systems are trained on content Google considers high quality. Google's quality raters assess E-E-A-T.

• Named author on every content piece — 'Bhavleen Singh' not 'The Khalis Team'
• Verifiable credentials — Moz certification, industry associations, qualifications
• Original data and case studies — AI cites sources with unique, verifiable information
• Cited sources in your content — link to the research behind every statistic
• Consistent publishing history — AI trusts established sites, not sites that posted once and went quiet
• See how Bhavleen's E-E-A-T is documented across the site: About Khalis Marketing.

Step 5: Target AI-Friendly Content Formats

What to Track

• Manual sampling: Query ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google, and Gemini monthly with your target questions. Screenshot and date it.
• Google Search Console: AI Overview data included under 'Web' search type from June 2025.
• Brand mention monitoring: Google Alerts for your business name. Track new web mentions.
• Ahrefs or SEMrush: Track which pages appear in AI Overview triggers for your keyword set.

Melbourne Businesses Best Positioned for AI Search

• Trades: 'Who is the best plumber in Werribee?' has a clear answer format. SEO for plumbers and electricians are high-priority for AI citations.
• Medical and dental: Health queries dominate AI Overviews. Dental practices with FAQ schema and named practitioner content are already being cited.
• Restaurants and hospitality: 'Best restaurant in Fitzroy for families' triggers AI Overviews with local citations. Restaurant SEO + structured data is the play.
• IT services and professional services: Complex questions with expert answers — ideal AEO content format. IT services SEO clients benefit significantly from this.

The Connection to Traditional SEO

You can't do AEO well without solid SEO underneath it. Every step in this article builds on traditional SEO foundations:

• Technical SEO: schema, page speed, crawlability — all influence AI citations
• On-page SEO: clear answer-first content structure, keyword-targeted headings
• Local SEO: GBP, citations, NAP consistency — all feed entity recognition
• Link building: domain authority and brand mentions — the authority layer AI systems trust

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AEO the same as SEO?

AEO is a layer on top of traditional SEO, not a replacement. The same technical foundations, authority signals, and content quality that drive Google rankings also drive AI citations. AEO adds specific optimisations — schema markup, answer-first structure, E-E-A-T documentation — that increase the likelihood of being extracted by AI systems.

How quickly can I appear in ChatGPT results?

Google AI Overviews update faster — a newly published, well-structured page with schema can appear within weeks. For ChatGPT visibility, consistent brand presence and authoritative content builds over 3 to 6 months.

Do reviews help with AI citations?

Yes. Reviews contribute to local pack rankings and E-E-A-T signals. AI systems that pull local business data often weight businesses with strong review profiles. Review schema markup makes this data explicitly machine-readable.

Should I optimise for Google AI Overviews or ChatGPT first?

Google AI Overviews first. Google processes 8.5 billion searches per day. AI Overviews appear in 50%+ of results. The tactics for both overlap completely — content structured for Google AI Overviews will also improve your ChatGPT citation likelihood.