Get cited by ChatGPT,
Perplexity & Google AI.
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) built for Brisbane small businesses — crawler access, schema markup, AI-readable content. From $199/month, no lock-in.
The Problem
Search is moving to the answer, not the link
People are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for recommendations instead of scrolling through ten blue links. By 2026, more than half of all searches are projected to result in zero clicks — the user gets their answer from the AI directly. If your business isn't structured for AI to read, understand, and recommend, you're handing customers to whoever is.
Blocked = invisible
If your robots.txt blocks AI crawlers, you're invisible to ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity — no exceptions. Squarespace blocks every one of them by default.
Vague = uncited
Vague "About Us" pages don't get cited. AI extracts content with clear question-answer pairs, named experts, specific claims and concrete numbers.
Wait = lose the lead
AI systems are still calibrating who to cite — rewarding businesses with clean signals first. Move now and you compound visibility while competitors are still figuring out what GPTBot is.
What It Targets
What is AI Search Optimisation?
Traditional SEO targets the blue-link results page. AI Search Optimisation targets the answer that appears above or instead of those results. It builds on top of traditional SEO — it doesn't replace it.
Google AI Overviews
The AI-generated summary at the top of many Google searches.
ChatGPT search
Direct answers with citations from ChatGPT's web mode.
Perplexity
Answer-engine that's built around citing its sources.
Claude (Anthropic)
Increasingly used as a research and recommendation tool.
Microsoft Copilot
Bing-powered AI search with named source attribution.
Voice assistants
Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa pulling from structured local-business data.
Plus featured snippets & knowledge panels — Google's zero-click results that pre-date AI but follow the same logic.
How It Works
The 3 pillars of AI Search Optimisation
Three things have to be true before an AI system will read, trust, and cite your business. We handle all three.
Crawler access
AI systems use named crawlers to read websites. If your robots.txt blocks them, you're invisible — no exceptions. We audit your existing file, find which crawlers are blocked or missing, and ship a corrected file that welcomes the AI ecosystem while still allowing Google, Bing and the rest.
Schema & entity optimisation
Schema is structured data that tells search engines and AI exactly what your business is — name, services, location, hours, practitioners, reviews. AI leans heavily on schema to decide who to cite. We audit your existing schema (most small business sites score under 20/100), implement what's missing, and validate via Google's Rich Results Test.
It compounds with traditional SEOAI-readable content
AI prefers content structured for extraction. We restructure yours for human readers and AI both: clear H1/H2/H3 hierarchy, schema-marked FAQ blocks, named expertise with credentials and registration numbers, concrete claims with real numbers and suburbs, internal linking, and an llms.txt file that tells AI systems how to use your site.
The H1 tag mistakeSquarespace warning: the default Squarespace robots.txt blocks every AI crawler. We've audited dozens of Squarespace sites where the owner had no idea AI search was switched off. The toggle exists — but you have to find it.
Crawler Access
The AI crawlers that matter
These are the named crawlers AI systems use to read your site. If any are blocked, that platform can't cite you.
| Crawler | Owner | Powers |
|---|---|---|
GPTBot | OpenAI | ChatGPT training + indexing |
ChatGPT-User | OpenAI | ChatGPT live web fetch |
OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | ChatGPT search |
ClaudeBot | Anthropic | Claude indexing |
PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Perplexity search index |
Google-Extended | AI Overviews + Gemini | |
Applebot-Extended | Apple | Apple Intelligence + Siri |
Meta-ExternalAgent | Meta | Llama + Meta AI |
Proof
Real client results
Two case studies from our portfolio show what AI Search Optimisation does in practice.
Allied Health AI readiness score
AI crawlers unblocked (FP Brisbane)
FAQ entries indexed (Allied Health)
Create Allied Health Services (Sydney)
An NDIS-registered allied health provider — psychosocial support, hospital discharge, housing, clinical supervision. The founder is an AASW-registered clinical social worker and PhD candidate. Exactly the kind of credentialed expertise AI systems want to cite.
Their previous Squarespace site had every major AI crawler blocked, no MedicalBusiness schema, and just 2 FAQ entries. Our rebuild shipped:
- Explicit AI-friendly
robots.txtwelcoming all 8 major crawlers - Validated MedicalBusiness + Person + Service schema
- 48+ FAQ entries spread across service pages
- Single, focused H1 per page (the previous site had 4 H1s on the homepage)
- Named-practitioner content with credentials, registration numbers, and specialisation
Pre/post audit: AI search readiness lifted from 41/100 to 85/100. The site is now eligible for citation across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews for NDIS-related queries.
Functional Patterns Brisbane
A biomechanics and posture specialist with 130+ five-star reviews. Pre-rebuild, the Squarespace site ranked top-10 on Google for high-volume biomechanics queries — but had zero ChatGPT citations. AI couldn't read it.
Our migration off Squarespace explicitly unblocked AI crawlers, added research-backed content with named claims, and rebuilt the site on a static foundation that AI crawlers love (fast, semantic HTML, predictable structure). Within weeks of cutover, the site was eligible for citation in chronic-pain and posture-related AI answers across Brisbane.
Pricing
Included in every SEO tier
AI Search Optimisation is included in every Arclight SEO tier at no extra charge. The deeper your tier, the more active the work — but the foundations (crawler access, core schema) ship on day one regardless.
Essentials
$199/mo
AI Search foundations bundled with monthly SEO overview. Crawler access, core schema, GBP review. Best for small businesses with a working site that just need to stop being invisible to AI.
Growth
$299/mo
Active GEO. Crawler audit + schema build + monthly AI-readable content. FAQ expansion, entity optimisation. Most popular tier.
Pro
$599/mo
Full AI search management. Quarterly competitive review, content cadence, llms.txt, schema audits, AI citation monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude.
Free audits, 24-hour turnaround. All ongoing plans are month-to-month with no lock-in contracts.
The Window
Why Brisbane businesses should act now
Most Brisbane small businesses haven't even heard of AI Search Optimisation, let alone implemented it. That's the opportunity. AI systems are still calibrating who to cite — they're rewarding the businesses with clean signals first, before competitors notice.
Six months from now, every agency in Brisbane will have an AI SEO page. Two years from now, AI Overviews will be the default. The businesses that move now will compound visibility while the rest are still figuring out what GPTBot is.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Still not sure about something? Ask us directly — straight answers, no sales pitch.
What is AI Search Optimisation?
AI Search Optimisation (also called Generative Engine Optimisation or GEO) is the practice of structuring your website so that AI systems — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, voice assistants — can read your content and cite your business in their generated answers. It includes AI crawler access (robots.txt), schema markup, entity optimisation, and content structured for AI extraction.
How is AI Search Optimisation different from SEO?
Traditional SEO targets the blue-link results page. AI Search Optimisation targets the answer that appears above or instead of those results — Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT citations, Perplexity sources, voice assistant readouts. Both layers matter, and they share fundamentals (clear content, schema, technical health), but AI search rewards different signals: explicit Q&A structure, named-entity authority, multi-source consistency, and accessibility to AI crawlers.
How much does AI Search Optimisation cost in Brisbane?
AI Search Optimisation is now included in every Arclight Digital SEO tier at no extra charge — Essentials $199/month, Growth $299/month, Pro $599/month. The deeper the tier, the more active the work (content cadence, schema audits, AI citation monitoring). Free audits, 24-hour turnaround. All plans are month-to-month with no lock-in contracts.
How do I check if AI tools can see my website?
First, visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt and look for AI crawler names — GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, Google-Extended, Applebot-Extended. If any of these have 'Disallow: /', they're blocked. Second, ask ChatGPT or Perplexity directly: 'Tell me about [your business]'. If the answer is wrong, vague, or made-up, the AI can't see you. We run free audits that check both.
Does Squarespace block AI crawlers?
Yes — by default. Squarespace's standard robots.txt blocks GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended. You can toggle access in Settings > Crawlers, but the default is blocked. We've audited dozens of Squarespace sites where the owner had no idea AI search was switched off.
How long does AI Search Optimisation take to show results?
Initial implementation takes 1-2 weeks (crawler access, schema, content audit). AI crawlers like GPTBot re-index every 2-4 weeks, so visibility in ChatGPT or Perplexity typically appears 3-6 weeks after fixes. Google AI Overviews use the standard Googlebot, so AI Overview eligibility can show within days of schema/content updates.
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?
GEO is another term for AI Search Optimisation, used interchangeably with AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) and LLMO (Large Language Model Optimisation). All three describe the same practice: structuring content so generative AI systems cite your business as a source. The terminology is still settling — what matters is the outcome.
Will allowing AI crawlers hurt my Google rankings?
No. Google-Extended is a separate crawler from Googlebot — blocking Google-Extended affects only AI Overviews and Gemini, not your normal Google rankings. GPTBot, ClaudeBot and others are completely separate from Google. Allowing AI crawlers has no negative effect on traditional SEO.
Do I need traditional SEO if I do AI Search Optimisation?
Yes. AI search builds on traditional SEO foundations — schema, content quality, page speed, mobile-friendliness all matter for both. AI search is an additional layer, not a replacement. Most clients run both together.
What industries benefit most from AI Search Optimisation?
High-trust verticals where buyers research extensively before contacting — allied health, NDIS providers, legal, financial services, B2B specialists — see the strongest AI search returns. Buyers in these spaces ask AI systems detailed questions and value cited sources. Local services (tradespeople, beauty, fitness) benefit too, especially as voice assistants and Google AI Overviews grow.
Explore more services
See where you stand
Free AI search audit — robots.txt, schema, FAQ structure, ChatGPT citation status, AI Overview eligibility. One-page report, no hard sell, 24-hour turnaround.