Start with the simple stuff you control

AI search engines want to answer questions. They pull from structured info first. If your basics are sloppy, the tools skip you.

Get these right:

Your name, address, and phone number must be identical everywhere.

Not "about the same." Identical. Same format. Same punctuation. If your Google Business Profile lists "Unit 203," your website shouldn't say "#203." AI systems treat inconsistency as uncertainty.

Your hours must be correct and updated.

Perplexity and ChatGPT frequently pull hours from Google, Yelp, and Facebook. If one is wrong, you confuse the system. You also annoy real customers.

Your website metadata must be clean.

This isn't "SEO hack" territory. It's clarity. Give your site a proper title tag with your category and city. Add a meta description that actually describes what you are. Use real headings. No keyword stuffing.

👉 Google explains the basics clearly if you need a refresher.

Add structured data so AI tools understand you quickly

If you run a restaurant, salon, coffee shop, bakery, barbershop, or any other brick and mortar shop, you should add schema markup on your site. This is structured data that tells AI systems what you are and what you offer. It's not visible to customers but it's very visible to machines.

You don't need a plugin. A simple JSON script in your site header works fine. It should include your name, address, phone, hours, website, category, price range, and photos. AI search tools rely on this far more than traditional SEO blogs admit.

👉 Use the official schema docs to mark up your website properly.

Take control of your Google Business Profile

Your GBP listing is the single most important data source for AI-driven local search. It feeds Google. It also feeds ChatGPT, Perplexity, Waze, Apple Maps, and a long list of aggregators. Keep it tight:

• Post updates once a week

• Upload recent photos

• Mark special hours

• Respond to reviews

Do it for users, not algorithms. The engagement tells the systems you're a real and active business.

👉 Get a free Google Business Profile audit from RoastMyBusiness.

Build real authority signals

Every AI engine cares about one thing: are you trusted in the real world? Not "high DA links," not cheap directories. They look for citations and references from places where real people talk about you.

Here's what actually helps:

• Your local newspaper writing about you

• Food bloggers or local creators mentioning you

• Neighbourhood newsletters linking to you

• Partnerships with nearby shops

• Mentions in community calendars

If you can be part of the local conversation, AI systems treat that as a reliability signal. This is what old school SEO used to call "off page," but it matters more now because AI engines want consensus. They don't want guesses.

Collect real reviews consistently

Every major AI engine pulls sentiment from reviews. They read patterns. They care about frequency, not just score. Twenty reviews from seven years ago doesn't help.

You want a slow, continuous stream of new reviews. Ask politely. Train your team to ask in natural moments. Never bribe anyone. Never discount for reviews. That risks being flagged and it trains customers to behave badly. Consistent reviews are proof you're active and trusted.

👉 Use a free tool like RateMyBusiness to help you gather more reviews from your customers.

Build direct customer relationships so you own your discovery

AI discovery is great, but you can't rely on it alone. The shops that win long term build their own communication channels. Email lists. SMS. Loyalty programs that get customers to come back instead of drifting to competitors.

If you want something that handles this without creating more work, CHCKN gives restaurants and local shops simple ways to reward regulars and track who your best customers are.

Owning your audience protects you when algorithms shift. It also improves every SEO and AI signal because repeat customers leave reviews, share posts, and talk about you.

Optimize your content for questions people actually ask

AI engines love Q&A style clarity. Everything revolves around intent. So write short, clean explanations for the things customers ask you most.

Examples:

• How long does a cut and colour take?

• When is the shop busiest?

• Do you take reservations?

• What's the most popular dish?

• Do you sell whole cakes?

• Do you offer kids' sizes?

• Can you accommodate big groups?

• Is there parking nearby?

Put these questions on your site. Put them on your GBP in the Q&A section. Put them in your FAQ. The more direct and clear you are, the more likely an AI engine is to quote you.

Create pages built around your neighbourhood, not just your category

This is something most small business owners skip. AI search systems love geographic clarity. If you're a ramen shop in Yaletown, you should have a page about serving Yaletown locals. Not a blog full of fluff. A tight, simple page with useful info.

Things like:

• Where you are

• How to get there

• Nearby landmarks

• Nearby transit

• Neighbourhood-specific questions customers usually have

Perplexity and ChatGPT use this information to match you to users asking about "best ramen near Yaletown station" or "good lunch spot near Emery Barnes Park." That relevance is what gets you surfaced.

Keep your site fast, simple, and mobile friendly

AI engines still crawl your site. If it loads slow, breaks on mobile, or blocks resources, you lose visibility. A small, clean site always beats a bloated one.

Most owners overthink "SEO" but ignore this part. A fast site with clear information ranks better and gets cited more often by AI tools.

👉 Use Google's PageSpeed Insights to get a free website audit.

The pattern that wins

AI search optimization isn't about gaming algorithms. It's about being clear, consistent, and trusted. The shops that show up are the ones doing basic things well: accurate info, real reviews, active profiles, and direct customer relationships.

Do the work. Stay consistent. The AI systems will find you.