ASEO is how you fix that. Most of your competitors haven't heard of it.
People are changing how they search. Instead of typing "plumber Bristol" into Google and scrolling through results, they're asking ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Google's AI Overview a direct question: "Who's the best plumber in Bristol?" or "Can you recommend a reliable web designer in Manchester?"
The AI gives them an answer. A short list. Maybe two or three businesses, with a brief explanation of why each one is worth considering. That's it. No page two. No scrolling. No clicking around.
The question is: is your business on that list?
For most local businesses right now, the answer is no. Not because they're not good enough, but because they haven't done the things that help AI tools find and trust them. That's what ASEO is: the work you do to get your business into those AI answers.
Traditional SEO gets you ranked on Google. ASEO gets you into AI-generated answers. Some of the groundwork overlaps, but the specifics are different enough that you can't assume one covers the other.
| Traditional SEO | ASEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank on Google's blue links | Appear in AI-generated answers |
| Where it shows up | Google search results pages | ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overview |
| Key signals | Backlinks, keywords, page authority | Structured data, citations, NAP consistency, GBP completeness |
| Content approach | Target keyword clusters, build topical authority | Clear, factual, well-structured content AI can parse and cite |
| Technical focus | Core Web Vitals, crawlability, site speed | Schema markup, structured data, semantic HTML |
| Local presence | Google Business Profile, local citations | Same, but accuracy and completeness matter far more |
| Overlap | Speed, structure, clear content, and a complete Google Business Profile all help both. | |
Most local businesses have none of these properly set up. It's not complicated. It's just unknown.
AI search is not a future trend. ChatGPT has over 100 million active users. Google's AI Overview now appears on the majority of searches. Perplexity is growing fast as a direct Google alternative. The shift in how people find local businesses is already underway.
The businesses that benefit most are the ones that act before their competitors do. Right now, the bar is genuinely low. Most local businesses have not touched their schema markup, haven't audited their citation consistency, and treat their Google Business Profile as an afterthought. That's not a complaint. It's an opportunity.
In 12 to 18 months, every local SEO agency will be selling ASEO packages at premium prices. Right now, it's a straightforward technical job that doesn't require a big agency or a big budget.
SimpleFastSEO is a one-person consultancy. No account managers, no junior staff, no outsourcing. When you work with SimpleFastSEO, the same person who understands your business does the actual work.
ASEO is covered in two ways:
Every audit includes a full ASEO assessment as standard: your Google Business Profile completeness, schema markup status, citation consistency across major directories, and content structure. You get specific, prioritised recommendations you can act on immediately.
If you already know your site is sound and just want the ASEO work done, that's available as a standalone engagement. This covers implementation: schema markup added to your site, GBP optimisation, citation cleanup, and a content review. Priced based on scope after a short call.
Start with the free grader to see where your site stands, or go straight to the full audit. Either way, you'll know exactly what needs fixing.