AI search optimisation agency: get cited where your customers now ask
When someone asks Google's AI Overview, ChatGPT or Perplexity for a recommendation, we work to make your business one of the sources it names, and we use AI in our own marketing with a human accountable for every claim.
At a glance
- 5.0 from 50 Google reviews
- Based in Long Eaton, working UK-wide
- Client cited in a Google AI Overview
Vimana Digital is an AI search optimisation agency helping UK businesses get cited in Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and Perplexity (also called AEO or GEO), alongside AI-assisted SEO, ads, content and email with human review. One client is already referenced in a Google AI Overview for a competitive mortgage search. Pricing follows our SEO tiers.
What is AI search optimisation, and why does it matter now?
AI search optimisation means making your business one of the sources an AI answer engine draws on and names. People call it answer engine optimisation (AEO) or generative engine optimisation (GEO); it's the same job. It matters because the results page has changed shape:
30%
Ofcom's Online Nation (December 2025)
Found around 30% of UK Google searches show an AI Overview, and ChatGPT had 1.8 billion UK visits between January and August 2025 against 368 million in all of 2024. Google is still used by 82% of UK adults, so this adds to search rather than replacing it.
58%
Ahrefs (February 2026)
Found the top organic result's click-through rate fell 58% across 300,000 keywords where an AI Overview appeared.
68,879
Pew Research (July 2025)
Tracked 68,879 real searches: users clicked a traditional result on 8% of searches with an AI summary against 15% without, and only 1% clicked a link inside the summary.
68%
SparkToro (June 2026)
Put US zero-click searches at 68% in early 2026, up from around 59% in 2024, though the method changed between studies.
For a growing share of questions, the answer is read on the results page, and only the businesses it names benefit.
Does ranking first on Google get you into the AI Overview?
Not reliably. Semrush (July 2025) analysed 200,000 keywords and found only 20–26% of the links an AI Overview cites also appear in the top ten organic results, and the number-one page appears in just 46% of desktop Overviews. Citation correlates with ranking, but it isn't the same thing.
Being cited is worth having. Seer Interactive (February 2025) found that when a brand appeared inside the Overview, its organic click-through rose from 0.74% to 1.02%, while on AI Overview queries overall it fell from 1.41% to 0.64%. Being named decides whether the AI answer sends you traffic or takes it.
A client cited in Google's AI Overview
Bradgate Financial Solutions is a mortgage and protection broker we have worked with for several years: a bespoke PHP website, hosting, copywriting and ongoing SEO built around specific mortgage circumstances. Financial advice is a topic Google treats cautiously, which makes the result more telling: a search for self-employed mortgages in Leicester returns Bradgate referenced inside Google's AI Overview, with the screenshot on the case study.
What it proves: a specialist, answer-first page from a small regulated business can be chosen ahead of national lenders. What it doesn't prove: that we can guarantee the same for you. Nobody can.
"Hi would highly recommend Vimana Digital. They have created a excellent website and increased our SEO for financial solutions" Dave Pierce, Bradgate Financial Solutions, Google review
Want to know whether AI tools recommend you today? Book a free 20-minute call and we'll talk you through how to check Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity for your customers' questions.
Get a quoteHow do you get a business cited in AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity?
Nothing exotic. AI answer engines favour pages that answer a question directly, come from an identifiable source, and are corroborated elsewhere. Our work:
- Answer-first pagesa 40–60 word direct answer, question-style headings, and specifics (prices, timescales, who it's for) rather than slogans.
- Entity and author signalsa named author, consistent business details, and structured data that matches the page.
- Google Business Profile and directory consistencyAssistants lean on reviews and directories for local recommendations, so local SEO fundamentals are AI-search fundamentals.
- Fresh, dated, sourced content,which is more likely to be cited itself.
- Off-site mentionsin trade press, local press, partner pages and review platforms.
- MeasurementAI Overview clicks sit under "Web" in Search Console (Google, December 2025); GA4 referral filters show assistant traffic; the citation check is re-run monthly.
All of this sits on top of ordinary SEO and inside our wider digital marketing work; it doesn't replace either.
What AI search optimisation is not
- No "llms.txt" files or special AI schemaGoogle's AI features documentation (updated December 2025) says no special markup or file is needed for AI Overviews or AI Mode.
- No guaranteed citations Google's own advice"No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." AI answers are less predictable than rankings, not more.
- No mass-produced "AI-optimised" pagesGoogle's spam policy (updated August 2026) names "using generative AI tools… to generate many pages without adding value" as scaled content abuse. It's the fastest way to lose the visibility you already have.
- No blocking advice without the trade-offYou can keep content out of AI answers with `nosnippet`, `max-snippet` or the Google-Extended control, but you also keep it out of the answers that would have named you.
Where we use AI in marketing, and where we don't
| Task | AI does | A person does |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword and question research | Clusters thousands of queries, spots gaps | Decides which match your business and margins |
| Content | First drafts, outlines, readability rewrites | Fact-checks, adds what only you know, edits for voice, signs it off |
| Google Ads (PPC) | Generates and tests ad variants; Google's own automation bids | Sets structure, negatives, conversion tracking, and what represents your brand |
| Email (email marketing) | Drafts sequences, suggests send times, segments | Checks consent records, approves every claim and offer |
| Social (social media) | Repurposes long content into posts, drafts captions | Chooses what to publish, replies to people |
| Reporting | Pulls GA4, Search Console, Ads and CRM into one summary | Explains what it means and what to do next |
| Lead handling | Scores and routes enquiries (automation) | Makes the call |
The rule underneath the table: nothing is published under your name or sent to your customers until a person who's accountable for it has read it.
Will AI-written content hurt our rankings?
Not because it's AI-written. Google's scaled content abuse policy targets mass-producing pages to manipulate rankings, however they were made, and its Quality Rater Guidelines (September 2025) allow the lowest rating for AI content with "little effort, originality or added value". Our rule: AI for research and drafts, a person for facts, voice and judgement.
Is AI-personalised marketing legal in the UK?
Yes, within UK GDPR and PECR, and the rules are enforced. In January 2026 the ICO fined Allay Claims £120,000 and ZMLUK £105,000 for unlawful marketing texts and emails. The practical rules:
- Consent or the soft opt-in,which applies only to contacts from a sale or negotiation, for similar products, with an opt-out offered every time. AI can personalise a message; it can't create a lawful basis for sending it.
- Transparency about profilingIf AI scores or segments people, your privacy notice has to say so.
- Customer data in AI toolsonly on a business tier with a data processing agreement, and only the fields needed.
- EU audiencesArticle 50 of the EU AI Act has required AI-generated images, audio and video to be labelled since 2 August 2026, so synthetic creative aimed at EU customers carries a label.
How we work
Need a chatbot to handle the enquiries this brings in, or an agent to process them? Same team; see the AI services overview.
- 1Citation checkWe ask the AI engines your customers' questions and record who's cited and what's said about you.
- 2Source auditWhich pages, directories, reviews and mentions the engines are drawing on, and where you're missing.
- 3Fix the fundamentalsBusiness details, Google Business Profile, author and organisation data, technical SEO.
- 4Answer-first contentRewrite or add the pages that answer the questions, with sources and dates.
- 5Earn mentionsReviews, directories, press and partners.
- 6Measure monthlySearch Console including AI Overview clicks, assistant referrals, and a re-run of the citation check.
How much does AI search optimisation cost?
AI search is part of SEO, not a separate retainer, because the work overlaps almost entirely. Our published SEO pricing: Local SEO from £400 a month; National SEO £1,000–£4,000 a month; Global typically £5,000–£10,000 a month. Prices exclude VAT. The citation check and answer-first content are included in those tiers; a standalone AI-visibility audit is priced on request. There are no long contracts: SEO runs rolling monthly with one month's notice. For a free starting point, request a free website SEO audit.
On proof: our Google reviews cover SEO and web work, and Bradgate is our published AI Overview citation. We don't yet have a case study for AI-assisted ads or email.
Frequentlyaskedquestions
Not covered here? Call and ask. We reply within 24 hours.
What does an AI search optimisation agency do?
It works to get your business cited by AI answer engines: Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. That means answer-first pages, consistent business and author data, reviews and directory listings, off-site mentions, and monthly checks of which sources the engines are citing for your customers' questions.
What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO earns a position in the list of results. AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) are two names for earning a mention inside the AI-written answer above that list. The methods overlap heavily, but Semrush found only 20–26% of cited links are top-ten results, so citation needs its own attention.
How do I get my business recommended by ChatGPT?
Be the clearest, best-corroborated answer to the question. ChatGPT and Perplexity draw on web search results, directories, reviews and press mentions, so you need pages that answer specific questions directly, consistent business details everywhere, recent reviews, and mentions on sites the engines trust. Then check monthly and fix what's missing.
Do AI Overviews reduce website traffic?
Yes, for pages that aren't cited. Ahrefs measured a 58% fall in click-through for the top organic result when an AI Overview appeared (February 2026), and Pew found users click a result on 8% of searches with a summary against 15% without. Cited brands, by contrast, saw click-through rise in Seer's data.
Do I need llms.txt or special schema for AI search?
No. Google's AI features documentation (December 2025) states that no special markup, file or structured data is needed for AI Overviews or AI Mode; normal Search Essentials apply. Ordinary structured data that matches your on-page text still helps engines understand who you are, but there is no "AI schema" to buy.
How do I measure AI search traffic?
In Google Search Console, clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted within the "Web" search type, not separately. In GA4, add referral filters for chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com to see assistant visits. Alongside that, a monthly manual check of which sources are cited is the most honest measure.
Does AI search matter for a local business?
Yes, and increasingly. Around 30% of UK Google searches show an AI Overview (Ofcom, 2025), and assistants are used for "best plumber near me" style questions. Local answers lean on your Google Business Profile, reviews and directory consistency, so the fundamentals of local SEO are the fundamentals of AI visibility too.
How much does AI search optimisation cost in the UK?
We include it within our SEO tiers: Local SEO from £400 a month, National SEO £1,000–£4,000 a month, Global typically £5,000–£10,000 a month. A standalone AI-visibility audit is priced on request. No long lock-in contracts, and a free website SEO audit is the usual starting point.
Find out who the AI answer names instead of you
Tell us the five questions your customers ask before they buy. We'll run them through the AI engines, show you the sources they cite, and tell you honestly what it would take to be one of them.
Author: Amit Saini, founder and lead developer, Vimana Digital. Last reviewed: 9 October 2026
- 0115 647 0444
- contact@vimanadigital.com
- Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm
- 1 Union Street, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 1HH
"A local company with a global reach - what he doesn’t know about SEO probably isn’t worth knowing." Callum Watkinson, Google review