Case study · AEO · Ongoing
Getting a Lexington consultant named in AI search.
In April, I asked ChatGPT who the best AEO consultant in Lexington was. It said there wasn’t a clear answer, and recommended someone who doesn’t live here.
That seemed like a problem worth solving, mostly because it was my problem. This is the record of what I did about it, what happened, and what’s still missing. It’s updated as things change, with dates, so you can see the timeline instead of just the highlight reel.
Last updated
- Client
- Not Robbie Clark (my own consultancy)
- Target
- Searches like “AEO consultant based in Lexington KY”
- Engines
- ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini and Google AI Overviews still to test
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~6 weeks
from the August audit to the first citations
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#1
ChatGPT, “AEO consultant based in Lexington KY,” two runs out of two
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2 of 2
engines tested that now name the business
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0
Google Business Profiles at the time. That part comes later.
01 · The starting point
The before picture.
In April 2026, a ChatGPT search for the best AEO consultant in Lexington, Kentucky returned no local provider. It said so directly, then recommended someone based elsewhere.
By August, the page existed and was indexed. The on-page work was solid. But when I ran the same kind of search in Perplexity, it named two other firms and not me. It also said what it wanted to see before recommending anyone: independent evidence of results. This page is partly the answer to that.
02 · What was done
The work.
The page itself came first. The Lexington AEO page was built to be easy for an AI engine to read and quote: a clear title and description, plain definitions of what AEO is, direct answers to the questions people actually ask, and specific descriptions of the work instead of a list of buzzwords.
Under the hood, it carries structured data that says who the business is, what it does, where it is, and who runs it. Three schema blocks: LocalBusiness, a FAQ block, and a ProfessionalService graph naming me as founder with a Lexington location. The sibling Lexington pages for SEO, PPC, AI consulting and web design all link to each other, so an engine that finds one can find the rest.
In August, the positioning shifted. The original target was the “best AEO consultant in Lexington” kind of search. That’s a recommendation query, and engines build those answers from outside sources, not from what a business says about itself. The more winnable question was who’s actually here. I’m based in Lexington. Most of the businesses ranking for these searches are not. So the target became searches like “AEO consultant based in Lexington KY.”
What wasn’t done.
Worth being clear about, because it’s most of the usual advice.
Google Business Profile
None. No map listing, no reviews.
Outside mentions
None. No directories, no press, no links from other sites.
Paid or link-building
None. No ads, no link-building campaign.
Everything the engines had to go on came from this website. The page that got cited was the original version, around 500 words. A fuller rewrite was drafted in August but hadn’t gone live yet.
03 · The results
What happened.
September 29, 2026. I ran a handful of searches in logged-out sessions, so neither engine had any account history to go on. Other firms’ names are blurred in the screenshots.
ChatGPT · “AEO consultant based in Lexington KY”
First on the list, both times. The first run linked the AEO page and described it as a Lexington-focused consulting site without naming the business. The second run named Not Robbie Clark and linked the same page.
Run 1
Run 2
ChatGPT · “aeo geo consultant in lexington ky”
Second of four, named, and half of the final recommendation: the pick for anyone who wants direct access to one consultant. It linked the Lexington SEO page rather than the AEO page, which turned out to be one of the more useful findings.
Perplexity · “who does AEO in Lexington Kentucky”
Named, and one of two businesses on its shortlist for someone who wants a consultant physically based in Lexington. Perplexity checked that claim for each business it listed, and noted when a page didn’t establish a local office.
04 · What it showed
What I learned.
- 1
Engines check whether you’re actually local.
Perplexity sorted businesses by whether they could show a real Lexington presence. For local searches, being here is a signal, and saying so plainly on the page matters.
- 2
The engine picked the more complete page.
For one search, ChatGPT summarized and linked the SEO page, not the AEO page. The SEO page was longer, said “Lexington is home base,” and mentioned AEO. The AEO page, at the time, didn’t say where I was based. The engine chose the page that best described the whole business.
- 3
Getting found and getting named are two different things.
In one run, ChatGPT trusted the page but didn’t connect it to a business name. That’s an entity problem: the engine needs to see the same name, place and details in more than one location before it treats them as one real business.
- 4
The map is a separate game.
In ChatGPT’s answers, the map cards above the text went to businesses with Google Business Profiles. Perplexity listed a competitor’s phone number, but not mine. A website can get you into the answer. It can’t get you onto the map.
- 5
Traffic from ChatGPT is trackable.
ChatGPT’s links carry a tag that shows up in analytics as its own source. Citations are the first milestone. Whether they turn into inquiries is the one that matters.
05 · What’s next
Still in progress.
- Google Business ProfileSet up as a service-area business. Started September 29.
- Bing PlacesImported from the Google profile. ChatGPT draws on Bing’s index, so this may matter as much as Google.
- AEO page rewriteA plain statement of where I’m based, a definition of Local AEO, and GEO covered alongside AEO.
- One name, everywhereConnecting the business name to its profiles across the web, so engines name it consistently.
- Gemini and AI OverviewsThe two engines that rely most on Google’s own business data. Not tested yet.
Each gets a dated entry below when it happens, including the ones that don’t work.
06 · Log
The timeline.
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Cited in ChatGPT (#1 for “AEO consultant based in Lexington KY,” two of two runs) and Perplexity (named, on the two-business “based in Lexington” shortlist). No Google Business Profile at the time. Profile setup started the same day.
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Audit. On-page work strong, no outside mentions anywhere. Perplexity names two other firms. Shifted the target from “best AEO consultant” to “based in Lexington.”
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Lexington AEO page built. ChatGPT names no local AEO provider.
Want this for your business?
The same approach works for a plumber, a law firm or a restaurant. The searches are different. The method isn’t.