How to use this hub
A real education, organized so you can actually navigate it.
This isn't a link dump. It's structured into six categories — from fundamentals to hands-on trade playbooks — with a guided path for beginners and pillar guides that go deep. Read in order or jump to what you need; every guide is written answer-first, so you can skim or study.
Three ways in, depending on where you are:
- Brand new? Take the beginner learning path — six guides in reading order, roughly an hour total, that build from mechanics to action.
- Run a local trade? Go straight to a trade playbook — a complete, practical field guide for roofing, HVAC, solar, pest control, electrical, or window replacement.
- Looking something up? Use the category browser or the glossary. Everything is cross-linked.
Learning path · Beginner
New to AI search? Start here.
Six guides, in order, that take you from understanding the machinery to earning your first citations. Roughly an hour of focused reading — or spread it across a week.
- How Does AI Search Work?The mechanics behind the answer: training data, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), entity resolution, and how each engine selects and cites sources.
- What Is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?The definitive plain-language guide to Answer Engine Optimization: what it is, how it differs from SEO, the three layers (content, schema, authority), and how to measure it.
- What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?GEO is optimizing content so generative engines retrieve, surface, and cite it. What the term means, why it emerged, and how it maps to SEO.
- AEO vs. GEO: How Are They Different?Same goal — AI citations — different emphasis. AEO targets the answer layer; GEO targets the retrieval layer. Where they converge and where the distinction matters.
- How to Get Cited by AIThe cross-engine citation guide: quotable answer blocks, entity consistency, and off-site corroboration — a six-step process from baseline to citation share.
- Schema Markup for AI SearchWhich structured-data types matter for AI (Organization, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, LocalBusiness, DefinedTerm), how to implement them, and the mistakes that break extraction.
See the full beginner path with notes on each step →
Learning paths · By trade
Run a local trade business? Follow your playbook.
Each of these is an extensive, practical field guide — what buyers ask AI, why local businesses win or lose the citation, and the exact GBP, reviews, schema, and content moves, with checklists you can run this week.
- AI Search for Roofers: The Complete PlaybookWhat homeowners ask AI before hiring a roofer, why local roofers win or lose the citation, and the exact GBP, reviews, schema, and service-page moves — with checklists.
- AI Search for HVAC Companies: The Complete PlaybookHow AI answers 'best HVAC company near me' and repair/installation questions, and the step-by-step playbook to become the named recommendation.
- AI Search for Solar Installers: The Complete PlaybookSolar buyers research heavily through AI. What they ask, how engines weigh local installers vs. national brands, and the moves that earn the citation.
- AI Search for Pest Control: The Complete PlaybookPest problems are urgent, local, and AI-searched. The playbook for getting your pest-control company named when someone asks AI for help.
- AI Search for Electricians: The Complete PlaybookFrom panel upgrades to EV chargers — what homeowners ask AI, and how a local electrician earns the cited answer over directories and nationals.
- AI Search for Window Replacement: The Complete PlaybookWindow replacement is a considered, high-ticket purchase researched through AI. What buyers ask and the playbook to be the named local option.
Featured
Pillar guides — the deep, definitive ones.
If you only read a handful, read these. Each is a thorough, standalone treatment of its topic.
Pillar guideWhat Is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?The definitive plain-language guide to Answer Engine Optimization: what it is, how it differs from SEO, the three layers (content, schema, authority), and how to measure it.Beginner · 11 min read
Pillar guideThe Complete Answer Engine Optimization GuideA start-to-finish AEO guide: strategy, content structure, schema, entity authority, and the measurement loop — the full discipline in one place.Intermediate · 14 min read
Pillar guideHow Does AI Search Work?The mechanics behind the answer: training data, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), entity resolution, and how each engine selects and cites sources.Beginner · 11 min read
Pillar guideHow to Rank in Google AI OverviewsThe organic-ranking prerequisite, the content structure AI Overviews extract from, the schema layer, and the monitoring workflow — step by step.Intermediate · 16 min read
Pillar guideHow to Get Cited by AIThe cross-engine citation guide: quotable answer blocks, entity consistency, and off-site corroboration — a six-step process from baseline to citation share.Intermediate · 16 min read
Pillar guideSchema Markup for AI SearchWhich structured-data types matter for AI (Organization, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, LocalBusiness, DefinedTerm), how to implement them, and the mistakes that break extraction.Advanced · 15 min read
Pillar guideAI Search for Roofers: The Complete PlaybookWhat homeowners ask AI before hiring a roofer, why local roofers win or lose the citation, and the exact GBP, reviews, schema, and service-page moves — with checklists.Intermediate · 13 min read
Pillar guideAI Search Glossary: 46 Terms, DefinedEvery term you'll meet in AI search — AEO, GEO, AI Overviews, grounding, RAG, entity, knowledge graph, llms.txt — defined in plain language, with why each matters.Beginner · 12 min read
Browse by category
Six categories, from first principles to the build layer.
Pick the shelf that fits what you're trying to do. Each links straight to the full list below.
FundamentalsWhat AI search is, the disciplines that optimize for it (AEO, GEO, AIO), and how they relate to traditional SEO. Start here if the terminology is new.12 guides
How AI Engines DecideThe mechanics: how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews retrieve sources and choose which brands to name in an answer.7 guides
Playbooks by TradeExtensive, practical field guides for local trades — roofing, HVAC, solar, pest control, electrical, and window replacement — with step-by-step actions and checklists.6 guides
Measurement & ProofHow to baseline where AI names you today, track citation share over time, and prove that the work is moving the needle.2 guides
Technical: Schema & SiteThe build layer: structured data (schema), E-E-A-T signals, crawl access for AI agents, and the site foundations that make your content extractable.2 guides
Glossary46 plain-language definitions — AEO, GEO, AI Overviews, grounding, RAG, entities, llms.txt, and every other term you'll meet in AI search.1 guide
See where AI names you today.
A free scan shows exactly where ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews mention you — a concrete baseline before you apply any of this.
All guides
The full library — 30 guides.
Everything in the hub, grouped by category. Read times are estimates.
Fundamentals — 12 guides
- What Is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?The definitive plain-language guide to Answer Engine Optimization: what it is, how it differs from SEO, the three layers (content, schema, authority), and how to measure it.
- What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?GEO is optimizing content so generative engines retrieve, surface, and cite it. What the term means, why it emerged, and how it maps to SEO.
- What Is Answer Engine Optimization? (Full Definition)The comprehensive AEO definition: ranking vs. retrieval vs. citation, which engines behave as answer engines, and how answer-first content wins the quoted position.
- What Is Generative Engine Optimization? (Full Definition)The long-form GEO model — content, technical, authority — with an engine-by-engine breakdown of how each platform retrieves and cites sources.
- What Is AI SEO?"AI SEO" carries two meanings — optimizing for AI engines, and using AI to do SEO work. This covers both and where they converge.
- What Is AI Search Optimization?The umbrella term: how AI search optimization encompasses AEO, GEO, and platform-specific strategies under one unified playbook.
- AEO vs. GEO: How Are They Different?Same goal — AI citations — different emphasis. AEO targets the answer layer; GEO targets the retrieval layer. Where they converge and where the distinction matters.
- AEO vs. SEO: What's the Difference?SEO earns a ranked link; AEO earns the quoted answer. Where the two disciplines share signals and where AEO demands a different content shape.
- GEO vs. SEO: What's the Difference?Traditional SEO optimizes pages to rank; GEO optimizes content to be retrieved and cited by generative AI. The overlap and the divergence.
- The Complete Answer Engine Optimization GuideA start-to-finish AEO guide: strategy, content structure, schema, entity authority, and the measurement loop — the full discipline in one place.
- The Complete Generative Engine Optimization GuideThe complete GEO playbook: the three-layer model, engine-by-engine retrieval behaviour, and how to build content generative engines choose to cite.
- LLM SEO GuideOptimizing for large language models: how training data and live retrieval interact, and what content earns a place in the model's answer.
How AI Engines Decide — 7 guides
- How Does AI Search Work?The mechanics behind the answer: training data, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), entity resolution, and how each engine selects and cites sources.
- How Does ChatGPT Decide What to Cite?ChatGPT's citation pathways — training-data patterns plus live web retrieval — and the content and entity signals that influence which sources it names.
- How to Rank in ChatGPTBoth ChatGPT pathways explained, the content signals that influence citations, and the entity-authority steps that make your brand consistently recommended.
- How to Rank in PerplexityHow Perplexity selects the pages it cites inline, and what moves you from merely retrieved to prominently cited.
- How to Rank in Google AI OverviewsThe organic-ranking prerequisite, the content structure AI Overviews extract from, the schema layer, and the monitoring workflow — step by step.
- AI Overviews SEO: Optimizing for Google's AI AnswersHow Google's answer layer selects sources, the overlap with featured-snippet discipline, and the schema priorities that make pages extractable.
- How to Get Cited by AIThe cross-engine citation guide: quotable answer blocks, entity consistency, and off-site corroboration — a six-step process from baseline to citation share.
Playbooks by Trade — 6 guides
- AI Search for Roofers: The Complete PlaybookWhat homeowners ask AI before hiring a roofer, why local roofers win or lose the citation, and the exact GBP, reviews, schema, and service-page moves — with checklists.
- AI Search for HVAC Companies: The Complete PlaybookHow AI answers 'best HVAC company near me' and repair/installation questions, and the step-by-step playbook to become the named recommendation.
- AI Search for Solar Installers: The Complete PlaybookSolar buyers research heavily through AI. What they ask, how engines weigh local installers vs. national brands, and the moves that earn the citation.
- AI Search for Pest Control: The Complete PlaybookPest problems are urgent, local, and AI-searched. The playbook for getting your pest-control company named when someone asks AI for help.
- AI Search for Electricians: The Complete PlaybookFrom panel upgrades to EV chargers — what homeowners ask AI, and how a local electrician earns the cited answer over directories and nationals.
- AI Search for Window Replacement: The Complete PlaybookWindow replacement is a considered, high-ticket purchase researched through AI. What buyers ask and the playbook to be the named local option.
Measurement & Proof — 2 guides
- AI Share of Voice: What It Is and How to Measure ItThe core AI-visibility metric: what fraction of your target prompts name you versus competitors, how to measure it repeatably, and how to act on the gap.
- How to Appear in AI Search ResultsThe full visibility process: crawl access for AI agents, question-shaped content, the schema table, off-site signals, and the tracking workflow.
Technical: Schema & Site — 2 guides
- Schema Markup for AI SearchWhich structured-data types matter for AI (Organization, FAQPage, HowTo, Article, LocalBusiness, DefinedTerm), how to implement them, and the mistakes that break extraction.
- E-E-A-T for AI SearchExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust — what each signal means to AI engines and the concrete on-site and off-site moves that build them.
FAQ
Where should I start if AI search is completely new to me?
Start with the beginner learning path on this page — it walks you through six guides in order, from how AI search works to how to get cited and how schema helps. Then branch into the category that fits your goal.
Is this information free?
Yes. Every guide, playbook, and glossary entry here is free to read. If you want to see where AI names you today, you can run a free visibility scan — but nothing here is gated.
How current is this?
AI search is moving fast, so we describe mechanisms as observable behaviour and hedge where the field is still shifting. Where specifics change (like incentive rules or engine features), we say so rather than state stale facts as permanent.