Answer Engine Optimisation for Toronto Businesses
AI search now recommends just 1.2% of local businesses. The other 98.8% are invisible when a customer asks ChatGPT or Perplexity for a recommendation. Stratezik runs answer engine optimisation for Toronto businesses that want to be in the 1.2%, not the rest.
Measured over an 11-month Toronto engagement, sourced from Google Ads, Search Console, and GA4. See the full Insectica case study.
What you get
AI citations when customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Mode in your category.
A measurement system for AI share of voice, monthly, against named competitors.
Schema and answer-first content the models can extract cleanly.
A third-party footprint across the sources AI tools actually trust.
An honest read on what is moving and what is not, monthly.
How AEO works
The strongest predictor of AI citation is strong traditional search authority, so AEO sits on top of solid SEO rather than replacing it. Beyond that, three layers matter:
- Answer-first content so the model can lift clean facts from your pages.
- Schema markup (LocalBusiness, FAQ, Service, Review) so the structure is machine-readable.
- Third-party signals - listings, reviews, community sources the model corroborates against.
We run all three together, then measure monthly across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode, because the three source differently and your performance can differ across them.
Proof
In our 2026 audit of 50 funded Toronto startup websites, the median AEO readiness score was 10.75 out of 20 (median composite 59 out of 100). 95% of the AEO points those sites earned came from platform defaults, and just 5% deployed FAQ schema, the deliberate, machine-readable work AI engines actually cite. Most sites are not close, which is exactly the gap this service closes.
Source: Stratezik, Toronto Startup Website Audit 2026.
We run our own agent system using the same model ecosystem we sell visibility into. AEO is the area we have invested most in, and we have published deep work on it, including a standalone playbook on getting recommended by ChatGPT specifically.
Common questions
Is AEO different from SEO?
Same foundation, different output. SEO targets ranking in Google. AEO targets being cited inside AI-generated answers. The disciplines overlap; the measurement is different.
Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT?
Not for organic recommendations. ChatGPT has paid ads, but they are separate from being named in an answer. AEO earns the second one.
How long until I show up in AI answers?
Often faster than traditional SEO, because the field is less crowded. Plan in weeks to a few months, depending on your starting authority.
They built it like a product, not a one-off campaign. We went live with a new site and zero ad history, basically invisible in one of the toughest local markets in the country. Eleven months later we had north of seven hundred paid conversions at a cost per lead most competitors cannot touch, and organic finally woke up behind it.
Insectica Pest Control Inc.Residential & commercial · GTARead the full story
Paraphrased from leadership feedback during the engagement; metrics align with Google Ads, Search Console, and GA4 reporting in the portfolio case study.
Ready to be in the 1.2%?
Tell us the questions your customers ask AI tools, and we will tell you exactly where you stand today. Email dave@stratezik.com or request a quote.