Something shifted in how businesses get recommended by AI, and most owners haven’t caught up to it yet. Last week, instead of typing “brand photographer near me” into Google and scrolling, someone opened ChatGPT and asked, “Who’s a good brand photographer in Carmel?” They got back two or three names, a sentence on each, and a recommendation. No ten blue links. No scrolling. Just an answer. That’s the new front door. And here’s the best part, only about 1-2% of local businesses get recommended by AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini at all. So this isn’t a crowded fight you’re late to. It’s an open lane.
TL;DR
- People are starting to ask AI tools for recommendations instead of scrolling Google. Right now, almost no local businesses show up there.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is making sure AI tools have the right information about your business to recommend you.
- The signals that matter are things you already control: a complete profile, specific reviews, clear content, and good photos with descriptive filenames.
- Your visual assets are a ranking input, not just decoration.
- Small, consistent signals stack up. You become the name that comes up.
So what is GEO, exactly?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It’s the practice of structuring your business information so AI tools can find it, understand it, and confidently recommend you when someone asks. Think of it as SEO’s younger sibling, chasing the same goal of being found through a different front door.
I’ve been using AI regularly since Chat GPT came on the scene in 2022, and the thing I keep coming back to is this: AI isn’t magic. It’s a very capable tool that only knows what it can find about you. Feed it clear, consistent, specific information and it recommends you well. Leave gaps and it skips you for someone whose details are easier to trust.
The good news? To get recommended by AI, you don’t need hacks or a way to game the system. It’s about having the right assets in the right places, structured clearly. Let me walk you through what actually moves the needle.
Step one: complete your Google Business Profile (all of it)
AI tools pull heavily from your Google Business Profile, and most are about 60% filled out. Add your services in plain language. Make sure your hours are up to day. Clearly list your service area. Write the description like you’d explain your work to a friend, not like a press release.
Every blank field is a question the AI can’t answer about you, so it moves on. A complete profile is the single highest-return hour you’ll spend this month.
Step two: make your photos work as data
Here’s where it gets interesting for your visuals. AI and search tools read the filenames and descriptions attached to your images. A photo saved as IMG_4471.jpg tells them nothing. A photo saved as carmel-brand-photographer-headshot-session.jpg tells them exactly what it is and where.
When I run a content day with a client, the gallery she walks away with isn’t just for Instagram. Those images get descriptive filenames, they go on her website, they fill out her profile. Quietly, they become signals that help AI understand who she is and what she does. Good photos that show the real business are a ranking input. They’re proof.
Step three: get reviews that say something specific
A five-star review that says “great!” is nice. A review that says “Sarah helped me rebuild my email content after my rebrand and I booked three clients from it” is gold. In order to get recommended by AI, tools read the language inside your reviews to understand what you actually do and who you do it for.
So ask for specifics. When a client offers a kind word, gently steer it: what did you come for, what changed, what would you tell someone considering it. Those specific outcomes become the exact phrases an AI repeats when it recommends you.
Step four: keep your details identical everywhere
Your name, address, and phone number need to match across your website, your profile, your social bios, every directory. When those details conflict, AI tools get less confident about recommending you, because they can’t tell which version is true. Consistency reads as trustworthy. Pick one format and make everything match.
Step five: write content that answers real questions
AI tools love clear answers. Content structured around the actual questions your clients ask, like “where would we even shoot,” “what do I wear,” and “how do I use these photos,” gives AI clean, quotable material to pull from. That’s part of why this very post leads with a plain definition and a short summary up top. It’s built to be quoted, not just read.
This is the compound-interest part. You don’t become the recommended business from one big move. A complete profile here, three specific reviews there, clear content, good filenames — each one is small. Stacked over a few months, they’re the reason your name comes up when nobody else’s does.
How can I help you get recommended by AI?
To be honest, I have a unique set of skills (said in my best Liam Neeson voice) … I make the visual assets AI is looking for, and I can also help you build the AI strategy to put them to work. Most creatirs stop at the photos and videos. Most AI consultants never touch the visuals. The recommendation engine wants both!
If you want to make sure you’re the name that comes up when someone asks AI for a business like yours, let’s plan it together. A short AI Strategy Session walks through your profile, your reviews, and your content against what these tools actually weight, and a content day creates the visual assets that quietly do the work all year.
You can reach out at kelliwhitephotography.com/contact. Let’s get you found!
FAQ
Is GEO different from SEO? Yes, though they overlap. SEO helps you rank in a list of search results. GEO helps an AI tool understand your business well enough to recommend you directly in its answer. The work supports both at once.
Do I need to pay for special software to do this? No. Almost everything that matters here is free and within your control: your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your website content, your image filenames. The investment is attention, not subscriptions.
How long before it makes a difference? There’s no overnight switch. These signals build credibility over weeks and months as AI tools re-crawl and re-learn your business. The owners who start now are the ones who show up first while the lane is still open.
What’s the one thing to do today? Open your Google Business Profile and fill in every blank field. It’s the fastest, highest-impact move, and it feeds every AI tool pulling from it.
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