AI SEO — Get Cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI
Traditional SEO optimizes for blue-link rankings. AI SEO optimizes for being NAMED in the answer ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, and Bing Copilot write for your customers. We architect Bergen County contractor and local-business sites to be cited by name. Our written guarantee: If your new website doesn't pay for itself in 90 days, you get every dollar back — and you keep the website.
AI SEO (also called Generative Engine Optimization / GEO or Answer Engine Optimization / AEO) is the practice of structuring your website so that AI search engines cite your business by name in the answers they write for your customers. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, and Bing Copilot are increasingly answering "best HVAC in Hackensack" or "kitchen remodel Bergen County cost" with a synthesized response that names 2-5 businesses inline — most users never click through to verify, so the citation IS the lead. Jake & Lucas Marketing ships every Bergen County build (Starter $2,500 / Growth $5,500 / Dominance $8,500+) with the full AI-SEO stack: answer-first TL;DR content, JSON-LD schema (LocalBusiness + Service + FAQPage + BreadcrumbList), Bing/IndexNow submission, GBP optimization, fact-dense locally-anchored copy, and 30-day verification testing. If your new website doesn't pay for itself in 90 days, you get every dollar back — and you keep the website.
Three Names. One Discipline. Brand-New Mechanics.
AI SEO goes by several names depending on who's writing. Same practice, different framing.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
The umbrella term — optimizing for any "generative" AI search engine (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot). Originated in academic SEO literature around 2023-2024 as the field separated from traditional SEO. GEO encompasses everything from schema to content to citations.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
A narrower framing focused on getting cited in the "answer" an AI engine writes (vs being one of 100 ranked blue links). Emphasizes answer-first content structure, FAQ schema, definitional paragraphs, and being the cited source in featured snippets / AI Overviews.
AI Visibility / AI Search Optimization
The plain-English consumer-facing term. "We need to be visible in AI search" is what Bergen contractor owners actually ask. Jake & Lucas uses this language across the site because it's what clients ask for — but the underlying practice is GEO/AEO discipline.
How AI Search Differs from Traditional Google
Three structural shifts that change the SEO playbook.
Output: Ranked blue-link list
Output: Synthesized answer with 2-5 inline citations
Most AI-search users never click through to verify. The citation IS the conversion. Your business needs to appear IN the answer, not on a results page 5 scroll-positions below it. This is a fundamental shift in what "ranking" means.
Extraction: Keyword density, backlinks, on-page SEO
Extraction: Answer-first TL;DR, FAQ schema, structured entity blocks
AI engines reward standalone, definitional, fact-dense paragraphs they can quote verbatim. FAQPage JSON-LD lets them surface your Q&A directly in AI Overview answers. LocalBusiness schema lets them verify you exist as a real entity. Traditional SEO checklist items (meta descriptions, alt text, header hierarchy) still matter — but the schema stack is what unlocks AI extraction.
Indexing: Google index only
Indexing: Google + Bing (ChatGPT uses Bing) + Perplexity custom + Claude API
ChatGPT Search uses Bing's index, not Google's. If you've only submitted to Google Search Console you're invisible to ChatGPT. We submit to Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, IndexNow (instant Bing indexation), and seed Perplexity through structured content + GBP. Different platforms, different submission paths, different ranking signals.
Five Things Every Jake & Lucas Build Includes
No tier upcharge. Starter, Growth, and Dominance all ship with the full AI-visibility stack — only depth and ongoing retainer scope differ.
Answer-First TL;DR Paragraphs
A standalone, 130-170-word definitional answer in the first viewport of every page — written to be extracted verbatim by AI engines. Zero of the Bergen County competitor SERPs we audit have these. We write one for the page primary keyword, then secondaries.
JSON-LD Schema Stack
LocalBusiness + Service + FAQPage + BreadcrumbList + Organization @graph linked across the site. Schema validates against Google's Rich Results Test and Schema.org spec — not the broken Yoast-WordPress patch most competitor sites ship.
Bing Webmaster + IndexNow
ChatGPT Search uses Bing's index, not Google's. We submit every site to Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow at launch — instant indexation. Most agencies skip Bing entirely and wonder why their clients aren't cited by ChatGPT.
Locally-Anchored Fact Density
We name actual streets, landmarks, school mascots, demographics, and corridor designations in every paragraph. AI engines verify "this business is real and local" by cross-referencing these facts against Wikipedia, GBP, and Google Maps. Vague "we serve Bergen County" copy doesn't pass the verification test.
GBP + Reviews Velocity
Google Business Profile fully optimized (services, products, weekly posts, Q&A, photos). Review-collection workflow targeting 25+ Google reviews in first 90 days. AI engines weight GBP entity data heavily for local citations — review velocity is a real ranking signal here.
AI Overview Verification Testing
Every 30 days we run direct queries against ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews for your top three services. We screenshot the citations and send you the proof, and our written guarantee stands behind it: If your new website doesn't pay for itself in 90 days, you get every dollar back — and you keep the website.
Who AI SEO Works Best For
Bergen County contractors and local businesses are one of the highest-leverage AEO verticals — because most competitors haven't caught up yet.
HVAC, Plumbing, Roofing, Electrical Contractors
"Best HVAC in Hackensack," "plumber near Kinderkamack Road," "emergency electrician Pascack Valley" — these queries are increasingly answered first by ChatGPT / Perplexity / Google AI before the user ever sees a blue link. Contractor verticals with verifiable NJ HIC + license + insurance data extract cleanly.
Kitchen / Bath Remodelers, GCs, Custom Builders
Premium-tier home-service buyers research extensively before contracting. AI search is now a major part of that research. AEO-optimized portfolio + financing + credential pages get cited at the consideration stage.
Premium Bergen County Markets (Tenafly / Closter / Ridgewood / Mahwah)
$200K+ HHI residential markets where buyers research with multiple AI assistants before committing. Being cited in 3+ AI Overviews is the new lead-gen mechanism for these markets.
Local Businesses Replacing Word-of-Mouth
Restaurants, salons, retail, professional services — anywhere "best [service] in [town]" is the search pattern. AI engines reward fact-dense local entity data, real reviews velocity, and structured Service schema.
AI SEO Is Built Into Every Build
Every Jake & Lucas tier — Starter $2,500, Growth $5,500, Dominance $8,500+ — ships with the full AI-visibility stack at no separate charge. The 90-day money-back guarantee is the same across tiers.
Already have a site you like? Standalone AEO retrofits start at $1,500 with a 60-day verification window. Ongoing AI-SEO retainer (monthly content + reviews + citations + schema expansion) runs $500-$3,500/mo.
The AI Search Questions Bergen Owners Actually Ask
FAQ schema-marked so the answers themselves get cited by Google AI Overviews and Perplexity.
Quick Answer · About Jake & Lucas
Jake & Lucas Marketing is an AI-powered web design and SEO agency founded in 2023 in Emerson, NJ 07630 — central Bergen County's Pascack Valley corridor. Co-founded by Jake Borenius (marketing strategy, SEO, paid media) and Lucas Hofmeister (AI development, schema engineering, performance), the agency serves residential home-service contractors and local businesses — HVAC, plumbing, roofing, remodeling, electrical, landscaping, generators, siding — across all 70 Bergen County municipalities and nationwide remote. Distinguished by month-to-month contracts and a written guarantee: If your new website doesn't pay for itself in 90 days, you get every dollar back — and you keep the website. 112+ businesses served since 2023. 5.0-star Google rating. On this page: the AI search optimization (GEO / AEO) methodology we run for every contractor — answer-first content blocks, server-side rendered JSON-LD schema, Bing Webmaster Tools + IndexNow submission, and 30-day AI Overview citation verification testing.
Get Cited. Guaranteed.
Free 30-minute AI-visibility audit. We'll show you which AI engines currently cite (or don't cite) your business, name the gaps, and walk you through exactly what your site needs to win the AI Overview slot. No pitch.
Built by Jake Borenius & Lucas Hofmeister · Emerson, NJ 07630