By Tanya Ganian · · 8 min readA small business without a marketing team has five realistic ways to do AEO (answer engine optimization): do it yourself with a 1-hour weekly routine, use AI tools to speed up the writing, hire a freelancer for the one-time setup, hand it to an agency, or mix these. Most small businesses get the best value from a hybrid: a professional sets up the foundations once, then the owner keeps a short routine going every week.
What is AEO, in one sentence?
AEO (answer engine optimization), also called GEO, is the work of making your business easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google's AI Overviews to find, understand and recommend. If you're new to the idea, start with AEO vs SEO: what's the difference.
The good news for a small team: AI tools build their answers from public sources, like your website, your Google Business Profile, reviews and directories. Most of those you already control, and most cost nothing to improve.
The 5 options at a glance
| Option | Your time | Typical cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Do it yourself | About 1 hour a week | $0 (free tools) | Owners who like to learn and have a simple offer |
| 2. DIY with AI tools | 30 to 45 minutes a week | $0 to $30 a month | Owners who find writing slow |
| 3. Freelancer for setup | A few hours to brief them | One-time project fee | Fixing the technical foundations once |
| 4. Agency (done for you) | About 1 hour a month | Monthly fee | Competitive industries, owners with no time |
| 5. Hybrid | 30 minutes a week | Setup fee, then little or nothing | Most small businesses |
Option 1: Do it yourself
Short answer: yes, a small business owner can do the core AEO work alone, with free tools and about an hour a week.
The essentials are simple, just easy to put off: claim your listings, make your details identical everywhere, write clear answers to your clients' questions and ask for reviews. Our guide on how to get recommended by ChatGPT walks through each step.
Free tools you need: Google Business Profile, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect. Bing matters because ChatGPT's web search relies heavily on it.
The catch: technical pieces like structured data (schema markup) and page speed can be hard to do alone, especially on an older website.
Option 2: Do it yourself, faster, with AI tools
Short answer: use ChatGPT or Claude to draft FAQs, service pages and review replies, then edit them in your own words.
AI tools are good at turning your notes into a clear first draft and at suggesting the questions clients ask. They can also generate structured data code for you to paste into your site. Always check facts, prices and service areas yourself: AI tools recommend businesses whose information is accurate and consistent, so a made-up detail works against you.
Option 3: Hire a freelancer for the setup
Short answer: pay someone once for the technical foundations, then keep the routine going yourself.
A freelancer can add structured data, fix speed and indexing issues, connect Search Console and Bing, and clean up your listings in a few days. Ask for a clear list of what was done and access to every account, in your name.
Option 4: Hand it to an agency
Short answer: an agency makes sense when your market is competitive or you truly have no time.
A good AEO agency handles content, structured data, listings, mentions on trusted sites and monthly AI visibility tests across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Ask what they test, how often, and how they report it. Avoid anyone who promises guaranteed AI recommendations: nobody controls those answers. Our AEO service in Montreal is built for small businesses without a marketing team.
Option 5: The hybrid (what we recommend for most small businesses)
Short answer: have a professional set up the foundations once, then spend 30 minutes a week on the routine below.
This gives you the technical work done right without a big monthly bill, and keeps the parts only you can do, like asking clients for reviews and answering new questions, in your hands.
A 1-hour weekly AEO routine for small businesses
- Week 1: listings. Check that your name, phone, address, hours and services match on your website, Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Week 2: one new answer. Pick one question a client asked this month and answer it on your site, with the answer in the first two sentences.
- Week 3: reviews. Ask three happy clients for a review that mentions the service and the city, and reply to every review.
- Week 4: test and fix. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity five questions your clients would ask. Note who gets named and which sources are cited, then try to get listed on those sources.
Repeat every month. In Montreal, do the answers and listings in French and English: people ask AI tools in both languages.
What to do first if you only have one afternoon
- Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap
- Complete every field of your Google Business Profile, using our Google Business Profile checklist
- Add one sentence to your home page that says what you do, for whom and where
- Write an FAQ with your five most common client questions
If your business doesn't show up on Google at all, fix that first: AI tools rarely recommend businesses that search engines can't find. See 7 reasons your business isn't showing up on Google.
How to know if it's working
Track three things monthly: how often AI tools name you for your five test questions, how many calls and forms mention finding you through ChatGPT or Google, and your Google Business Profile performance. Results usually build over one to three months for listings and content, longer in competitive fields. For the bigger picture, read 7 ways SEO has changed since ChatGPT.
Not sure which option fits you?
Our free audit includes an AI visibility test across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and tells you what you can do yourself and what's worth handing off.
Frequently asked questions
Can a small business do AEO without a marketing team?
Yes. The core of AEO is free and simple: claim your listings, keep your business details identical everywhere, publish clear answers to client questions, add structured data and earn reviews. About an hour a week is enough to keep it moving.
How much does AEO cost for a small business?
Doing it yourself costs nothing but time. A freelancer setup is a one-time fee, and agency AEO is a monthly fee. Many small businesses pay for the setup once, then maintain it themselves.
What is the first step in AEO?
Make sure search engines can find you: verify your site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and complete your Google Business Profile. AI tools rarely recommend businesses that search engines can't find.
Can I use ChatGPT to do AEO for my business?
Yes, as a helper. AI tools can draft FAQs, service pages and structured data, but you should check every fact, price and service area, because AI tools favour businesses with accurate, consistent information.
How long does AEO take to work?
Fixes to listings and content often show up in AI answers within one to three months. Competitive industries take longer and depend on reviews and mentions from trusted sites.