How to get your content cited by AI

and other local SEO advice

Hello hi!

Here are some updates from last week 👇️

1. I asked 3 different AIs the same question

I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini the exact same question about a local business: “Does Texas Coffee Traders Cafe offer sugar-free drinks?” 

And they all gave me a different answer:

  • ChatGPT found sugar-free vanilla syrup.

  • Claude said it could not find any specific mention of sugar-free options.

  • Gemini said the cafe offers sugar-free flavor alternatives.

So which one is correct? ¯\(ツ)/¯

A service you offer might be clearly mentioned on your website but missing from your Google Business Profile, buried in an old social post, listed only on a menu platform, or mentioned in reviews but nowhere else.

That is why you should regularly ask multiple AI tools what they know about your business. Pay attention to two things:

  1. What information do they get wrong or leave out?

  2. Which sources are they citing?

Those cited sources are places where your business information needs to be accurate, clear, and up to date.

Your website and Google Business Profile still matter, but so do your menus, social profiles, review sites, directories, and every other platform AI may use to understand your business.

2. My genuine reaction when someone says I’ll get replaced by AI

@darrenshawseo

Your AI slop isn’t fooling anyone

No TikTok? Watch this on Instagram.

3. How to get your content cited by AI

AI search engines are dumber than you think. You need to spell things out for them, or they will ignore your content and cite your competitor instead.

Here’s how to check if AI understands your content:

  1. Go to contentgrapher.io

  2. Paste in your web page.

  3. Describe who the page is for.

  4. Click “Analyze”.

The tool will map the concepts in your content and show you what you can do to improve the page for AI visibility.

Watch this video to see how it works 👇️

4. Catch up on the pod

I did not expect the Google Business Profile + Gemini integration to be this good.

We got early access, and it can already do some genuinely useful stuff.

You can use it to:

  • Update your Google Business Profile via the chat

  • Analyze your reviews and identify trends

  • Get category suggestions

  • Get service suggestions

  • Create Google Posts based on your reviews or services

  • And so much more!

For a savvy small business owner who is trying to stay on top of their local SEO, this is a pretty solid stand-in for a local SEO consultant.

It is not going to replace a good local SEO strategy, but for the day-to-day stuff? It can save you time, surface ideas, and help you keep your Profile optimized. 

Claire and I did a deep dive on this on last week’s podcast episode, plus:

  • The Review Gap: Finding Client Opportunities In Competitor Feedback (Celeste Gonzalez)

  • GBP Help pages have been revised (Hiroko Imai)

  • Google is bringing back GBP Messaging - with an AI chatbot for your business

Watch the episode here 👇️

🎧 Or if you prefer listening, find it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Darren

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