Many of your customers aren’t simply starting with a Google search. Instead, they’re asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity for answers, and if your company isn’t optimizing for AI Search visibility, you may miss a chance to get on their shortlist.
In our recent blog post, “What Shippers See Before They Call You,” we talked about optimizing your online presence. Today, let’s go beyond that and get in front of how your future customers are actually discovering new logistics solutions online today.
Is there a way to register your business for AI search?
There’s no directory to submit to and no form that guarantees an AI model recommends your business in its answers. AI Search visibility comes from how your online content is written and structured, not from signing up anywhere.
What is AEO?
Answer Engine Optimization is the AI-era counterpart to SEO. It requires the same technique, which is to write clearly, answer real questions, and structure your content so it can be found. It’s just aimed at a different kind of search that starts in AI.
What’s the difference between ranking in Google and getting cited by AI?
A Google ranking puts your company’s website link on a search engine results page, and your page has to compete with your competitors to rank higher and show up first. An AI citation is different because it names your company inside its answer, usually with a small source link on the bottom. AI optimization can happen faster than search engine optimization and provide ROI sooner.
How does online content actually earn an AI citation?
Get cited by AI search by doing these three primary things consistently.
- Use authentic and natural language, not stiff keyword-stuffed copy.
- Provide a clear structure, including real paragraphs organized into meaningful sections.
- Add headers written as the actual questions your buyers are typing into AI tools, just like this post is doing right now. 🙂
Why does AI Search visibility matter for freight and logistics companies right now?
AI search visibility matters in the logistics industry because few businesses in this space are doing it well yet. Most freight industry websites are built for a person scrolling a traditional search results page, not an AI model looking for a clean, well-organized answer to cite. That gap between SEO and AEO is an opening for you to step in, invest a little, and make a lot of headway.
What should you do first to improve AI Search visibility?
Pick one page or post on your website that already gets a decent amount of traffic. Rewrite its headers as the real questions a customer would ask in an AI model like ChatGPT. Make sure the answer sits right underneath each question and that it’s written in clear, regular language. That’s a good starting place that you can manage this week!
Our founder Stephanie Alter walks through AI Search in more detail on this clip of the Last2First podcast with Jason Burns. It’s worth the watch if you want to get head in the AI era.
