✦ Local AEO
What Is Near Me SEO?
'Near me' SEO refers to optimising for searches that include location intent — 'plumber near me', 'roofing company near me' — where search engines use the user's location to filter and rank results. For AI recommendations, the concept translates differently: AI systems typically ask for or infer a city name rather than using device GPS, so city-specific content matters more than pure proximity signals.
Traditional 'near me' SEO relies on Google using the searcher's physical location to surface nearby businesses. The business's distance from the searcher is a ranking factor, combined with relevance and prominence. A business 1.5km away with 80 reviews will often outrank a business 0.5km away with 8 reviews for the same category query.
For AI search, the mechanism is different. ChatGPT and Perplexity ask clarifying questions ('what city are you in?') or make assumptions based on context. They don't use GPS in the same way. The practical implication: 'near me' content on your website doesn't produce additional AEO benefit the way it does for Google. What matters for AI is explicit city-level content: your service pages mentioning the city, your GBP service area including the city, and reviews that mention the city. Geographic explicitness in content rather than proximity signals is the AEO equivalent of near-me optimisation.
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