I help B2B services firms get recommended in AI search
Prospective clients ask ChatGPT which agencies, consultancies, and specialist firms to hire. Storyline helps your firm appear in those answers with clear expertise, credible proof, and the right industry fit.
Where B2B services buyers search
Definition
What is AEO for B2B Services?
Answer engine optimization (AEO) for B2B services is the discipline of helping AI assistants understand, cite, and recommend your firm when prospective clients research a problem, identify firms to consider, compare specialists, or validate experience.
It aligns your service pages, expert bios, case studies, methodologies, directories, reviews, and third-party mentions around clear evidence of expertise and fit. It then measures whether your firm appears for the right buying questions and whether that visibility contributes to qualified inquiries and pipeline.
Also known as
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
- AI Search Optimization
- LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization)
- ChatGPT SEO
How B2B services AEO is different
B2B services are bought on trust, expertise, and fit rather than a feature checklist. Your strongest evidence is scattered across partner biographies, case studies, client outcomes, methodologies, directories, and reputation signals. B2B services AEO connects that evidence so AI can explain who you help, what you are known for, and why a buyer should consider your firm.
The new reality
Why AI search is hard for B2B services firms
Prospective clients use AI to identify firms before they read your case studies or speak with a partner. The answer is assembled from service pages, partner bios, directories, awards, reviews, and old client mentions that rarely tell one clear story. Marketing owns the website, partners own relationships, and no one owns how AI explains why your firm is the right fit.
AI flattens your expertise
Your firm has distinct practice areas, partner experience, and industry depth. AI often compresses that into a generic “full-service” label, making specialists and generalists look interchangeable.
Referrals no longer control who gets considered
A buyer may still ask a peer for names, but they also ask ChatGPT to compare firms, validate credentials, and surface alternatives. Competitors with clearer online proof can enter the process before you know an opportunity exists.
AI visibility lacks pipeline proof
A screenshot shows your firm missing from an AI answer, but traffic alone cannot tell you whether you are cited for the right services, industries, and high-value buying questions, or whether that visibility creates qualified inquiries.
AEO vs SEO
AEO vs SEO for B2B Services
Keep doing SEO. Your service pages, industry pages, case studies, and partner bios still need to rank. AEO covers the research journey SEO does not: prospective clients asking AI which firms have the right expertise, relevant proof, and delivery model before they contact a partner.
Dimension
SEO
AEO
Job to be done
SEO
Rank service, industry, case study, and thought leadership pages in search results
AEO
Earn a credible place in the buyer’s consideration set when they ask AI which firms fit the brief
Where buyers look
SEO
Google and Bing results that send prospective clients to your site
AEO
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and AI Overviews during early research
The daily work
SEO
Technical fixes, content, links, and authority for your domain
AEO
Align service pages, expert bios, case studies, directories, reviews, and third-party proof around one clear firm story
Mike Hinckley
Founder, Storyline
Background
Operator, advisor, and investor with experience across Airbnb, leading AI tools, and more than 150 YC startups.
Built on experience at
Founder-led, by design
B2B services context. Founder speed.
I help B2B services leaders and marketing teams see how AI describes their firm, identify the service and industry questions that shape which firms get considered, and strengthen the sources buyers use to judge expertise, proof, and fit without adding a slow agency layer.
About me
Top AEO, GEO, and SEO expert
Built my last company on organic search and was among the first to advertise in ChatGPT. Firsthand experiments show me what works in practice.
Former growth leader at Airbnb
Built product & growth systems inside one of the world’s most defining tech startups, navigating global scale, organizational complexity, and rapid growth.
Partner to 150+ YC companies
Investor and advisor to 150+ YC founders, which gives me pattern recognition across tons of early GTM motions and business models across categories.
How I work
Founder speed
Unlike traditional agencies, I move at "founder speed" so we get results
Top 1% AI native
I use AI to give me insane leverage, not for AI slop
Direct access
When you hire me, I personally lead and own your strategy
The Storyline Method
How I improve AI visibility for B2B services
I baseline the service, industry, problem, and comparison questions prospective clients ask, then trace each answer back to the sources that influence it.
Next, I align your service pages, partner bios, case studies, methodologies, directories, reviews, and third-party mentions so AI can retrieve a clear, evidence-backed account of your expertise.
The Storyline Difference
How I approach B2B Services AEO differently
You don't sell features, you sell expertise. I ensure AI understands your firm's specific practice areas, partner credentials, and proven outcomes.
What I map
- Practice areas
- Partner profiles
- Case studies
- Methodologies
- Past work
- Thought leadership
- Client industries
- Credentials
Next step
Ready to earn consideration for more client engagements?
Book a short intro to review the services and industries you want to own, the questions prospective clients ask, and where your firm is missing or misrepresented in AI answers.
No obligation · Founder chat
FAQ
Common questions about B2B Services AEO
What is AEO for B2B services?
AEO for B2B services helps AI assistants accurately understand and recommend your firm when prospective clients ask which firms can solve a problem, deliver a service, or bring relevant industry experience. It combines clear positioning, expert profiles, citable case studies, third-party proof, and ongoing visibility measurement.
How is AEO different from SEO for a B2B services firm?
SEO helps your pages rank and earn visits. AEO helps your firm appear inside the answer when a buyer asks which agencies, consultancies, or specialists fit a brief. The two reinforce each other, but AEO focuses on recommendation share, citations, accuracy, and how often AI includes your firm among the recommended options.
How do you measure whether AI visibility drives qualified leads?
I baseline mentions, recommendation share, citations, accuracy, and sentiment for high-intent service and industry questions. Then I track changes alongside qualified inquiries, booked consultations, opportunity creation, and influenced pipeline. The goal is not more mentions in isolation; it is stronger visibility for questions that can start a valuable client relationship.
Want a B2B services AEO visibility review?
Book a short intro. I’ll review the questions prospective clients ask, where your firm appears today, and the first visibility gaps worth fixing.