Question 1

What is ASK A LOCAL.fyi?

Accepted Answer

ASK A LOCAL.fyi is an AI visibility platform. We provide tools — starting with our GEO Schema AI WordPress plugin — that make your existing website visible to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. We don't replace your website. We make it work with AI.

Question 2

Is this a business directory?

Accepted Answer

No. We pivoted from a directory model to focus entirely on AI visibility tools. Our WordPress plugin generates the structured data (JSON-LD schema) that AI assistants need to understand and recommend your business. Your website stays your website — we just make it AI-readable.

Question 3

Why does AI visibility matter for my business?

Accepted Answer

Over 70% of travelers and high-intent customers now use AI assistants to find local businesses. Unlike Google, which shows 10 links, AI assistants give ONE direct recommendation. If your website doesn't have structured schema markup, you don't exist in those conversations. Our tools fix that.

Question 4

What types of businesses benefit from this?

Accepted Answer

Any business that serves local customers: hotels/lodging, restaurants, retail shops, service providers (plumbers, dentists, salons), health/wellness, arts/entertainment, and professional services. If customers search for your service + location, AI visibility matters.

Question 5

What is GEO Schema AI?

Accepted Answer

GEO Schema AI is our WordPress plugin that generates AI-optimized structured data (JSON-LD schema) for your website. It creates LocalBusiness, FAQ, Menu, Service, and Event schema — then tracks every visitor that AI assistants send to your site. It's the only plugin that handles both optimization AND tracking.

Question 6

How do I install the plugin?

Accepted Answer

Search for "GEO Schema AI" in the WordPress plugin directory, click Install, then Activate. The setup wizard walks you through entering your business details, and schema is generated automatically. Takes about 5 minutes.

Question 7

I don't have a WordPress site. Can I still use this?

Accepted Answer

Right now, our plugin is WordPress-only. Shopify and Squarespace versions are in development. In the meantime, our free AI Visibility Audit works for any website, and our team can help with manual schema implementation for custom sites.

Question 8

Does it work with WooCommerce?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GEO Schema AI layers your local business identity onto every WooCommerce product page, so AI assistants can connect your products to your physical location. This is especially powerful for shops, boutiques, and businesses selling locally-made goods.

Question 9

What types of schema does the plugin generate?

Accepted Answer

LocalBusiness (with the most specific @type for your industry), FAQPage, Menu, Service, Event, GeoCoordinates, openingHoursSpecification, amenityFeature arrays, and sameAs authority signals. All generated as clean JSON-LD that passes Google's Rich Results validation.

Question 10

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Accepted Answer

AEO is the practice of structuring your content so AI-powered answer engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — can extract it and present it as a direct response to user questions. SEO gets you ranked on Google. AEO gets you cited by AI. They're complementary strategies.

Question 11

How is AEO different from SEO?

Accepted Answer

SEO targets Google's crawler with backlinks, keywords, and meta tags. AEO targets AI models with structured data, concise quotable answers, and entity optimization. SEO gets you ranked in a list. AEO gets you named as THE recommendation. You need both — SEO is the foundation, AEO is the competitive advantage.

Question 12

What's the difference between AEO and GEO?

Accepted Answer

AEO is the goal — become the answer. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the scientific method for achieving that goal, based on Princeton University research. Think of AEO as "what" and GEO as "how." Our plugin is named after GEO because it implements the research-backed methodology.

Question 13

What is the 18-Token Method?

Accepted Answer

Based on Princeton University research (KDD 2024), it's a formula for writing FAQ answers in the 15–25 word sweet spot where AI assistants quote your exact words instead of summarizing. The formula: [Business Name] + [Action Verb] + [Specific Detail with Numbers]. Our plugin coaches you through it in real time with a character counter and optimization score.

Question 14

What research is this based on?

Accepted Answer

Peer-reviewed research from Princeton University presented at KDD 2024 in Barcelona. They tested 9 optimization methods across 10,000 queries. Key findings: quotation addition boosts visibility by +41%, statistics addition by +30%, and citation-based optimization gives a +115% boost for small businesses. Keyword stuffing actually hurts by −0.5%.

Question 15

What are the pricing tiers?

Accepted Answer

Free ($0 forever) — LocalBusiness schema, 1 FAQ block. Starter ($79/year) — advanced schema, 3 FAQ blocks, validation dashboard. Pro ($199/year) — AI-generated FAQs, AI Traffic Dashboard, 3 locations, competitor tracking. Agency (custom pricing) — 25 locations, white-label, client reports. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial.

Question 16

What's included in the free tier?

Accepted Answer

LocalBusiness JSON-LD schema with your business details, 1 FAQ schema block, basic structured data output, and WordPress 6.0+ support. No credit card required. It's enough to establish a basic AI presence and see if the approach works for your business.

Question 17

Do you offer monthly billing?

Accepted Answer

All plugin pricing is annual-only. This keeps pricing simple and gives you the best rate. Every paid plan includes a 14-day free trial so you can test before committing.

Question 18

What's the Agency tier for?

Accepted Answer

The Agency tier is for web agencies, DMOs, chambers of commerce, and lodging alliances managing multiple client sites. It includes 25 locations, 10 competitor tracking slots, AI Traffic Reports for clients, white-label output, and a client management portal. Price is custom — contact our team to discuss.

Question 19

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All plans are annual but you can cancel before renewal. If you cancel, your schema stays on your site but you lose access to the dashboard, AI FAQ generation, traffic tracking, and future updates.

Question 20

What is the AI Visibility Audit?

Accepted Answer

Our free tool that tests your business across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. We send real-time queries about your industry and location, then show you exactly what each AI says — and whether it mentions you. You get a visibility score, gap analysis, and specific recommendations.

Question 21

How much does the audit cost?

Accepted Answer

Completely free. No credit card required. No obligation. You get a full visibility report with specific recommendations.

Question 22

How long does the audit take?

Accepted Answer

About 60 seconds. Enter your business details, and we run live queries against 4 AI platforms simultaneously. Your report is ready immediately.

Question 23

Does the audit work for any website?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The AI Visibility Audit works regardless of your website platform. It tests what AI assistants say about your business, not your website code. The plugin (for fixing issues) is WordPress-only for now, but the audit is universal.

Question 24

How quickly will I see results?

Accepted Answer

Schema markup appears on your site immediately after plugin setup. AI assistants typically start citing your business within 2–4 weeks of structured data being added. The AI Traffic Dashboard starts tracking visitors from day one.

Question 25

What is the AI Traffic Dashboard?

Accepted Answer

A real-time analytics dashboard (Pro plan and above) that tracks every visitor sent to your website by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. It shows which AI platform sent them, what pages they visited, and whether they converted (called, emailed, or purchased). It's how you prove ROI on your AI optimization.

Question 26

How do I measure AEO success?

Accepted Answer

Track AI referral traffic (visitors from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity), monitor citation counts, measure conversion rates from AI-referred visitors, and compare month-over-month AI visibility trends. Our plugin's AI Traffic Dashboard does all of this automatically.

Question 27

What is competitor tracking?

Accepted Answer

Pro plan includes tracking for 3 competitors. We monitor how often AI assistants recommend your competitors vs. you, what they say about them, and which competitors appear for your target queries. This helps you understand your competitive position in AI search.

Question 28

Is my data safe?

Accepted Answer

All schema generation and traffic tracking happens locally on your WordPress site. No business data is sent to external servers. Visitor IPs are anonymized for GDPR/CCPA compliance. We only process the data needed to generate your schema and track AI referrals.

Question 29

Can competitors see my visibility data?

Accepted Answer

No. Your visibility reports, traffic data, and optimization scores are private to your account. The AI responses we analyze come from publicly available information, but your analytics and recommendations are confidential.

Question 30

Is the plugin GDPR/CCPA compliant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Visitor IP addresses are anonymized. No personal data is collected from your website visitors beyond anonymized referral source tracking. Schema markup contains only the business information you choose to publish.

Question 31

Do you work with tourism boards and chambers of commerce?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We partner with DMOs, chambers, and lodging alliances to provide AI visibility tools for their member businesses. The Agency tier is designed for organizations managing multiple business sites. Contact our team to discuss partnership options and bulk pricing.

Question 32

Can web agencies use this for their clients?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. The Agency tier includes white-label output, client management portal, and per-client AI Traffic Reports. You can manage up to 25 client sites from one dashboard. Many agencies offer AEO as an upsell service alongside traditional SEO.

Question 33

What are the .fyi communities?

Accepted Answer

We operate tourism-focused community platforms in Humboldt County (humboldt.fyi), Sonoma County (sonoma.fyi), and Sarasota (mysarasota.fyi). These are local directories where we test and refine our AI visibility methodology with real businesses. We're expanding to San Luis Obispo County and beyond in 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is ASK A LOCAL.fyi?

Is this a business directory?

Why does AI visibility matter for my business?

What types of businesses benefit from this?

Still have questions?

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