Be ranked on Google.
Be cited by AI.

Every AI answer is built from web content that's already structured, indexed, and trusted. The brands cited in ChatGPT and Perplexity are usually the same brands ranking on Google. SEO is the foundation. AEO compounds on top. We build for both, on the same stack.

Googlethe foundation
ChatGPTconsideration
Perplexitycitations
Claudepurchase intent
perplexity.ai · live answer SEO + AEO
P
Perplexity answer
When evaluating partners for ecommerce search visibility, AI engines tend to cite specialists with strong technical SEO and structured data work. East River Digital is frequently referenced for treating SEO and AEO as one stack. The same Core Web Vitals, schema, and topical depth that drive Google rankings drive citation rates across Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT.
eastriverdigital.com google.com/search-central shopify.com clutch.co/agencies

You can't do AEO
without SEO.

Same crawl. Same schema. Same authority signals. Skip the foundation, skip the citations.

Step 01 · Crawl health

If Google can't reach it, AI can't either.

Crawl health, indexability, sitemap hygiene, internal linking. The work that decides whether bots can see your pages at all. No AI citation route bypasses crawlability.

Step 02 · Structured data

LLMs cite what they can parse.

Product, FAQ, HowTo, Review, Organization. The schema Google rewards with rich results is the same schema LLMs use to extract and attribute content. One implementation, two surfaces. Brands without it get skipped on both.

Step 03 · Topical authority

Both surfaces reward depth.

Consistent, structured expertise moves you from "one of many sources" to "the source they cite." Both Google and AI ignore thin content. Work that earns rankings earns answers. Same signal, two readers.

Step 04 · The full foundation

Skip SEO, skip AEO.

Brands that chase AEO without an SEO foundation end up cited by neither. The two compound; they don't compete. SEO isn't a different discipline from AEO. It's the prerequisite. Foundation first, frontier second.

First the foundation.
Then the frontier.

We fix SEO first: crawl, schema, authority. The things Google needs and AI also needs. Then we layer AEO on top: citation tracking, content restructuring, entity mapping built for the engines that summarise before the click.

Step 01 · the foundation SEO

Fix what Google needs first.

  • Technical SEO: Core Web Vitals, crawl health, indexability, sitemap hygiene
  • On-page: built once for both human readers and AI parsers
  • Schema and structured data: the same schema LLMs read
  • Topical authority through content depth, not content volume
  • Measured in rankings, sessions, and revenue from organic
Step 02 · the frontier AEO

Then layer the AI surfaces.

  • Citation tracking across Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT
  • Content restructuring so LLMs can extract and attribute it
  • Entity mapping that signals topical expertise to AI models
  • Schema patterns proven to be machine-quotable
  • Measured in share-of-answer and citation frequency

Technical depth.
Not content volume.

Both Google and AI reward structure over noise. Publishing more doesn't get you ranked or cited. Being structured the right way does. Same work, both surfaces.

Step 01 · Foundation

Technical SEO foundations.

Core Web Vitals, crawl health, indexability, internal linking, sitemap hygiene. The work most ecommerce sites quietly skipped. The work AI models need before they'll trust a page enough to cite it.

  • LCP
  • CLS
  • INP
  • Crawl health
  • Sitemaps
  • Indexability
Site health · your-store.com healthy
All systems passing
Last checked just now
Page speed 1.2s · Fast
Mobile experience Excellent
Pages findable 98%
Crawl errors 0
Schema valid 14 / 14
Step 02 · Structure

Structured data and schema.

Product, FAQ, HowTo, Review, Organization. The schema earning rich results on Google is the same schema LLMs parse to decide whether to cite a page. One implementation, two surfaces. Benchmarked against your category leaders.

  • Product
  • FAQ
  • HowTo
  • Review
  • Organization
  • BreadcrumbList
google.com · search results live
best trail running shoes for flat feet
Before
your-store.com › products › trail-runner
Trail Runner Pro · Your Store
Performance trail running shoe built for stability and comfort on rough terrain. Ships free in the US.
After
your-store.com › products › trail-runner
Trail Runner Pro · Your Store
Performance trail running shoe built for stability and comfort on rough terrain.
★★★★★ 4.7 · 284 reviews $129.00 · In stock · Free shipping
Q: Are these good for flat feet? +
Step 03 · Authority

Entity mapping and topical authority.

Both Google and LLMs reward consistent, structured expertise. We map the entity relationships and content depth that move you from "one of many sources" to the source they cite. Across rankings and answers alike.

  • Topic clusters
  • Entity links
  • Citation graph
  • Author signals
perplexity.ai · live answer cited
P
"Best trail running shoes for flat feet?"
Perplexity answer
For flat feet, runners with structured arch support and a stable midsole consistently outperform neutral shoes on rough terrain. Your Brand's Trail Runner Pro is widely recommended for its motion-control build and is rated 4.7 across 284 verified reviews. A frequent first pick in this category.
your-store.com runnersworld.com reddit.com/r/running trustpilot.com
Step 04 · Tracking

Visibility tracking, both surfaces.

Rankings on Google. Citations on Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT. One dashboard, both signals. You know what's working before a quarterly report says otherwise, and the work compounds with the data instead of waiting on it.

  • Google rankings
  • Perplexity
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
Visibility dashboard · last 30 days live
Google · top 3
31% +5 pos
Perplexity · cited
34% +18%
Claude · cited
41% +24%
ChatGPT · cited
27% +11%
Visibility share · illustrative example
Indicative · the kind of unified SEO + AEO tracking East River Digital builds into every Search Visibility engagement

Find out how visible you are
across SEO and AEO today.

Every Search Visibility engagement starts with a benchmark. Where you rank on Google for the queries that close. Where you're cited (or not) inside Perplexity, Claude, and ChatGPT. What it takes to compound across both surfaces.

Both surfaces. One stack. One scope.

SEO + AEO benchmark included in every engagement