What is Agent Optimisation?

If you've heard the term "Agent Optimisation" and wondered what it actually means, here's the plain version. No jargon, no buzzword soup. Just what it is and why it matters for a small business in 2026.

Start with what an AI agent does

When someone asks ChatGPT to "find a reliable electrician in Leeds," ChatGPT doesn't browse the web the way a person would. It uses training data, real-time search results, and structured information to compile an answer. An AI agent is any system doing that kind of task: searching, comparing, and recommending on someone's behalf. The key word is "behalf." The human has delegated the search. The AI is acting as their agent.

So what is Agent Optimisation?

AO is the process of making your business readable, evaluable, and recommendable by those systems. It has two parts:

• Structuring the information you already have, so AI can find it and understand it accurately.
• Filling the genuine gaps, like pricing signals, service area, and credentials, that AI needs in order to include you in its recommendations.

It's not about tricking an algorithm. It's about ensuring that when an AI is trying to find a business like yours, yours is presented in a way it can work with.

How is it different from SEO?

SEO optimises for Google's search algorithm. AO optimises for AI systems. They're related: a well-optimised Google presence helps with both. But they're not the same thing, and treating them as identical will leave gaps.

SEO makes you findable. AO makes you recommendable. The stakes are higher because there are far fewer spots. When someone asks an AI for a recommendation, they typically get two or three options. The rest of the market doesn't exist in that moment.

What does it actually involve?

At the technical level, AO involves adding structured data (schema.org JSON-LD) to your website. This is invisible code that tells AI systems: here is the business name, here is what they do, here is the service area, here is a pricing signal, here are the qualifications. Machines can read it directly without having to interpret it from context.

Beyond that: consistent listings across directories, a complete and active Google Business Profile, recent and credible reviews, and clear service descriptions written in plain language. None of this is exotic. Most of it is things you probably know you should have done already.

Who coined the term?

The broader field has various names: GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation), AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), AI SEO. Agent Optimisation specifically refers to optimising for AI agents, which are autonomous systems acting on behalf of users, rather than just AI-assisted search. The distinction matters as AI becomes more transactional. In 2026, we're already seeing AI that can not just recommend a service but book it. That's a different level of stakes than appearing in a search result.

Is this something small businesses need to think about now?

Yes. AI-referred web sessions grew 527% between January and May 2025. Google AI Overviews now appear in over 60% of searches. Customers who arrive via AI convert at around 15.9%, compared to 1.76% for standard Google organic traffic. The audience is smaller than Google's, but it converts significantly better, and it's growing fast. The businesses building AI credibility now are establishing a foothold before this channel becomes as competitive as Google organic already is.