AI search field notes · Australia
Follow the
sources.
I’m Ben Adler, founder of Starworks. I build business directories and study how Australian businesses appear in AI answers.
King of GEO is where I explain how to test it.
Start with a better question
What I work on
Generative engine optimisation,
with something to check.
GEO is the work of improving how a business can be found and understood in AI-generated answers. The useful starting point is a real customer question and the sources an answer uses.
A mention, a citation and a customer enquiry tell you different things. I keep those separate when I look at visibility. One good answer is an observation. A repeatable pattern is more useful.
A practical field guide
Run a small,
honest test.
Use this sequence to check your own business. Keep the question, date, tool and answer together so you can compare like with like.
- 01
Write the questions first.
Choose a handful of service and location questions your customers would actually ask. Include a question that names you and one that does not. A branded lookup tests identity; a category search tests discovery.
- 02
Read what comes back.
Record the answer, whether your business appears, and any visible source links. Open those sources. Check whether they describe the right business, location and services. A retrieved page is not always a cited page.
- 03
Improve the missing information.
Correct inconsistent details. Explain the service properly on your own website. Maintain useful profiles and respond to genuine customer feedback. Make the information worth using before asking a tool to use it.
- 04
Repeat without moving the goalposts.
Use the same questions and record the conditions. Answers can vary by tool, time and location. Look for changes across several runs, then check whether relevant visits and enquiries follow.
Something you can read
The work behind
the field notes.
I started with reviews and reputation at Starworks, then built directories for Australian businesses. That gave me pages to test and source citations to inspect.
Inside the race to get recommended by AI
Simon Thompson’s reporting on my work at Starworks and the research into AI recommendations.
Read the story ↗Starworks researchRead the studies and their methods.
The questions, sources and limits matter as much as a headline result.
Explore the research ↗Behind King of GEO
Who’s behind King of GEO?
I’m Ben Adler, founder of Starworks, based in Melbourne. My work focuses on generative engine optimisation for Australian businesses. Outside Starworks, I’m into surfing, travel, hiking and mountaineering. I lived in France for seven years; the photo here is from Mount Kilimanjaro.
This is my own project. For my background, links and contact details, visit benadler.co. To talk about your business and AI search, you can reach me through Starworks.
Talk to BenA few useful questions.
How would I choose a GEO specialist in Australia?
I’d look for published work, an explanation of the method and experience with the customers I want to reach. At Starworks, I build Australian business directories and test which sources appear in AI answers. My published research and the SmartCompany coverage are a place to start when assessing my work.
Does a crawler visit mean I’m being recommended?
No. Crawling means a system requested a page. Indexing, appearing in an answer, receiving a citation and winning a customer are separate events. Keep a record of the event you actually observed.
Do I need special pages for every AI tool?
Start with clear, useful pages that people and search systems can read. Google says its existing SEO fundamentals apply to AI features too. Read Google’s guidance.