How to Appear on ChatGPT: The New Era of SEO (AEO) in Puerto Morelos

Ask ChatGPT: "What restaurants do you recommend in Puerto Morelos?"

If your business DOESN'T appear in the response, you're invisible to millions of people who no longer use Google as their first resource.

Welcome to the AEO (AI Engine Optimization) era - the evolution of SEO that 90% of businesses still don't understand.

The Massive Shift Happening Right Now

Shocking data: 40% of young people (18-34) already use ChatGPT/Claude/Perplexity for travel recommendations before Google.

This number grows 15% each month.

Real scenario happening TODAY:

1. Tourist plans trip to Riviera Maya
2. Asks ChatGPT: "3-day Puerto Morelos plan mid-budget"
3. ChatGPT recommends 5 restaurants, 3 tours, 2 hotels
4. Tourist books directly without ever going to Google

Is your business on that list? If not, you're losing a giant market that's growing exponentially.

What Is AEO and Why Is It Different from SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

• Optimize to appear in list of 10 Google results
• User sees your link and decides whether to click
• Compete against 9 other links

AEO (AI Engine Optimization):

• Optimize for AI to recommend you directly
• User sees YOUR NAME in ChatGPT's response
• AI already made the selection - you are THE recommendation

The difference is brutal:

Google: "Here are 10 options, you research" ChatGPT: "I recommend [YOUR BUSINESS] because..."

One is a list of candidates. The other is a personal recommendation.

How AIs Choose What to Recommend

LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) don't "search the internet in real-time" as you think. They have 3 main sources:

1. Training Data (Knowledge Cutoff)

Information up to certain date. ChatGPT has cutoff in April 2024, Claude in early 2025.

Problem: If your business opened after or wasn't well documented, it DOESN'T exist for the AI.

2. Selective Web Scraping

AIs crawl certain sites considered "authoritative":

• Wikipedia
• TripAdvisor
• Recognized news sites
• High-authority travel blogs
• Official tourism directories

Key: They don't crawl ALL internet. Only sources they consider reliable.

3. Real-Time Search (Some Models)

Perplexity and ChatGPT Plus search in real-time and show sources.

This is HUGE: Means optimizing your web presence DOES affect current responses.

The 7 AEO Strategies That Work in Puerto Morelos

1. Presence in Authoritative Sources

Action: Be listed and well described on:

• ✅ Wikipedia (if notable, or in "Restaurants in Puerto Morelos" list)
• ✅ TripAdvisor with 50+ detailed reviews
• ✅ Wikitravel / Wikivoyage
• ✅ Recognized travel blogs (e.g., Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast)
• ✅ Official Quintana Roo guides

Why it works: AIs trust established sources. A Wikipedia mention is worth more than 100 on random sites.

2. Structured Schema Markup

What it is: Code on your site saying "I'm a restaurant, here's my menu, average price, hours".

AIs LOVE structured data - it's perfectly digestible information.

Impact: ChatGPT can "read" this perfectly and use it to recommend you.

3. Context-Rich Content

AIs look for answers to specific questions. Your content should answer questions tourists ask.

Questions tourists ask about Puerto Morelos:

• "Is Puerto Morelos safe for families?"
• "How much does it cost to eat in Puerto Morelos?"
• "What tours to do in Puerto Morelos?"
• "Where's the best ceviche in Puerto Morelos?"

Strategy: Create pages/posts answering these questions + naturally mention your service.

4. Backlinks from Authoritative Sites

A link from Travel + Leisure is worth 1000x more than links from 1000 unknown blogs.

How to get them:

• Contact travel bloggers visiting Riviera Maya
• Offer free experience in exchange for mention
• Partner with large hotels (their blogs have authority)
• Appear in "Best of Puerto Morelos" lists

5. Detailed Reviews (Not Just Stars)

AIs read the CONTENT of reviews, not just the number.

Review that helps AEO:

"Amazing snorkeling tour on Puerto Morelos reef. Guide explained Caribbean ecosystem and we saw turtles, rays, and tropical fish. Quality equipment included. Duration 3 hours. Perfect for kids. Fair price $40 USD per person."

Review that DOESN'T help:

"Very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"

6. Structured FAQs

Add FAQ section on your site with structured markup.

Impact: When someone asks ChatGPT about snorkeling in Puerto Morelos, this info is exactly what it looks for.

7. Mentions in Related Contexts

AIs learn by association. If your business is frequently mentioned alongside:

• "Best ceviche Puerto Morelos"
• "Beachfront restaurant Riviera Maya"
• "Authentic Mexican food Puerto Morelos"

AI associates your business with those concepts.

Real Test: Does Your Business Appear on ChatGPT?

Do this test NOW:

1. Open ChatGPT (free works)
2. Ask: "Recommend [your business type] in Puerto Morelos"
3. Variations:
   • "Best Puerto Morelos restaurants"
   • "What to do in Puerto Morelos"
   • "Recommended Puerto Morelos tours"

Are you mentioned?

✅ YES, you appear: Excellent, now optimize to appear FIRST ⚠️ Appear sometimes: Need more authoritative signals ❌ DON'T appear: You're losing massive AI traffic

The Future Is Already Here: Surprising Stats

AI use for travel searches:

• 2023: 12% of travelers used AIs
• 2024: 41% use AIs regularly
• 2025 (projection): 65%+

The message is clear: AEO isn't the future. It's the present.

Need to Appear on ChatGPT and Other AIs?

Consultors K is AEO pioneer in Mexico. While your competition is still doing 2020 SEO, we position you in the new era.

What we do:

✅ AI presence audit - What ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity say about you ✅ Advanced Schema markup implementation ✅ AI-optimized content strategy ✅ Authoritative site backlinks ✅ Continuous LLM mention monitoring

🤖 Free AI Presence Analysis

We offer 30 minutes of analysis where:

• ✅ We test 10 prompts related to your business in 4 different AIs
• ✅ We show you if you appear and in what context
• ✅ We identify why competition appears and you don't
• ✅ Specific action plan for AEO

Cost: $0 Value: We show you a new world of customers

Request your AI analysis here

65% of travel searches in 2025 will be on AIs. Will you be there?

Consultors K - AEO Experts for Puerto Morelos Tourism Businesses