How to Get Your Interior Design Business Recommended by AI
If a prospective client opened ChatGPT, Claude, or Google’s AI search today and typed “best interior designer in [your town]”, would your name come up? Increasingly, that’s exactly how people are finding interior designers, and it’s a question every interior designer running their own business should be thinking about. This post explains what you need to do to get recommended by AI assistants, covering the three pillars of modern search visibility: traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation), and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). In short: good foundations, clear and authoritative content, and a consistent presence across multiple platforms. In this article, we cover each of these steps in detail.
Why AI Recommendations Are Now Part of Your Marketing
Until recently, getting found online meant one thing: ranking on the first page of Google. That’s still important. But something significant has changed. People are increasingly turning to AI assistants, not search engines, when they want a recommendation for a local service. Instead of scrolling through blue links, they’re asking ChatGPT or Claude a direct question and getting a direct answer.
The scale of this shift is real. AI-referred website sessions grew by over 500% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, and ChatGPT alone now processes around 2.5 billion prompts every day, a significant proportion of which are effectively search queries. For local service businesses, including interior designers, this creates both an opportunity and a risk: the businesses that understand how to position themselves for AI recommendation will have a meaningful edge.
I’ve been watching this shift closely over the past year, particularly as designers I work with in our Hub Insiders membership start asking questions like: “How do I make sure I’m the one being recommended when someone asks AI for a designer in my area?” The honest answer is that it’s not one thing. It’s a combination of things that, done well, compound over time.
Understanding SEO, AEO, and GEO (and Why You Need All Three)
There’s a lot of new jargon in this space, and it can feel overwhelming. Let me break it down clearly, because the distinctions actually matter.
SEO: Search Engine Optimisation
This is the classic approach: optimising your website so it ranks well in traditional Google search results. It’s built on keyword research, quality content, backlinks, and technical website health. SEO remains important because AI search systems don’t ignore Google: research suggests that around 82% of citations in AI-powered search tools originate from pages that already rank well on Google. In other words, strong SEO is still the foundation everything else builds on. If your website is slow, poorly structured, or missing relevant content, you’ll struggle with everything that follows.
AEO: Answer Engine Optimisation
AEO is about structuring your content so that AI systems can extract and present it as a direct answer to a user’s question. This is what happens when you ask Google a question and it shows you a featured snippet at the top of the results without you having to click anywhere. AEO requires writing content that answers specific questions clearly and concisely, using structured formats like Q&A sections, bullet points, and headings that make information easy for AI to parse.
For an interior designer, this might mean having a clear page or section that answers “What does an interior designer in [your location] charge?” or “How does an interior design consultation work?” in plain, direct language. If AEO sounds like jargon, think of it simply as: write content that answers real questions, formatted so a machine can understand and quote it.
GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation
GEO is the newest layer, and it’s the one most specific to getting cited by tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Mode. While SEO is about ranking in a list of links and AEO is about capturing a single featured answer, GEO is about being included in a synthesised response that draws from multiple sources.
When someone asks an AI “who are the best interior designers in Edinburgh?”, the AI isn’t just running a Google search. It’s cross-referencing your website, reviews, directory listings, social mentions, and other signals to build a picture of who is credible, relevant, and established in that area. GEO is the discipline of making sure all of those signals are working in your favour.
It’s worth noting that AEO and GEO are sometimes used interchangeably in the industry, since they both describe optimising for AI-driven answers rather than traditional search rankings. The important thing isn’t the terminology: it’s understanding that getting recommended by AI requires a broader approach than traditional SEO alone.
Step 1: Sort Out Your Local SEO Foundations
Before anything else, AI systems need to be able to find and verify basic information about your business. This starts with the unglamorous but essential stuff.
Your Google Business Profile
A complete, up-to-date Google Business Profile is one of the most important signals for local AI recommendations. It’s not just about Google Search: AI tools cross-reference Google’s data when constructing local recommendations. Make sure every field is filled in, including your service categories, a detailed description of what you offer, your location and service area, opening hours, and photos of your work. This isn’t just good advice for human browsers; it’s the kind of structured entity data that AI systems use to verify that you are who you say you are.
NAP Consistency
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. AI systems cross-reference multiple sources, so if your contact details appear differently across your website, Google Business Profile, Houzz, Instagram, and local directories, it creates confusion and reduces trust. Pick a consistent format and use it everywhere. This is one of those things that’s easy to let slip, especially if you’ve moved premises or changed your business name, but inconsistency actively suppresses your visibility.
Quality, Recency and Detail
Reviews are now a primary ranking signal, not a tiebreaker. And in the context of AI recommendations, they serve a dual purpose: they signal credibility to the AI, and they provide content that AI can draw on when constructing recommendations.
Here’s a practical example. A designer I was mentoring had a handful of lovely five-star reviews but most were two years old. When we tested how she appeared in AI recommendations for her area, the AI described her as “an interior designer based in [her city]” with very little additional detail. Once she actively gathered six new reviews in two months, including reviews that mentioned specific things like her project management style and her specialism in period properties, the AI’s description of her business became noticeably richer and more specific. Reviews that contain descriptive keywords about your services are particularly valuable.
Aim for a consistent flow of recent reviews, not occasional bursts. Respond to every review. And when a client leaves a glowing testimonial via email, it’s entirely reasonable to ask if they’d mind copying it to Google.
Step 2: Create Content That AI Can Actually Cite
AI systems need content they can understand, extract, and reference with confidence. That means your website content needs to do a few specific things.
Answer real questions directly
Think about what a prospective client might ask an AI before they even pick up the phone: “How much does an interior designer cost in Bristol?”, “What’s the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator?”, “Do I need planning permission for a home renovation?”. If your website answers these questions clearly, you’re more likely to be cited when that question is asked.
This is where a blog genuinely earns its keep. Content that addresses specific, locally-relevant questions in plain language is far more likely to be surfaced by AI than a portfolio page with beautiful photos but very little text. Research published by Growth Memo in 2025 found that Q&A formatted content was the most effective format for AI search visibility, significantly outperforming dense prose paragraphs.
Lead with the answer
AI models are looking for content they can cite directly. That means structuring your content so that the key answer appears in the first 40 to 60 words of a piece, not buried in paragraph four after a long preamble. This is also just good writing practice, but it’s especially important for AI visibility. Hedge-y language like “it depends” and “results may vary” makes content harder to cite; clear, direct statements with appropriate caveats work better.
Demonstrate genuine expertise
Google’s own guidance on AI search is consistent with what the broader GEO research shows: original, expert content that provides something a reader can’t find anywhere else is the single most important long-term signal. That means sharing your real perspective, specific project insights, and knowledge that comes from actual experience. Generic advice rephrased from other websites won’t get you cited. Specific, credible, first-hand insight will.
For interior designers, this is genuinely an advantage. You have real knowledge of local suppliers, planning constraints, client considerations, and aesthetic trends that nobody else has. A post about “what to consider when renovating a Victorian terrace in Leeds”, written from genuine experience, is far more citable than a generic piece about Victorian renovation.
Include specific local signals
For local AI recommendations, your content needs to be explicitly and naturally local. That doesn’t mean stuffing “interior designer Manchester” into every sentence; it means writing content that is genuinely about your location. Reference local planning considerations, name specific neighbourhoods you serve, discuss local suppliers or showrooms you work with. This kind of contextually local content is what AI uses to connect your business to location-based queries.
Step 3: Build Your Presence Across Multiple Platforms
One of the clearest findings from GEO research in 2025 and 2026 is that AI systems trust businesses more when they appear consistently across multiple independent sources. Your own website is important, but it’s not enough on its own. AI models are looking for what researchers call “consensus signals”: when multiple sources, including review platforms, directories, social media, and third-party mentions, all point to the same business with consistent information, the AI’s confidence in recommending that business increases.
Interior design directories and industry listings
Make sure your business is listed on the platforms that prospective clients and AI tools both trust. Houzz is particularly powerful for interior designers, as it functions as both a portfolio platform and a directory with genuine domain authority. If you’re a member of a professional body, ensure your listing there is complete and up to date. Local business directories, the Federation of Small Businesses, and chamber of commerce listings all contribute to the kind of broad citation network that builds AI trust.
Social media and community platforms
In October 2025, analysis of which sources were most frequently cited by leading AI models found that Reddit, LinkedIn, and YouTube featured prominently. For interior designers, this is a reminder that your Instagram feed isn’t just a portfolio showcase; it’s a source that AI may draw on. Having a LinkedIn profile that clearly describes your location, specialism, and experience is a simple thing that adds to your overall citation profile. If you’re contributing to online communities or interior design forums, those mentions count too.
Third-party mentions and features
Research consistently shows that brands are far more likely to be cited by AI through third-party sources than through their own website alone. If a local newspaper features your project, a regional lifestyle magazine publishes an interview, or a property website references your work, those mentions carry significant weight. This is the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth, and it’s worth actively pursuing rather than waiting for it to happen. Think about whether there are local press opportunities, guest contributions to property or lifestyle publications, or community events where your business might be featured.
Step 4: Get the Technical Basics Right
You don’t need to be a web developer to implement these, but they’re worth understanding and worth asking your website designer about.
Schema markup
Schema markup is a type of code you can add to your website that tells search engines and AI systems exactly what your business is. For a local interior designer, LocalBusiness schema is the starting point: it tells AI crawlers your business name, address, service area, phone number, and opening hours in machine-readable format, so they don’t have to guess. FAQ schema on pages that contain questions and answers is also particularly effective for AI visibility.
Most website platforms, including Squarespace and Wix, now have plugins or built-in tools to help add schema markup without touching code. If you’re on WordPress, plugins like Yoast or RankMath can handle much of this for you.
A comprehensive About page
Your About page matters more for GEO than most designers realise. It’s often where AI systems look for entity confirmation: who exactly is this person, where are they based, what do they specialise in, and what credentials do they have? A strong About page should clearly state your name, your location and service areas, your professional background, any qualifications, and any industry affiliations. This isn’t about being boastful; it’s about giving AI systems the information they need to confidently describe and recommend you.
Page speed and mobile optimisation
AI crawlers operate under computational constraints, and slow-loading or mobile-unfriendly pages can be skipped or only partially indexed. A fast, mobile-optimised website is no longer optional for any business, but it’s particularly relevant here because AI tools increasingly prioritise content that loads cleanly and is easy to process.
How to Test Your Current AI Visibility
The simplest way to understand where you currently stand is to run a few manual tests. Open ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity and ask:
- “Who are the best interior designers in Bristol?”
- “Can you recommend a local interior designer who specialises in [your specialism]?”
- “What interior designers work in [specific neighbourhood or area]?”
If your business doesn’t appear, that tells you something useful. If it does appear but the description is thin or inaccurate, that also tells you something: the AI doesn’t have enough rich, consistent information to describe you confidently. Use the steps above to address the gaps.
It’s also worth testing what the AI says about you specifically: “What can you tell me about [your business name]?” The answer will give you a clear picture of what information AI systems have access to and how they’re currently characterising your business.
A Quick Note on Patience
GEO and AEO are not quick wins in the way that running an ad campaign is. The strategies above build authority and trust signals over time. Local SEO improvements typically take three to six months to show meaningful results, and AI visibility follows a similar timeline. The good news is that the work compounds: each piece of quality content, each new review, each directory listing, and each third-party mention adds to a body of evidence that AI systems increasingly draw on.
The businesses that start building those signals now will have a meaningful advantage over those who wait until AI recommendations feel “essential” to compete for. In many local markets, the bar is still low enough that doing even a few of these things well will put you ahead.
What’s Your Next Step?
If you found this useful, a natural next step is to look at how AI tools can also work for you, not just recommend you. Our post How Interior Designers Are Using AI to Market Their Businesses covers the practical ways designers are integrating AI into their content, client communication, and marketing. It’s a great companion to this one: once you understand how to be found by AI, it makes sense to understand how to use it as a tool yourself.
Last reviewed: May 2026
References
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About the Author
Kate Hatherell is the founder of The Interior Designers Hub and a qualified interior design professional with extensive experience in the industry. She has helped hundreds of people transition into successful interior design careers through the Hub’s Ofqual-regulated Level 3 Diploma in Professional Interior Design and a range of business training and mentoring programmes.
Kate serves as a consultant and professional advisor to AIM Qualifications and Assessment Group, contributing specialist industry expertise to the development of new interior design qualifications across the UK. She also delivers SketchUp training to students around the world, and is committed to providing practical, industry-relevant education that prepares designers for real-world careers and thriving businesses.