How AI picks which Myrtle Beach businesses to recommend, and how to be one
Partner Content. This article was written by or for a partner and reviewed by our editors. It is not part of our news coverage.
Picture a family from Pittsburgh in the car on Interstate 95. Someone asks ChatGPT: “Best breakfast near North Myrtle Beach that’s good for kids?” In seconds, the answer names three places. No list of 10 links, no ads to scroll past. Just three names.
That’s how more people search now. In a Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans from May 2025, 29% said they had already asked AI where to travel. For a business on the Grand Strand, the question isn’t only whether you rank on Google. It’s whether AI names you.
GEO in plain English
GEO, or generative engine optimization, is the work of making sure AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Mode know your business, understand it and recommend it. SEO gets you into the results. GEO gets you into the answer. They work together: strong SEO is the foundation GEO builds on.
What AI reads first: your website
AI starts with what you publish. That changes what a website is for. It’s no longer built only for people; it’s built for machines that read and summarize. AI needs to understand your site quickly and without guessing: what you offer, who it’s for, where you are, prices and hours. If those details live in a photo of your menu or a vague tagline, AI skips them or gets them wrong. Clear text and structured data make you easy to describe and easy to pick.
What AI checks next: everything else
Then AI looks around. It weighs press coverage, reviews, directories and forums. Reddit is one of them: OpenAI announced a partnership with Reddit in May 2024 to bring its content into ChatGPT. And don’t overlook Bing. ChatGPT search leans heavily on Bing’s index, according to a BrightLocal study, a byproduct of OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft. If your business isn’t on Bing Places, a key door is closed.
Consistency is credibility
If your Google profile says you close at 9, your website says 10 and an old directory lists a phone number you no longer use, AI has a reason to doubt you. Same name, same description, same details, everywhere. Then add what nobody else has: your story, your specialties, real customer feedback. Generic copy gives AI nothing to choose you for.
Why shortcuts backfire
There are already “hacks” being sold: keyword-stuffed pages written for bots, fake reviews, planted forum posts. The SEO world has seen this before. Black-hat tricks worked on Google for a while, until they didn’t, and the sites that used them paid for it. AI will catch up faster. The only strategy that holds is the honest one.
Find out what AI says about you
Ask it. Type the questions your customers would ask into ChatGPT, Gemini and Google and see whether you appear and how you’re described. For a fuller picture, SEOfy offers a free AI visibility test showing how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini see your business and what to improve. You can take the free test on the SEOfy website.
More Business Services guides and local services ›
Live in the Grand Strand? Write for us as a Community Contributor and share what you see in your town.
Questions and answers
- What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
- SEO helps you rank in search results. GEO helps AI tools mention and recommend your business in their answers. GEO builds on good SEO.
- Why does Bing matter for ChatGPT?
- ChatGPT search relies heavily on Bing's index, so a complete Bing Places listing gives it accurate information about your business.
- Can I pay to be recommended by AI?
- No. AI recommendations are not for sale. They are earned with clear, consistent and trustworthy information.