From the magazine: Can today’s systems recognize you?

The way parts are found is changing. When AI answers first, will your business show up?

For years, most aftermarket businesses have treated online visibility as a familiar checklist: Show up on Google, rank for the right searches, keep the website updated and make sure customers can find accurate hours, addresses and phone numbers. Maybe run some ads.

That playbook still matters. But it is no longer the whole picture.

AI-powered search is changing how customers search, compare and make decisions. The issue is not that AI will replace everything. It is that AI search tools are beginning to summarize, recommend and prioritize information before a customer ever clicks on a website.

For local parts purchases, that matters. A repair shop may be looking for a nearby supplier that carries a specific product line. A DIY customer may need brake pads today. A fleet operator may want the fastest local delivery option or a reliable source for a hard-to-get part.

In traditional search, the customer scanned listings and decided where to click. In AI-powered search, the answer may be summarized first. It may pull from a company website, Google Business Profile, reviews, product pages, directories, social platforms and other public sources.

The customer may not see every option. They may only see the recommendation.

That is where AEO comes in.

AEO stands for answer engine optimization. You may also hear terms such as AI search optimization or generative engine optimization. The language will keep changing, but the concept is simple: can AI systems clearly understand who you are, what you sell, where you serve and why your business is relevant?

For the aftermarket, this isn’t just a marketing issue. It’s a sales, trust and local visibility issue.

The problem is that many businesses still have messy public information. One listing says the store is open Saturdays, another says it is closed. Product pages are outdated. Reviews mention delivery, but the website does not. To a human, that’s annoying. To an AI system, it creates confusion and may leave the business out.

AEO isn’t about tricking an algorithm. It’s about making a business easier to understand, trust and recommend.

Reviews mention delivery, but the website does not. To a human, that’s annoying. To an AI system, it creates confusion and may leave the business out.

Search like a customer

Do not start by searching your own business name. That’s not how many customers search.

Start with the questions customers are likely asking:

• Where can I buy brake pads near me?
• Who sells heavy-duty truck parts in my area?
• Which auto parts store near me is open now?
• Is there an auto parts distributor nearby that delivers to repair shops?

Then try those searches in Google, Google Maps, Bing, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot. What comes back?

• Are you showing up?
• Are competitors showing up instead?
• Is the information accurate?
• Is the answer pulling from your website, reviews, profile, a directory or old information still online?

This isn’t a vanity search. It’s market intelligence and a useful reality check. Bad or inconsistent information returns bad and inconsistent results.

Clean up the basics

Business name, address, phone number, hours, service areas, website and category information should be consistent across Google Business Profile, the company website, social pages, directory listings, association pages, marketplace profiles and other public sources.

In the past, inconsistent information might have cost a business a click. In AI search, it may cost the business the recommendation.

This matters for companies with multiple locations, delivery zones, specialty categories or different customer types. If you serve both repair shops and retail customers, offer delivery or carry specialty lines, make that clear online, not buried in an old PDF or flyer.

AI systems need clear, crawlable text. A website should plainly answer who the business serves, what parts categories it carries, what markets it covers and whether it offers delivery, online ordering, technical support, warranty support or special-order access.

AI search will not always reward the biggest company. A smaller local business with clean, specific information may have more of a shot than it assumes.

Make the website more specific

AEO does not mean abandoning the company website. It means making the website more useful.

A good local parts website should not simply say, “We sell auto parts.” That is too vague. It should explain the categories, customers and services that matter most: Brake and chassis, undercar, heavy duty, fleet support, repair shop delivery, online ordering, technical support, warranty process, store locations and service areas.

These pages don’t need to be long or fancy. They need to be accurate, specific and written in the language customers actually use.

AI search will not always reward the biggest company. A smaller local business with clean, specific information may have more of a shot than it assumes.

Treat reviews as searchable content

Reviews are no longer just reputation signals. They’re also language signals.

When customers mention fast delivery, knowledgeable counter staff, hard-to-find parts, fair pricing, warranty help or support for repair shops, that language helps reinforce what the business is known for.

This does not mean gaming reviews or telling customers what to say. It means encouraging real customers to leave specific, honest feedback.

A generic five-star review is nice. A specific review about same-day delivery and fitment help is much more useful.

That kind of detail helps future customers. It also helps AI systems understand why people choose the business.

In the past, inconsistent information might have cost a business a click. In AI search, it may cost the business the recommendation.

The new visibility work

AI tools can draw from, retrieve and summarize public information. Search the business name, leadership names, old PDFs, catalogs, line cards, press releases, outdated pages and third-party listings.

Ask: Is this accurate? Is it current? Should it still be public? Does it create confusion?

If public information conflicts across sources, AI may blend it into an answer that sounds confident but is wrong. That’s the real risk.

For jobbers, distributors, retailers and local parts suppliers, the next step is practical: Audit what is out there, clean up the basics, make the website specific, strengthen the business profile, encourage useful reviews and check what AI tools are saying.

That is not hype. It is the new visibility work.

And in a market where the customer’s next parts purchase may begin with an AI-generated answer, being clear may become just as important as being nearby.

---

Meagan Moody is the founder of The Moody Blueprint, a strategy and business development consultancy focused on the automotive aftermarket. With over 15 years of experience — including executive leadership at a global supplier — she brings a practical, growth-minded approach to helping distributors and manufacturers stay ahead of change.

This article originally appeared in the July issue of Jobber News.