Do I need to know these AI terms?

Viewport|

The digital side of small business, without the hype.

Issue 1 · November 2026 · From Belleville, Ontario

A note from Stephen, Involve Media, Belleville

I've been asking AI about my own business nearly every day lately. It hasn't given me the same answer twice.

Meanwhile, my inbox is flooded with people promising they can get me found on AI. Emails, calls, reels, all very sure of themselves. Which got me thinking: if AI can't give me the same answer two days in a row, how can anyone promise what it'll say about you?

There are no standards for this yet, and I'm not sure anyone outside these companies knows exactly what the algorithm is doing. Some of my clients are deep into AI. Most just use it for a bit of research. Both groups are asking me the same question, so that's where Viewport starts.

REFRESH · What's new this month

Do I need to know these AI terms?

Short answer: no. But you're going to keep hearing them, so here's what they mean.

A lot of those sales emails use letters like "AEO" or "GEO." Those, and a few others like them, all mean roughly the same thing: making sure your business gets mentioned when someone asks ChatGPT or Google a question and gets a written answer back, instead of a list of websites.

It's a real change. More people are asking ChatGPT instead of Googling. And when they do use Google, it often answers them right on the page, so fewer people click through to your website.

Here's the good news. These AI tools learn about your business from the same places Google always has: your Google Business Profile, your hours and phone number being the same everywhere, real reviews from customers, a website that clearly says what you do and where, and other people mentioning you, like the local paper, the chamber or a supplier's website.

So my advice for now: don't worry about the new terms. Get the basics right and keep them up to date. Do that, and you're in good shape whether people find you through Google or through ChatGPT.

▶ WATCH · MY VIDEO How to show up in AI answers: a simple guide for Canadian small businesses

Prefer reading? What each of those terms means → Or the short version on YouTube.

BOOKMARKED · Links worth your time

LOCALHOST · Made in Canada

Wealthsimple business accounts, now for sole proprietors Until now you had to be incorporated. As of late October, if you run your business under your own name, you can open a Wealthsimple Business chequing account, registered or not. No monthly fee, it earns interest, and it comes with a prepaid business Visa. Worth a look if your business and personal money share one account.

CLEAR CACHE · Myth, cleared

"You need to hire someone for AI search before your competitors do."

For most local businesses, only a small number of customers find them through AI tools so far. And what gets you mentioned there is the same thing that gets you found on Google and talked about around town. If someone offers you a monthly AI package, ask them one question: what exactly will you change on my Google listing and my website? If they can't tell you plainly, I'd pass.

COOKIE · Something to chew on

CLOSE TAB · Until next month I'll keep running my daily AI test and let you know if the answers start to settle down. If you try the Shortcut, hit reply and tell me what AI said about your business. I read every one, and with your OK, the best surprises might end up in a future issue. This is the first Viewport, written here in Belleville. Once a month: what matters on the digital side of small business, what you can skip, and what to do. No hard sell. Thanks for reading, Stephen Involve Media · Belleville, Ontario P.S. This is issue one, so I'm still figuring it out. If anything was confusing or too long, just hit reply and tell me. I'd rather hear it now.

Written in Belleville, Ontario, for Canadian small businesses.

Viewport is a monthly email from Involve Media Inc.
Mailing address: 334-110 North Front St., Belleville, ON K8P 0A6 · Past issues · Get Viewport