AISQ Walkthrough: Get Your Business Into AI Search Answers

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Create Digital Tools may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we think are a good fit for small businesses.

Your customers are asking ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity which business to hire. If your website is not built to be read and cited by those AI engines, someone else gets named in the answer.

This AISQ walkthrough explains what AISQ AI search work actually involves for a small business website, which AISQ products do what, and how to get started step by step. AISQ (from Squirrly, the company behind the long-running Squirrly SEO plugin) is an AI marketing platform focused on SEO, AEO and GEO: getting your brand found, understood and recommended in AI search answers, not just on Google’s blue links.

One clarification before we start, because the name can mislead: AISQ is not a search box you embed on your own site to answer visitors’ questions. It is a system for making your website and brand visible inside other people’s AI search answers. Everything below is based on AISQ’s own public pages, product listings and documentation as of October 2026.

What is AISQ AI search optimisation, exactly?

AISQ describes itself as a “Presence Engine”: one coordinated system for your website, Google, Bing, AI Overviews, social profiles, Google Business Profile, email inboxes and ecommerce product feeds. The homepage frames it as replacing a stack of separate marketing tools with a single AI system where “humans make the approvals” and AI agents perform the approved work.

The AI search part of that system is what AISQ calls AEO and GEO. AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation) are about making your content easy for AI assistants to find, understand and cite. AISQ’s free GEO Academy describes GEO as the practice of getting AI assistants to recommend your business.

The AISQ product family in plain English

The biggest source of confusion with AISQ is that it is a family of products rather than a single app. Here is how the pieces fit together, according to AISQ’s own pages:

• GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO: the WordPress plugin that handles on-site AI search work (GEO/AEO Audit, llms.txt, IndexNow, schema, AI crawler controls).
• GEO Academy: a free, five-lesson course on AEO and GEO.
• AISQ Meteor: an agency bundle of 10 tools for up to 40 client companies.
• AISQ MarketingPRO: positioned for in-house teams and solo marketers.
• AISQ Growth: a done-for-you managed marketing service.
• AISQbusiness: a done-for-you WordPress website setup for small businesses.

Supporting tools named across these pages include Squirrly Social, Email Hero, WP Ghost (WordPress security), ContentLook AI, Squirrly SPY, Next Level Marketing AI, Product Perfect Feeds, Starbox PRO and Education Cloud. You do not need all of them to start working on AI search visibility.

Why AI search answers matter for a small business website

When someone asks an AI assistant “who is a good bookkeeper near me” or “which project management tool suits a small agency”, the assistant writes an answer and often names a handful of brands. Being one of those names is a different job from ranking a page on Google, even though the two overlap.

AISQ’s documentation outline gives a good picture of what it thinks matters. The AEO GEO docs section covers topics such as keyword research for AI search recommendations, AI brand visibility, EEAT and entity signals, “The Retrieval Layer” (Bing and Google SEO), and digital PR and third-party listings. In other words, AI engines still lean on traditional search indexes and trusted outside mentions, so classic SEO groundwork remains part of the picture.

A fair warning: several of those docs pages were mostly empty when we reviewed them in October 2026, showing only a title and navigation. The more detailed, practical information currently lives in the GEO Academy course and in the GEO Plugin’s WordPress.org listing.

AISQ walkthrough: getting your business into AI search answers

The steps below follow the order we would suggest for a small business with a WordPress website. They start free and only move to paid AISQ plans once you know what you need. Every setup step is taken from AISQ’s or Squirrly’s official instructions; where the official pages do not give detail, we say so.

Step 1: Learn the basics in the free GEO Academy

AISQ’s GEO Academy is a free, stand-alone course. The page states you do not need any premium or paid plan to complete it, and describes it as “Free and always will be.”

The course has five lessons, each listed as a 6 to 10 minute read:

1. Why organic traffic is shifting and how people search now.
2. How AI engines choose what to recommend, with a self-audit.
3. The GEO framework, its three core pillars, and how to write for AI citation.
4. A full GEO task checklist.
5. An action-stage game plan with worksheets and templates.

The included materials are a self-audit worksheet, a GEO checklist, a weekly social post template, a 90-day calendar and a monthly progress tracker. To join, you click “Start learning free” on the course page and create an account.

Step 2: Install the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO on WordPress

For the on-site work, AISQ’s tool is the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO (the plugin page calls it “Squirrly SEO by AISQ”). It has a free version and, per its WordPress.org listing, more than 30,000 active installs. The official installation steps from the WordPress dashboard are:

1. Click on the “Plugins” tab in the left-hand menu.
2. Click the “Add New” button.
3. Search for “Squirrly SEO”.
4. Click “Install Now” next to the plugin.
5. When installation finishes, click “Activate”.
6. Enter your email and click “Sign Up”.

The sign-up step connects the plugin to a free Squirrly account, which the listing says unlocks the cloud tools (audits, keyword research and rank tracking). If you already use Yoast, Rank Math or SEOPress, the plugin page says you can choose “No Configuration” during setup to keep your existing SEO plugin’s settings and run Squirrly alongside it.

Step 3: Run the GEO/AEO Audit on your key pages

According to the plugin’s listing, the GEO/AEO Audit “scores how ready each page is to be cited by AI.” Squirrly’s v14 release notes say it checks for:

• A direct-answer block near the top of the page.
• Question-style headings.
• Lists and tables.
• Content depth and freshness.
• FAQ, HowTo and Article schema.

The plugin page also mentions an “Inspect URL” feature that generates a real-time GEO audit for a single post or page. Start with the pages that matter most commercially: your homepage, main service pages and your most important product or pricing page.

For each flagged page, the fixes tend to be editorial rather than technical: add a short, plain answer to the page’s main question near the top, rewrite vague headings as the questions customers actually ask, and break dense paragraphs into lists or a comparison table where it helps.

Step 4: Set up llms.txt and structured data

llms.txt is an emerging standard: a plain text file that points AI systems to your best content. The listing says the plugin can “generate, upload and serve” llms.txt, and the release notes add that you can create, edit, download and upload both llms.txt and llms-full.txt files.

The plugin also has Custom Schema controls so you can paste your own structured data on a per-page basis. The plugin page suggests drafting that schema with an AI assistant and pasting it in. If you go that route, validate the markup with a schema testing tool before publishing, because a broken schema block helps nobody.

Step 5: Push new content to search and AI engines

The plugin’s LLM Indexing feature, per the listing, can “push new and updated URLs to the IndexNow API and the Google Indexing API so search and AI engines discover them fast.” This ties back to AISQ’s “Retrieval Layer” idea: many AI answers draw on what Bing and Google have indexed, so getting fresh pages indexed quickly matters.

The listing also describes AI crawler control, which lets you decide how bots such as GPTBot and ClaudeBot can access your content. For a business that wants to be cited, blocking those crawlers is usually counterproductive, but the option is there if some sections of your site (client portals, gated resources) should stay out.

Step 6: Track AI referral traffic with AI Brand Visibility

Squirrly’s v14 release notes introduce AI Brand Visibility, which shows traffic from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini plus estimates of mention counts. The plugin page says that when Google Analytics is connected, this reports referral traffic from identifiable AI sources.

Treat these numbers as directional. Not every AI tool passes referral information, and mention counts are labelled as estimates. The useful habit is checking the trend each month alongside your normal analytics.

Step 7: Follow the 14 Days Journey to GEO

Inside WordPress, the plugin includes a guided “14 Days Journey to GEO”, which the plugin page describes as a daily action plan. Squirrly’s release notes say it replaces the older “14 Days Journey to Better Rankings”. If you are short on time, this is the simplest way to turn the course and audit into a routine.

Step 8: Decide whether you need a paid AISQ plan

Once the free groundwork is done, the question is whether you want more tools, more capacity or someone else to do the work. AISQ offers three broad routes:

1. Do it yourself with more tool capacity: upgrade Squirrly SEO (PRO, Web Dev Kit or Business).
2. Run it for clients: AISQ Meteor, the agency bundle.
3. Have it done for you: AISQ Growth, the managed service, or AISQbusiness for a new website.

If you run an agency or manage marketing for several brands, AISQ Meteor is the plan our link points to, and it is covered in detail next.

AISQ Meteor for agencies: what you get and how onboarding works

AISQ Meteor is aimed at marketing and web agencies. The page’s pitch is “Run 40 clients on 10 elite tools for just $400/month,” with “No per-tool pricing,” “No per-seat fees” and “No hidden costs.” It groups the tools into four engines: SEO, AI Content, Distribution, and Growth and Insights.

The 10 tools in Meteor

• Squirrly SEO (with Web Dev Kit): 40 client slots, 10,000 SERP Checker credits and 15,000 Keyword Research credits per month.
• Squirrly Social: 40 client slots.
• WP Ghost: agency admin capabilities and co-branding, 40 client slots.
• Next Level Marketing AI: 40 client slots, 100 AI credits per brand each month.
• Email Hero by Squirrly: 40 client slots, unlimited contacts per client.
• ContentLook AI: Ask AI and Report AI access, 7,000 crawler credits, 700 AI credits, 40 client slots.
• Squirrly SPY Reports: 40 manually created reports per month.
• Education Cloud BUSINESS: 40 accounts for employees or clients.
• Product Perfect Feed: 40 client slots.
• Starbox PRO: WordPress plugin, 40 client slots.

The page compares this with an estimated “$4,100+ / month” for buying similar tools separately. That is AISQ’s own estimate, so check it against the tools you actually use before treating it as a saving.

Meteor onboarding, step by step

The Meteor page describes a guided onboarding rather than a self-serve setup wizard:

1. Join and get invited: you are invited to a private Basecamp workspace, which AISQ calls your “command center”.
2. Set priorities: you tell the team what matters most, and they activate the tools you need first.
3. Use connected tools: the page says the tools are already integrated and automated.
4. Scale when ready: additional tools are introduced at your pace (“We onboard you step by step”).

For an agency, the AI search angle is a service you can sell: GEO audits, llms.txt setup, schema and AI referral reporting for each client, delivered through the same Squirrly SEO account that powers the rest of the bundle.

AISQ Growth: the done-for-you route

If you would rather not touch any of this, AISQ Growth is a managed service that the page calls a “Done-for-you AI marketing system”. The team handles strategy, SEO and GEO, research-based content, publishing, indexing, social and email promotion, and ongoing optimisation, with human fact-checking of AI-assisted content before it goes live.

On the website side, the Growth page lists technical SEO audits, meta tag review, indexing fixes, speed and caching work, security hardening, internal linking and llms.txt setup for AI crawler readiness. The higher VIP Growth tier adds offer, positioning and funnel analysis, technical repairs and monthly reporting. Onboarding is listed as “Basecamp onboarding and infrastructure setup.”

Note that the Growth page assumes a WordPress site: the tools it installs (Squirrly SEO, WP Ghost, LiteSpeed caching) are WordPress tools. If your site runs on Squarespace, Wix or Shopify, ask AISQ directly what applies before buying. The homepage does say AISQ “works without WordPress”, but the detailed on-site features we found are WordPress-specific.

AISQ pricing (Pricing as of October 2026)

AISQ’s pricing is spread across several pages and products. These are the prices shown on the official pages in October 2026, in US dollars:

Product / plan	Listed price	Notes
GEO Academy	Free	Five-lesson AEO/GEO course, no paid plan required
Squirrly SEO Free	$0/month	1 site, 5 AI keyword researches/month, Lite Audit Suite
Squirrly SEO PRO	$19.99/month	Paid annually; 5 sites, 50 AI keyword researches/month
Squirrly SEO Web Dev Kit	$51.20/month	10 sites, 2,000 SERP Checker credits/month
Squirrly SEO Business	$71.99/month	7 sites, 3,000 SERP Checker credits/month
AISQ Meteor	$400/month	Agency bundle, 10 tools, 40 client slots, billed monthly
AISQ Growth: Managed Presence	$450/month	Done-for-you marketing
AISQ Growth: VIP Growth	$1,500/month	Adds senior strategy, technical repairs, reporting
AISQbusiness	$7.99/month (paid annually)	Done-for-you WordPress website setup
AISQ MarketingPRO	Not publicly listed	Contact AISQ or check the site for current rates

A few caveats. The Squirrly SEO pricing page shows the PRO price as paid annually, while the Web Dev Kit and Business plans are labelled per month without the billing period being fully clear. The AISQ Growth page also lists an “AISQbusiness Website Plus” package at $399 one-time plus $95.88 per year from year two, which differs in structure from the $7.99 per month shown on the AISQbusiness site. None of the pricing pages we reviewed mention a free trial or a money-back guarantee, so confirm terms before you pay.

Prices change, so check the current figures on the AISQ Meteor page and the other plan pages before committing.

AISQ pros and cons

Pros

• A genuinely free starting point: the GEO Academy course and the free GEO Plugin.
• On-site AI search features in one plugin: GEO/AEO Audit, llms.txt, IndexNow, custom schema, AI crawler control and AI referral tracking.
• Can run alongside Yoast, Rank Math or SEOPress via the “No Configuration” setup option.
• Meteor offers a flat monthly price for 40 client slots, with no per-seat fees according to the page.
• Human approval is built into the workflow, per AISQ’s description, rather than AI publishing on its own.
• Done-for-you options exist if you lack the time or skills.

Cons

• The product line is large and confusing, with many brands, domains and logins.
• Several AEO/GEO docs pages were empty placeholders when we checked.
• On-site features are WordPress-focused; non-WordPress sites get less clear guidance.
• No free trial or refund terms are stated on the pricing pages we reviewed.
• MarketingPRO pricing is not public.
• Meteor’s $400 per month only makes sense if you have enough clients to fill the slots.

Who AISQ is for (and who should skip it)

A good fit if you

• Run a WordPress website and want a practical way to make it easier for AI engines to cite.
• Run a marketing or web agency and want to add AI search visibility services across many clients.
• Want SEO, social, email and security tools from one vendor with one bill.
• Prefer a done-for-you service and have the budget for a monthly retainer.

Probably not a fit if you

• Need an AI search box or chatbot that answers questions on your own website (AISQ’s core product is about visibility elsewhere, although ContentLook AI is described as offering a chat trained on site content).
• Run a site on a hosted builder and want detailed setup docs for it.
• Already have a mature SEO stack and only want one specific AI visibility metric.
• Need a free trial before committing to a paid plan.

Keep your AI search work organised in Notion

AI search visibility is ongoing work: audits, page rewrites, schema updates, llms.txt changes and monthly AI referral checks. AISQ’s own GEO Academy hands you a 90-day calendar and a monthly tracker, which shows how much of this is about consistency. A simple workspace keeps the tasks from slipping.

If you run an agency, our Marketing Agency OS template gives you a place to track clients, retainers, deliverables and monthly reporting, which is exactly where a recurring “GEO audit and AI visibility report” service would live. If you are launching a new product or service page and want it citable from day one, the Product Launch OS template helps you plan the content, checklist and launch timeline in one place.

Both templates run on Notion. If you do not have an account yet, you can get started with Notion here.

FAQ

Is AISQ a search engine or a site search tool?

No. AISQ is an AI marketing platform from Squirrly. Its AI search features focus on AEO and GEO, which means helping your website and brand get found and cited in AI answers from tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, rather than adding a search box to your site.

Is AISQ the same as Squirrly SEO?

They are related. Squirrly Limited is the company behind both, and the plugin is now branded “Squirrly SEO by AISQ” or the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO. AISQ is the wider platform and brand that bundles Squirrly SEO with other tools such as Squirrly Social, Email Hero and WP Ghost.

Can I use AISQ for free?

Partly. The GEO Academy course is free, and the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO has a free plan with limits (1 site, 5 AI keyword researches per month and the Lite Audit Suite, per the pricing page). Meteor, Growth and the higher Squirrly SEO plans are paid.

Does AISQ work without WordPress?

AISQ’s homepage says it works without WordPress, and much of its social, email and content work is platform-independent. However, the on-site AI search features we found (the GEO Plugin, WP Ghost, LiteSpeed caching) are WordPress tools, so non-WordPress sites should confirm what is supported before buying.

What is llms.txt and does AISQ create it?

llms.txt is an emerging standard file that helps AI systems find a site’s most important content. According to the plugin listing, the GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO can generate, upload and serve llms.txt, and it also supports llms-full.txt. AISQ Growth includes llms.txt setup as part of its managed service.

How much does AISQ Meteor cost?

The Meteor page lists one plan at $400 USD per month, billed monthly, covering 10 tools and 40 client slots. No free trial or money-back guarantee is mentioned on the page, so check the current terms before signing up.

Can AISQ guarantee my business appears in ChatGPT answers?

No tool can guarantee that. AI assistants decide what to cite on their own. What AISQ offers is a set of tools and services aimed at improving the signals AI engines rely on, such as clear answer-style content, structured data, fast indexing, author signals and third-party mentions, plus tracking to see whether AI referral traffic changes.

Conclusion

AISQ is best understood as Squirrly’s AI marketing platform with a strong focus on getting businesses into AI search answers. For most small business websites, the sensible path is to start free: take the GEO Academy course, install the GEO Plugin, audit your key pages and set up llms.txt. Agencies that want to offer AI visibility as a client service, and businesses that want it done for them, can then look at Meteor or Growth.

Go in with clear expectations: the product family is broad, some docs are thin, and no plan can promise AI citations. If that fits how you work, AISQ gives you a practical, WordPress-friendly toolkit for AI search.