Whether you like it or not, Google is no longer the only front door for most local businesses, especially those ranking high feeling comfortable sitting at the top of the search results.
Couples planning their weddings in 2026 are already asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot questions like “Who’s the best wedding videographer in Newcastle?” and receiving instant, compiled answers. So if your brand isn’t structured correctly or trusted enough to be cited by these AI platforms, you’re actually invisible to an entire generation of buyers.
This is the story of how I made HitchStories, a Newcastle-based wedding videography brand, one of the most AI-cited wedding videographers in the North East (in just under one month). And there is still more work to be done for some other prompts and queries…
Case Study & Situation
HitchStories, led by commercial videographer Steven James, didn’t really have huge organic visibility on Google with an average of page 2 to page 3 search results while trying to catch up to his competitors. He did have a growing portfolio of documentary-style wedding films in Newcastle Upon Tyne and the wider North East however. The brand was listed on directories like Hitched.co.uk (Top 10 Best Wedding Videographers in Newcastle) and had an active social presence.
But there is always a gap. When engaged couples turned to AI assistants for wedding planning advice, asking natural-language questions about videographers, costs, and styles, HitchStories wasn’t appearing in the generated responses to begin with. The brand’s content wasn’t structured right at the time for easy AI scanning. Competitors with weaker portfolios but better-optimised content were being cited instead, and the brand couldn’t compete yet with competitors via SEO and search engine results.
What was the challenge?
Well, I had to make HitchStories the answer that was mentioned when couples ask AI about wedding videography in the North East. But not just generally. Hitchstories has a certain style to the wedding films created and isn’t trying to compete with every wedding film and content creator out there. Hitchstories has a very specific persona that suits their style, and so the prompts researched had to match that persona and what they were looking for.
What I did
I started by implementing my foundations of an AEO/GEO strategy (Package 2), more on-site and content based, but targeting two distinct discovery channels:
The 10 AI Prompt Questions I Optimised For to begin with:
These are the exact natural-language queries couples type into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and similar platforms:
| Prompt Query | Gemini | Google AI Overview | ChatGPT | Claude |
| “Who are the best wedding videographers in Newcastle upon Tyne?” | x | x | Cited | Cited |
| “Can you recommend a documentary-style wedding videographer in the North East of England?” | Cited | x | Cited | x |
| “How much does a wedding videographer cost in Newcastle in 2026?” | Cited | x | Cited | Cited |
| “What’s the difference between a wedding videographer and a wedding content creator?” | x | Cited | x | x |
| “I want a wedding videographer who captures candid, unstaged moments. Who’s good in the North East?” | Cited | x | Cited | Cited |
| “Are there any LGBTQ+ friendly wedding videographers in Newcastle?” | Cited | x | Cited | x |
| “Which wedding videographer in Newcastle offers personalised wedding songs?” | Cited | Cited | Cited | Cited |
| “What’s the best wedding videography package under £1,500 in the North East?” | x | Cited | Cited | x |
| “Can you compare cinematic vs documentary wedding videography styles?” | x | Cited | x | x |
| “Who are the top-rated wedding videographers near Newcastle for 2026 and 2027?” | Cited | x | Cited | Cited |
The Google Search Terms We Targeted in Parallel
To reinforce the AI citation (since most AI models pull from indexed web content), we also optimised for traditional search terms too:
| Search Term | Outcome |
| wedding videographer Newcastle | No AI Overview – Page 2 of Search Results – Needs Work |
| documentary wedding videographer North East | Cited No.1 Google AI Overviews + on Page 2 of Search Results) |
| best wedding videographer Newcastle 2026 | Cited No.2 Google AI Overviews + Page 1 of Search Results |
| wedding videography prices Newcastle | Cited No.2 Google AI Overviews + Top of Page 1 Search |
| candid wedding videographer Newcastle | No AI Overview – 7th on Page 1 of Search Result |
| LGBTQ wedding videographer North East England | No AI Overview – needs work |
| affordable wedding videographer Newcastle | No AI Overview – Top of Page 2 – Needs Work |
| personalised wedding film Newcastle | No AI Overview – Page 3 – Needs Work |
| wedding videographer vs content creator | No AI Overview – Page 2 – National, needs work |
| last minute wedding videographer north east | No AI Overview – Top of Page 2 – Needs work |
Just Some of The local AEO/GEO Tactics Deployed:
1. I rebuilt the site’s content to directly answer the above questions in clear, cite-friendly formats.
2. I ensured HitchStories appeared consistently across authoritative third-party sources with matching information, schema markup, and editorial mentions that AI models weigh for trustworthiness.
3. Blog posts and long form content were written for the exact phrasing couples use in AI prompts with tactics employed to allow the AI platforms to consume the content easily.
4. Rather than generic “wedding videographer” copy, I leaned into HitchStories’ unique differentiators such as the wedding film style, using the persona I mapped out for the brand.
5. Made every key page include FAQ and Schema code answering the top AI prompts.
6. All external platforms echo the same core messaging and keywords for the brand creating consistency, and topical authority across the sources AI models aggregate.
What were the results?
In the first month after implementing just the technical and on-site part of my overall AEO/GEO strategy, HitchStories is now cited by name in about 60% to 70% of the ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude responses for the target AI prompts listed above.
There is of course ongoing and more work to do for some citation targets, and to do this Hitchstories will require the complete GEO package to include more personal branding, authority building and offsite or external trust building.
How did this impact the brand?
For HitchStories, AEO/GEO turned AI from a threat into a brand exposure and lead generation channel. Couples now arrive at the enquiry form having already been told by their AI assistant that HitchStories is one of the best options in Newcastle. The trust is pre-built before they even land on the site.
For the broader market, this case study demonstrates a shift every local service business needs to understand. If you’re not optimised for AI citation, you’re not just missing one channel, you’re missing the channel that’s replacing the Google search bar for an increasing number of consumers.
The businesses that structure their content to be the answer, not just a result, will own their category in the AI era.
For most local businesses this activity will be enough to begin with, until the competition catches up. Then, further AEO and GEO full tactics will be required such as developing their personal brand further, build trust and authority with other deeper digital tactics. Want to find out how to go further then look into my Package 4 for the FULL GEO service.
Ready to make your brand the one AI recommends?
Steven James Digital offers full AEO/GEO audits and implementation for service businesses ready to be cited, not just indexed.
Start here, with a free AI visibility audit:
