What is the difference between AEO and GEO?

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is specifically about getting cited as a source when AI engines answer questions. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is broader — optimizing for inclusion in any AI-generated output, including product recommendations, comparisons, lists, and summaries. AEO is a subset of GEO.

Do I still need traditional SEO?

Yes. AEO doesn't replace SEO — it complements it. Traditional Google search still drives the majority of organic traffic for most B2B and ecommerce businesses. AI Overviews appear on roughly 47% of searches, but they often pull from the top SEO results. Strong SEO foundations make AEO 5-10x more effective.

How do you actually track AI citations?

We run a defined prompt set (30-100 queries depending on package) across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews on a weekly cadence. We log whether your brand is mentioned, where you appear in the response, what context, and which competitors are cited alongside or above you.

How long until I see results?

Faster than traditional SEO, slower than paid ads. Schema and structural fixes get reflected by AI engines within 2-4 weeks. Citation increases on existing pages: 4-8 weeks. New AEO content getting indexed and cited: 8-16 weeks. Compounding effects: 4-6 months.

What is the pricing for AEO services?

Three packages. Starter at $2,500/month for SMBs. Growth at $5,500/month for $5M-$25M brands. Enterprise from $12,500/month for $25M+ brands. Quarter-to-quarter contracts with no 12-month lock-ins. INR pricing available for India clients.

Will AI eventually replace traditional search?

For some use cases, yes. For others, no. Research-heavy queries increasingly happen in AI tools. Transactional queries still happen in Google. The right strategy is to optimize for both surfaces — your content engine produces material that ranks in SERPs AND gets cited by AI.

Why is my restaurant busy but not profitable?

Volume can hide a margin leak. A restaurant doing $12,000 a month in delivery at a 25% marketplace commission hands over roughly $36,000 a year, before food cost and labour. On a typical 3-5% net margin, that single line can be most of the year's profit. Work out what commissions actually cost you before changing anything else.

Why do I pay DoorDash commission on my own regular customers?

Marketplaces are good at finding you a new customer and poor value for serving one who already knows your name. Once a regular orders through the app, you pay a commission on that relationship every time. Keep marketplaces for discovery, and give repeat customers their own place to order.

Why don't I have my customers' emails or phone numbers?

If the order happened on a marketplace, the marketplace owns the contact details, not you. That is why email marketing has nobody to email and loyalty has nobody to reward. Owning the ordering channel is what returns the customer data to you.

Why do people find my restaurant on Google but order elsewhere?

A Google Business Profile that links out to a marketplace is an advertisement for that marketplace. You did the local SEO, earned the review and ranked in the map pack, then handed the order to a platform that charges you a commission for it. Point every channel you own at your own ordering page.

How do I get one-time customers to order again?

Winning back an existing customer costs far less than acquiring a new one, but only if you can reach them. Without their contact details there is no win-back email and no reorder prompt, so every order stays a first order. Capture the customer on the first order, then give them a reason to return.

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Case Study

How independent restaurants increase direct orders

Direct orders are pure margin. Here is the repeatable playbook we use to grow them for restaurant clients.

By GrowwithBA · Updated June 2026 · 8 min read

Quick answer

Independent restaurants increase direct orders by launching a branded commission-free ordering channel, then actively migrating marketplace customers to it with incentives, QR codes, receipts and SMS/email win-back. The growth compounds because every direct order adds a customer you can remarket to for free. Tools like Owner.com make the channel and automation practical.

Direct orders skip the 30% marketplace cut entirely — they are the highest-margin revenue a restaurant has. Here is the playbook we use to grow them.

Step 1: Own the channel

You need a branded ordering site and app where customers can order without a marketplace in the middle. This is the foundation — without it, there is nowhere for direct orders to land.

Step 2: Migrate your marketplace regulars

Your loyal marketplace customers are the fastest direct-order wins. Move them with:

First-direct-order discount on receipts and packaging
QR codes at the counter and on tables
Your ordering link in your Instagram bio and Google profile

Build your direct-order engine

We set up Owner.com for clients and run the marketing around it. Start free, or have us do it for you.

Try Owner.com free → Read our full review →

Step 3: Make it compound

Every direct order adds a contact to your list. Automated SMS/email win-back then brings those customers back for free — so each acquisition keeps paying off. That compounding is the whole point.

Step 4: Layer paid + local SEO

Once the engine works, a small paid budget and local SEO (Google Business Profile, local pages) drive new direct customers in at the top — feeding the same compounding loop.

The compounding loop

Channel captures the order + contact
Win-back marketing re-activates for free
Each new customer feeds the list
Paid + SEO top up the funnel

This is exactly the system GrowwithBA sets up on Owner.com for restaurant clients.

FAQ

How can a restaurant get more direct orders?

Launch a branded commission-free ordering channel, migrate marketplace regulars with incentives, and automate win-back marketing so each customer keeps reordering.

Why are direct orders better than marketplace orders?

They skip the 15–30% commission and give you the customer data to remarket for free — far higher margin and lifetime value.

Ready to move?

Start Owner.com free through our link, or read our full hands-on review first.

Try Owner.com free → Read the Owner.com review →

Affiliate disclosure: this article contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we use ourselves.

What actually moves an order from the app to you

Restaurants usually try to win direct orders by asking. A sign by the till, a line on the receipt, a plea on Instagram. It rarely works, because the diner is not choosing the app out of loyalty. They are choosing it because it is already open, their card is already saved, and reordering takes two taps.

You do not beat that with a request. You beat it with less friction and a reason.

Same menu, same prices. If your direct prices are higher than the app's, you have told the customer to use the app. Many restaurants inflate marketplace prices to cover commission and then forget to lower them on their own site.
Saved card, saved address. The app wins on friction. An ordering channel that makes the diner retype their address every time will lose, however good the food is.
A card in the bag. Every marketplace order is a chance to convert a customer the app charged you 25% to reach. "Order direct next time" costs pennies per bag.
One reason, tied to a day. Not a permanent discount, which trains people to wait. A Tuesday-only offer to Friday customers, because Tuesdays are the slow ones.
Point the free channels at yourself. Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, the website footer. If those send orders to a marketplace, you are paying a commission on traffic you earned for free.

The order that matters

The goal is not zero marketplace orders. Marketplaces are how new diners find you. The goal is that the second order, and the twelfth, happen somewhere you keep the margin and the customer.

Why direct orders matter more than they look

Moving an order off a marketplace saves the commission, but the bigger prize is the contact details that come with it. Without an email or phone number there is no win-back message, no loyalty programme with anyone in it, and every order stays a first order.

Read the five margin leaks, in the order to fix them →

Free audit · No sales pitch

Where is your restaurant leaking money?

Send us your website and we'll audit your online ordering, Google Business Profile, local SEO and review flow — then send a prioritized fix list. Free, 48-hour turnaround, no pitch.