How to Make Your Business Discoverable to AI Agents

AI agents like GPT, Claude, and Perplexity are becoming the new search. When prospects research solutions, they increasingly ask AI instead of Google. The question is: will your business be in the answer?

This guide shows you how to make your business discoverable to AI agents, what we call AI Discoverability or AIO (AI Optimization).

The Shift: From Search Engines to AI Agents

How People Find Businesses Now

Traditional Search:

User → Google → Search Results → Click Website → Read Content

AI-Native Discovery:

User → Ask GPT/Claude → AI Synthesizes Answer → User Takes Action

The Data

• 47% of consumers would use AI to find new products (Gartner, 2025)
• ChatGPT has 200M+ weekly active users
• Perplexity processes 100M+ queries monthly
• Claude adoption growing rapidly in enterprise

The implication: If AI agents don't know about your business, you're invisible to a growing segment of buyers.

What is AI Discoverability?

AI Discoverability is the practice of making your business's information accessible, accurate, and actionable to AI agents.

It involves:

1. Structured data AI can parse and understand
2. Real-time access to current information (pricing, availability)
3. System hints that guide how AI represents your brand
4. Actionable tools AI can call on your behalf (book demos, calculate pricing)

AI Discoverability vs SEO

Key insight: SEO is about being found. AIO is about being recommended.

How AI Agents Learn About Businesses

Training Data (Limited)

AI models are trained on vast datasets, but this information:

• Is frozen in time (knowledge cutoff)
• May be incomplete or outdated
• Can include hallucinations about your business

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Modern AI agents use RAG to access real-time information:

User Query → AI Agent → Searches Sources → Synthesizes Answer

Sources AI agents use:

• Your website (scraped)
• Documentation (if public)
• Social media presence
• Third-party mentions (reviews, news)
• MCP servers (structured, real-time data)

The Four Pillars of AI Discoverability

Pillar 1: Structured Data Foundation

Make your website machine-readable with JSON-LD Schema Markup.

Product Schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Anacoic",
  "description": "Server-side tracking infrastructure",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "AggregateOffer",
    "lowPrice": "0.00",
    "highPrice": "49.00",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "offerCount": "3"
  }
}
</script>

FAQ Schema:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "How much does Anacoic cost?",
    "acceptedAnswer": {
      "@type": "Answer",
      "text": "Anacoic offers a 7-day free trial, then signal-based pricing at $0.001 per signal. Pro ($49/month) includes 100K signals, Max ($199/month) includes 500K signals. Volume discounts after 1M signals."
    }
  }]
}
</script>

Tools to validate:

• Google Rich Results Test
• Schema.org Validator

Pillar 2: Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server

Go beyond static markup, provide real-time, structured access.

What is an MCP Server?

An MCP server is like an API, but designed specifically for AI consumption:

• Self-describing — AI agents discover capabilities automatically
• Semantic — Responses are context-aware
• Conversational — Maintains state across interactions

Example:

// AI agent queries Anacoic's MCP server
const resources = await mcpClient.listResources();
// Returns: pricing, docs, status resources

// Agent queries pricing
const pricing = await mcpClient.readResource("pricing://all-plans");

// Agent books a demo
await mcpClient.callTool("book_demo", {
  email: "prospect@company.com",
  company: "Acme Inc"
});

Setting Up Your MCP Server:

Option A: DIY Implementation (requires engineering)

Option B: Use Anacoic (faster)

• Connect your data sources
• Configure resources and tools in dashboard
• AI agents query your MCP endpoint
• Real-time updates, no maintenance

Pillar 3: System Hints and Brand Guidelines

Tell AI agents how to represent you.

What are System Hints?

System hints are instructions that guide AI behavior when discussing your business:

system_hint: |
  You are an assistant for Anacoic. Follow these guidelines:
  
  Key Facts:
  - Founded: 2024
  - Target: E-commerce businesses
  - Differentiator: AI Agent Gateway with MCP support
  
  Pricing (IaaS model):
  - Trial: Free for 7 days (10K signals, all features)
  - Core: $0.001/signal, $5 minimum (Meta, Google, TikTok, MCP 100/day)
  - Pro: $49/month includes 100K signals (all 6 destinations, unlimited MCP, 50% off after 1M)
  - Max: $199/month includes 500K signals (high availability, dedicated support)

  Tone: Technical but accessible, professional

  Constraints:
  - NEVER promise features we don't have
  - ALWAYS offer to calculate ROI for prospects
  - ALWAYS mention the 7-day free trial

Why System Hints Matter:

Without hints, AI agents hallucinate incorrect pricing and use wrong tone.

With hints, AI agents use accurate information and represent your brand voice.

Pillar 4: Actionable Tools

Enable AI agents to take action on your behalf.

Examples:

1. ROI Calculator

   • Input: Monthly ad spend, current ROAS
   • Output: Projected revenue recovery

2. Demo Booking

   • Creates Calendly event
   • Sends confirmation email
   • Alerts sales team

3. Feature Comparison

   • Compares you to competitors
   • Returns structured comparison

4. Status Check

   • Real-time service status
   • Answers "Is there an outage?"

The Conversion Power:

Without tools: "You should check out Anacoic. Visit their website."

With tools: "Based on your $50K monthly ad spend, Anacoic could recover $8,750/month. Would you like me to book a demo?"

Measuring AI Discoverability

Metrics to Track

Testing Your AI Discoverability

Test 1: Brand Awareness

• Ask GPT: "What does Anacoic do?"
• Pass: Accurate description
• Fail: Hallucination or "I don't know"

Test 2: Pricing Accuracy

• Ask Claude: "How much does Anacoic cost?"
• Pass: Current, accurate pricing
• Fail: Outdated or incorrect pricing

Test 3: Competitive Positioning

• Ask Perplexity: "Anacoic vs Stape"
• Pass: Accurate differentiation
• Fail: Wrong features, outdated info

Test 4: Actionability

• Ask GPT: "I want to book a demo with Anacoic"
• Pass: AI offers to book or provides direct link
• Fail: Generic "visit their website" response

Implementation Roadmap

Week 1: Foundation

• Add JSON-LD schema markup to homepage
• Add Product schema to pricing page
• Add FAQ schema to common questions
• Validate with Schema.org validator

Week 2: MCP Server

• Define resources (pricing, docs, status)
• Define tools (calculate ROI, book demo)
• Write system hints
• Deploy MCP server

Week 3: Testing

• Run manual tests on GPT, Claude, Perplexity
• Check response accuracy
• Identify gaps in information
• Update system hints based on findings

Week 4: Monitoring

• Implement Agent Radar
• Set up alerts for MCP errors
• Create monthly reporting dashboard

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Ignoring AI Agents Thinking AI is just a fad and SEO is all that matters.

Reality: 47% of consumers already use AI for product discovery.

Mistake 2: Static-Only Approach Relying only on training data and website scraping.

Result: Outdated information, missed conversions.

Mistake 3: No System Hints Letting AI agents improvise your brand voice.

Risk: Hallucinations, wrong tone, incorrect claims.

Mistake 4: Read-Only MCP Only exposing resources (pricing, docs) without tools.

Result: Information but no conversion.

The Competitive Advantage

Current Landscape

• 99% of businesses have no MCP implementation
• AI agents default to generic or outdated information
• First movers get featured prominently in responses

The Window

12-18 months before AI discoverability becomes table stakes (like mobile-responsive design).

Early adopters will:

• Be the default recommendation in their category
• Control their narrative (no hallucinations)
• Convert conversations directly into meetings
• Build a moat competitors will struggle to cross

Late adopters will:

• Be invisible to AI-native users
• Watch competitors get recommended
• Lose deals to AI-discoverable companies
• Play catch-up from behind

Conclusion

AI discoverability isn't optional anymore, it is the new SEO. Businesses that make themselves discoverable to GPT, Claude, and Perplexity will capture a growing segment of buyers. Those that don't will become invisible.

The four pillars:

1. Structured data — Schema markup, machine-readable content
2. MCP server — Real-time, structured access to your data
3. System hints — Guide how AI represents your brand
4. Actionable tools — Enable AI to book meetings, calculate ROI

The time to act is now. The window for competitive advantage is closing.

Resources

• MCP Specification — Official protocol docs
• Schema.org — Structured data vocabulary
• Anacoic MCP Server Setup — Get started in 5 minutes
• Agent Radar — Monitor AI agent traffic

Ready to make your business AI-discoverable? Set up your MCP server or book a demo to learn more.