The Real Estate Method · Free checklist

47-Point AEO Checklist for Industrial Businesses

How to make sure ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity recommend your firm when procurement officers ask AI for suppliers in your category.

Built for: B2B equipment suppliers, fabricators, contractors, BBBEE-certified suppliers — particularly those targeting enterprise, mining, and SOE procurement.

By the author

Kabelo More

AI Visibility Consultant · Pretoria · 8 years local SEO

Published 31 May 2026 · Updates as methodology evolves

About →

Heads up — this checklist is SA-tuned. It references South African platforms (HelloPeter, BBBEE Verification, CSD, HPCSA, LSSA, etc.) that don't apply outside South Africa. The 7-property structure works globally — but the specific platforms don't. UK and US versions ship Q1 2027.

47 checks across 7 properties · last updated May 2026

How to read this checklist

Effort tags

Quick = under an hour, mostly setup
1-3 days = needs focused work
Ongoing = compounding monthly work

Impact tiers

Foundation = required to be findable at all
Growth = compounds visibility over weeks
Authority = compounds for years; market-leadership work

Property 1 of 7

Website + Schema

Your capability statement online. Procurement officers + AI both read it first.

1
Title tag includes capability + sector + region (e.g. 'Mining Equipment Fabricator in Witbank — X Industrial')
Quick· Foundation ·
Procurement officers search specifically. Generic titles miss specific-capability queries.
2
Meta description: primary capability + customer type (e.g. 'BBBEE Level 1 fabricator serving mining and energy clients')
Quick· Foundation ·
Procurement-grade descriptions get cited in B2B AI queries. Service-led generics get filtered.
3
Manufacturer or LocalBusiness schema deployed with full capability detail
1-3 days· Foundation ·Google Rich Results Test
Tells AI what you produce. Without schema, AI can't recommend for specific capability queries.
4
Each capability/product listed as separate Service or Product schema with own URL
1-3 days· Growth ·
Granular structure = granular AI citations. 'Best [specific product] supplier' becomes citable.
5
Person schema for CEO/MD/Directors with sector experience + qualifications
1-3 days· Foundation ·
Procurement trusts named leadership. AI engines cite verified leadership over anonymous firms.
6
FAQ schema for procurement-style questions (BBBEE Level, lead times, MOQs, certifications) — 10+ questions
Quick· Growth ·
AI engines pull FAQ schema directly. These are exactly the questions procurement asks.
7
/llms.txt file added with capability statement, certifications, BBBEE Level
Quick· Authority ·
Almost no SA industrial supplier has this. 15-min job, 30-day citation lift in B2B AI queries.
8
Mobile responsiveness ≥ 90 (procurement officers do search on mobile)
1-3 days· Foundation ·
70% of procurement queries start on mobile. Slow mobile = filtered out before consideration.
9
Page speed ≥ 80 (Lighthouse performance)
1-3 days· Growth ·
Slow industrial sites are notorious. Speed = signal of professional operation.
10
Capability statement / capability brochure linked or embedded as PDF
1-3 days· Growth ·
Procurement officers download and forward. Each forward = an external citation of your capability.

Property 2 of 7

Google Business Profile

Cited heavily by AI engines for B2B local supplier queries.

1
Primary category: most specific industrial vertical (e.g. 'Steel Fabricator' not 'Manufacturing')
Quick· Foundation ·
Specificity drives AI matching. Generic categories miss specialty queries.
2
5-9 secondary categories covering all capability types
Quick· Foundation ·
Each category = a procurement query you can rank for.
3
BBBEE Level prominently shown in description (Level 1, 2 etc.) + verification status
Quick· Growth ·
BBBEE Level is THE filter for SA enterprise + SOE procurement. AI engines surface this directly.
4
Service area: covers all delivery regions accurately
Quick· Foundation ·
Procurement queries often include region. 'Within 200km of [mine]' is a real query pattern.
5
30+ photos: factory, equipment, team, completed project sites, products
1-3 days· Growth ·
Photos are GBP ranking factor. Industrial buyers want to see capability evidence.
6
Monthly GBP posts: capability updates, project showcases, certifications won
Ongoing· Growth ·
Stale GBPs lose ranking. Active firms signal operating credibility to AI engines.
7
Q&A section: BBBEE Level, certifications, capacity, lead times, payment terms — answered by firm
Quick· Growth ·
These are procurement's first questions. Owned answers = controlled procurement narrative.
8
Capability brochure / spec sheet downloadable from GBP profile
1-3 days· Growth ·
Procurement officers download materials directly. Removes friction from supplier evaluation.

Property 3 of 7

LinkedIn (firm + leadership)

Where procurement officers shortlist suppliers.

1
Company page complete: industry tagged correctly, size, headquarters
Quick· Foundation ·
Tagged industrial pages get cited by Perplexity for B2B queries. Untagged ones get skipped.
2
CEO/MD personal page: headline includes role + sector expertise (e.g. 'CEO at X — Mining Engineering Solutions')
Quick· Foundation ·
Headline is most-cited field. 'CEO at X' alone is wasted real estate.
3
About section: notable projects, certifications, capability highlights, BBBEE journey
1-3 days· Growth ·
AI engines pull narrative for B2B queries. Bullet credentials get ignored.
4
Posting cadence: bi-weekly minimum — project showcases + sector commentary
Ongoing· Authority ·
Active LinkedIn = procurement-trust signal. Compounds for years as AI training data.
5
Sector body memberships visible (NTC, SAEEC, MEMSA, MSA, etc.)
Quick· Growth ·
Verified-via-tag credentials are AI's gold standard. Plain-text credentials get less weight.

Property 4 of 7

Industrial citations + procurement databases

The most under-invested area for SA industrial — and the most lucrative.

1
CSD (Central Supplier Database) — registered, complete, active
1-3 days· Foundation ·
ESSENTIAL for SOE work (Eskom, Transnet, Government departments). Without it, you don't exist for SOE procurement.
2
CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board) — graded + listed
1-3 days· Foundation ·
Construction tenders require CIDB grading. AI engines surface CIDB listings directly.
3
BBBEE Verification Agency listing with current certificate visible
Quick· Foundation ·
Highest-trust BBBEE verification. AI cross-references this when surfacing 'BBBEE Level X supplier' queries.
4
Sector-specific procurement portals — DMRE Mining Suppliers, NTC (telecoms), SACEEC (capital equipment exporters), SAFAS (foundries), Black Industrialists Programme (BIP) listings if funded
1-3 days· Growth ·
Specialty-specific = highest-trust citation for sector-specific procurement queries. SACEEC, SAFAS, and BIP are particularly underused: SACEEC opens export tender visibility, BIP is the highest-trust trust signal for funded SA-Black industrialists targeting government + corporate procurement.
5
Engineering News supplier directory listing
Quick· Growth ·
Highest-traffic SA industrial publication. AI engines harvest it heavily.
6
BizCommunity industrial listing + press releases
1-3 days· Growth ·
BizCommunity is heavily indexed by AI engines. Industrial-focused press releases compound.
7
Mining Weekly / Coal International / Energize listings (sector-specific)
1-3 days· Authority ·
Mining-sector buyers query sector-specific publications. AI engines weight these for mining queries.
8
Group / parent company listings (if part of a holding group)
Quick· Growth ·
Group affiliations are high-trust. AI engines weight institutional context.

Property 5 of 7

Reviews + project case studies

Procurement-grade social proof. Case studies > review counts.

1
Google reviews: 10+ (industrial review counts run lower than consumer)
Ongoing· Foundation ·
Below 10 = AI treats as unverified. Above 10 + 4.5★ = trustworthy.
2
HelloPeter profile claimed and responsive
Quick· Growth ·
Critical for SA. Even procurement officers spot-check HelloPeter for SA suppliers.
3
Trustpilot (for international buyers) — claimed and active
1-3 days· Growth ·
International procurement officers check Trustpilot. AI engines weight it for global queries.
4
Procurement-buyer testimonial workflow — written testimonials with permission
Ongoing· Authority ·
Procurement officers want named, named-buyer testimonials. Workflow = volume.
5
Past project case studies (with permission): 5+ public case studies with measurable outcomes
Ongoing· Authority ·
Case studies > reviews for B2B industrial. AI engines cite outcomes specifically.

Property 6 of 7

AI engines (test + monitor)

The output layer. Procurement officers ask AI directly now.

1
Test 'BBBEE Level [X] supplier for [capability] in [region]' across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity (Apple Intelligence + Copilot tracking added Q1 2027)
Quick· Foundation ·Free AI Visibility Scan at kabelomore.com/scan
Real procurement query pattern. If you're not in the answer, you're not in the shortlist. Procurement officers increasingly use Microsoft Copilot inside Office for supplier research — Q1 2027 tracking essential.
2
Test '[Sector] equipment supplier for [project type]' (e.g. 'mining conveyor systems supplier')
Quick· Foundation ·
Project-intent query. Need to appear specifically for your supply category.
3
Test 'Procurement: [capability] suppliers in SA' — appear in answer?
Quick· Foundation ·
B2B procurement-grade query. Most industrial firms are absent here.
4
Branded search: AI knows certifications, BBBEE Level, capability, key projects?
Quick· Growth ·
AI composes your supplier introduction during shortlisting. Verify the facts.
5
Daily AI monitoring tool deployed (tracks visibility across 4 engines)
1-3 days· Authority ·Local Growth Lite from R2,950/mo
AI engines update weekly. Need awareness of visibility shifts before procurement officers do.
6
Quarterly re-scan with documented before/after
Ongoing· Growth ·
Improvement = measurement. Catches drift + validates retainer ROI.

Property 7 of 7

Competitive intelligence

Procurement competition is the real competition. Map it.

1
Identified the 3 suppliers AI engines recommend INSTEAD of you for procurement queries
Quick· Foundation ·
Your real digital competitors are who AI surfaces — not who you see at industry events.
2
Documented gap analysis: their certifications vs yours, BBBEE vs yours, project track record vs yours
1-3 days· Growth ·
Procurement is a comparison exercise. Make sure you know where the comparison breaks down.
3
Project case studies: are competitors showcasing more public projects with named clients?
Ongoing· Authority ·
Named-client case studies are highest-trust procurement signal. AI cites them above generic claims.
4
Sector body engagement: are competitors more active at conferences, papers, technical talks?
Ongoing· Authority ·
Conference talks = high-trust technical citations. Compounds for years.
5
Tender win track record visibility (where allowed): are competitors publishing wins?
Ongoing· Authority ·
Public tender wins = highest-trust procurement credential. Where allowed, publish.

What happens when you complete it

If you complete all 47, your firm will be in the top 5% of SA industrial suppliers on AI visibility — particularly for procurement queries. Most industrial firms score 4-10 out of 47 (the procurement-database category alone is rarely complete). Getting to 35+ shows up within 60-90 days as inbound inquiries from procurement officers who say 'I asked ChatGPT for BBBEE Level [X] suppliers and your name came up.' For industrial B2B with R100k+ deal values, even 1-2 such inquiries per quarter pays for the entire programme several times over.

Want me to run this for you?

The free AI Visibility Scan tests how all 4 AI engines respond to your customers' queries. 24-hour turnaround. PDF report. No card.

Get a free AI scan See services

The AEO Letter

Weekly tactics for medical, legal,
and industrial firms.

One email a week. Real audits, real findings, real fixes — drawn from the work I'm doing for SA, UK, and US clients. No fluff. Unsubscribe in one click.

We use your email only for the newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime.

More checklists