Key point. Elementera is an AEO company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, working with businesses across Canada and the United States. We measure how ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers find, describe and recommend your company, then do the work to improve it. Start with a call or a free Lenz report.
Elementera was founded in 2024 in Vancouver by four co-founders with backgrounds in machine learning research at Mila, McGill University, Université de Montréal and Microsoft Research, and in building software products. We offer managed AEO services, done for you, and Lenz, our AI visibility platform. Elementera is for startup founders, small-business owners and content creators, and for marketing leads and heads of growth at SaaS companies, startups, fintech and other technology companies.
Why should a Canadian company care about AI search?
Because Canadian buyers now ask AI assistants for shortlists before they ask for a demo. If ChatGPT or Gemini answers "which Canadian payroll provider suits a 30-person startup?" and your company is missing, the shortlist is set before you hear from the buyer.
Canadian questions are often scoped to a place: a country, a province or a city. That makes them winnable for a company that engines can clearly tie to that place, and easy to lose for one they cannot.
What do Canadian buyers ask AI assistants?
They ask the same kinds of questions as any buyer, with Canada, a province or a city added. A few examples of the shapes we track:
| Kind of question | What a buyer asks |
|---|---|
| Finding providers | "Top AI search optimization agencies in Canada?" |
| A city shortlist | "Best AEO agency in Vancouver?" |
| A category for a Canadian company | "AEO services for Canadian tech startups?" |
| A regulated industry | "Who can help a Canadian fintech get recommended by AI?" |
| Your own category, made local | "Best payroll software for a startup in Ontario?" |
| Fit with Canadian needs | "Which CRM stores data in Canada?" |
The last two rows are the ones that matter for your own sales. Write down the five questions your Canadian buyers ask before they shortlist, in their words, and you have the starting point for a measurement. Our guide to prompt research shows how to build the full list, and the free buyer-question builder turns your category, buyers and locations into questions.
Why do local agencies and firms get named in AI answers?
They get named because engines can find pages that tie them to the place in the question. An AI answer engine searches the web for the question and builds its answer from the pages it reads, so for "best AEO agency in Vancouver" it reads pages that mention firms together with Vancouver.
Those pages are usually of three kinds:
- Directory profiles that list a firm with its city and its services.
- Local list articles such as "best agencies in Vancouver" or "top firms in Canada".
- The firm's own pages that say plainly where it is based and whom it serves.
For map-style local results, Google says "Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity." A complete, accurate Google Business Profile helps with all three. For AI answers, the same rule of thumb applies: say where you are and whom you serve in the same words everywhere your company is described.
What does AEO involve for a Canadian company?
It involves the same stages as anywhere, measured with Canadian questions and Canadian sources. We describe each stage in the AI search visibility funnel; for a Canadian company the work usually includes:
- Measure from Canada
Ask your buyers' questions with the location set to Canada, and track the province or city versions that matter to you.
- Make the location unambiguous
State your city, province and service area in the same words on your site, your Google Business Profile and your other profiles.
- Check the Canadian sources engines cite
Directories, local lists and Canadian publications that engines read for your questions, and what each one says about you.
- Fix how engines describe you
Compare each engine's description of your company with what you sell today, in Canada and the US.
- Report per engine
Measure the same questions the same way after each change, and report each engine separately.
If your plan includes email outreach to publishers or list authors in Canada, Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) can apply. A pitch that promotes your business can count as a commercial electronic message, and section 6 of the Act requires such a message to have the recipient's consent, express or implied, to identify the sender, to give contact information, and to include an unsubscribe mechanism. Any outreach we draft for you includes the sender identification, contact details and unsubscribe line, and you approve and send every message yourself. This is a summary of the law, not legal advice; the Government of Canada's CASL page has the official guidance.
Why work with a Vancouver AEO company?
We work in the same time zones and market as Canadian buyers, and we bring a research standard to the work. Our founders have published peer-reviewed machine learning research since 2015, from Mila and McGill University in Montreal to Microsoft Research. The papers are listed on our company page.
Four rules apply to every engagement:
- We ask each question more than once. In our research measurements every question is asked at least three times, and repeated on another day before we believe a change.
- We never pool engines. A result measured on one engine is reported for that engine only.
- We publish a finding only with its scope. Every finding we quote names the engine, the kind of question and the sample it was measured on.
- We record which model answered. Every measurement records the model we asked for and the model that actually answered.
Can you check your own AI visibility in Canada for free?
Yes, you can, with a free Lenz report. Lenz asks ChatGPT and Gemini the questions a buyer in your category would ask, without using your name, and shows how often each engine names you and who it names instead. You choose the country the questions are asked from, so you can see the answers Canadian buyers get. A new account includes one free analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Do you only work with companies in Vancouver?
No. We are based in Vancouver and work with companies across Canada and the United States. The work is done remotely, and every engagement starts with a call.
Is AEO different for a Canadian company?
The method is the same; the questions and sources differ. Canadian buyers often add a country, province or city to their questions, and engines answer those from pages that tie a company to that place, such as directory profiles, local list articles and location pages. So we measure with Canadian questions, asked from Canada, and check the Canadian sources engines cite.
Can Lenz check how AI engines answer buyers in Canada?
Yes. Lenz lets you set the country the questions are asked from, so a Canadian company can see how ChatGPT and Gemini answer buyers in Canada. A new Lenz account includes one free analysis.
How much do AEO services cost in Canada?
We scope every engagement on a call, so there is no public price list. The scope depends on the engines and questions you need covered and how much foundation, content and off-site work the plan calls for.
Do you work with Canadian fintech and SaaS companies?
Yes. SaaS, fintech and technology companies are among the businesses we work with, along with other growing businesses whose buyers research through AI assistants.
Work with us
If you want the AEO work done for you, our managed AEO services cover Canada and the US: Book a call. If you would rather see where you stand first, Lenz gives you a free analysis of how ChatGPT and Gemini answer your buyers' questions: Get your free AI visibility report.
Sources
- Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google": support.google.com
- How Lenz works, including the country setting: Elementera Lenz.