BrisTechTonic is a Bristol SEO agency that helps UK businesses get found on Google, the local map pack and the AI assistants they now ask, like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Advertising in ChatGPT and AI search means paying to show up inside AI assistants and the answers they write, instead of next to the usual list of links. That covers paid slots in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, and Microsoft Copilot. Some of these already sell ads, in particular Perplexity's sponsored follow-up questions, Microsoft Copilot ads through Microsoft Advertising, and ads inside Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. Advertising inside ChatGPT itself is still on the way. BrisTechTonic gets you ready for all of them now, tells you honestly what is worth buying today, and manages the live ones as each platform opens. We judge every ad by the actual profit it brings in, not by how many people saw it.
Search is splitting in two. Alongside the familiar results page, more and more buyers now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews or Microsoft Copilot a question and act on the answer they get back, often without clicking through to a website at all. Advertising is following them. Some of these places already sell ads: Perplexity runs sponsored follow-up questions, Microsoft Copilot shows ads through Microsoft Advertising, and Google has started putting ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode. Advertising inside ChatGPT itself is still taking shape. The result is a channel that is real, patchy, and moving fast.
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Most of what is written about advertising in ChatGPT and AI search is either over-excited or ahead of itself. Some sellers promise slots that are not on sale yet; some agencies just relabel ordinary banner ads as AI. The level-headed view is more useful. A handful of AI ad slots can be bought today and are worth testing for the right business; others are announced but not open; and advertising in ChatGPT is a question of when, not whether. Knowing which is which is the difference between an early advantage and wasted money.
We treat AI ads as an extension of the paid advertising we already run, not a leap of faith. Before anything goes live we work out what a customer is worth and what you can afford to pay to win one, then judge each ad against that. Where a slot is live and sensible, we run it. Where it is not, we say so and keep the money on channels that bring in sales now, so you are ready for AI advertising without paying to be a test case on slots that do not yet work.
The other half of the job is making sure the assistant already knows who you are. A paid slot inside an AI answer works far harder when the assistant also mentions and recommends you without being paid. That free visibility is answer engine optimisation, and it is the foundation this sits on. We line the two up so your paid presence in ChatGPT and AI search builds on the free one rather than making up for its absence.
Buying intent is up for auction. Paid puts you at the front of it.
These are industry figures, not our own results, and we do not invent numbers. They show why intent-led paid can pay for itself where broad awareness spend does not. We manage to contribution margin, and no return is ever guaranteed.
AI ads, broken down.
Perplexity sponsored placements →
Perplexity is the AI answer tool furthest ahead on advertising, with sponsored follow-up questions and related placements already live. For businesses whose buyers research inside Perplexity, it is the most solid AI ad option you can test today, and we treat it as such.
Microsoft Copilot and Bing AI ads →
Copilot uses Microsoft Advertising, so ads already show up inside Copilot answers and Bing's AI experiences. If you run Microsoft Ads, some of your AI advertising is arguably live already; we make sure it is set up and measured on purpose rather than happening by accident.
Google AI Overviews and AI Mode →
Google has started showing ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, folding paid slots into its AI answers. We manage this as part of your Google Ads, so the AI answers and the ordinary results page are run to one plan, not two.
ChatGPT advertising, positioned early →
OpenAI has signalled that advertising is coming to ChatGPT, but you cannot openly buy it yet. We keep you ready: the tracking, the creative thinking and the sums worked out now, so that when slots open you move first rather than starting from scratch.
Earned AI visibility underneath the paid →
Being recommended by the assistant without paying is answer engine optimisation. It makes every paid AI slot work harder, and in some cases removes the need to buy one at all. We run the two together rather than treating paid ads as a substitute for being mentioned.
Measurement built for zero-click answers
AI answers often settle a question without a click, which breaks the usual way of tracking where a sale came from. We set up tracking and match it back to your customer records so we can see the knock-on effect on enquiries and on people searching for you by name, so the value of AI ads is measured honestly rather than lost between the answer and the sale.
Some of our recent work.
More on ai ads.
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What clients say about working with us.
“I've had the pleasure of working with Chris on several SEO projects for my websites in the health field. He was definitely been able to demystify things so that I felt able to make decisions with him and feel confident they were the right ones. For a non-techie, that is worth gold! I look forward to working with Chris again and warmly recommend him to anyone who - like me - is unsure about all things SEO.”
“I was recommended by my branding partner to use Chris and his team last year. I can’t recommend them highly enough. They are very responsive , easy to communicate with and great at translating techy stuff when needed. They are now an essential part of my business model”
“We've been working closely with Chris, Hannah and the team for over 12 months now. As a small company with ambitious growth plans, it was incredibly important that we made the right choice on who to trust with our SEO. 18 months later, we're totally thrilled with our experience so far and our growing online presence within our market. We'd happily recommend BTT and their services to other SMEs. Drop them an enquiry!”
Real people on your account, not a faceless agency.
You work directly with the senior people who do the work, a small Bristol team you will actually get to know, not a call centre or an account manager relaying messages.
Meet the team →
The way we run AI ads.
Map where your buyers already ask AI
We find which assistants your market actually uses to research what you sell, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot or Google's AI answers, so effort goes where your audience is rather than where the hype is loudest.
Model the economics first
What a customer is worth and what you can afford to pay to win one. Every AI ad, live or coming soon, is judged against that number before a pound is spent.
Fix earned visibility
We check whether the assistants mention and recommend you without being asked, and close the gaps through AEO, so paid ads land on a foundation of real presence rather than an empty one.
Buy what is live and worth it
Where a slot is open and sensible, Perplexity, Copilot, Google's AI ads, we build, launch and manage it. Where it is not ready, we hold the budget rather than spending to make a point.
Stay ready for ChatGPT
Tracking, creative and the sums are ready for the slots not yet open, so when ChatGPT advertising launches you can move first with a plan rather than scrambling.
Measure, report and cut against margin
We match AI ads back to real sales in your customer records, report in plain numbers your finance team recognises, and move the budget to what brings in profit rather than what is newest.
How do we approach AI ads?
Honest about what is buyable today
AI advertising is not one channel that switched on overnight; it is several different places at different stages. Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Google AI Overviews already sell ads. Advertising inside ChatGPT is still on the way. We tell you plainly what you can buy now, what is worth buying, and what is not ready, rather than selling you a slot that does not yet exist.
Earned visibility comes first
You cannot advertise your way into an answer you are not part of. Getting the assistant to mention and recommend you for free, which is the AEO work, is the foundation, and paid ads sit on top of it. We line the two up so your paid presence backs up the free mention rather than covering for its absence.
Run to real profit
The same discipline we bring to Google and LinkedIn applies here. We work out what a customer is worth before we spend anything, then judge every AI ad against the real sales it brings in, matched back to your customer records, not against being first or the platform's own figures.
No markup on your media
Whatever you spend on Perplexity, Microsoft Advertising or Google's AI ads is paid straight to the platform. Our fee is for the experienced work of running it well, and it does not go up just because your spend does.
Real people doing the work, and putting their name to it.
You deal with our small, experienced Bristol team directly, from the first call to every monthly report.
Meet the team →What AI ads puts on your desk.
Are we the right fit for you?
Thinking of switching from another agency?
Moving your AI ads to us is more straightforward than staying somewhere that is not working. You keep everything you already own, we pick up without a gap, and we can run the whole thing for you or work alongside your team and your developers, whatever suits.
A free look first
We review what your current agency has done, tell you straight what is worth keeping and where the quick wins are. No obligation to move.
You keep what's yours
Your site, content, Google Business Profile and analytics stay in your name. We work with what you already have; nothing is held hostage.
A clean handover
We map the work across, set a plain-English baseline in the first few weeks, and carry on from there. No starting from zero, no quiet ranking gap.
Three-month minimum, then rolling monthly on 30 days’ notice. No long lock-in, no exit fees.
Who runs your AI advertising, and how honestly?
AI advertising is a field where it is easy to sell slots that do not yet exist. BrisTechTonic is the trading name of Bryley Ltd, an experienced team with years of combined experience across paid ads and search, so we hold a deliberately honest line: we tell you which AI options you can genuinely buy today, which are announced but not open, and where your money brings in more on established channels while the new ones settle. The person who works out your numbers is the person who builds and manages the ads, and we match everything back to your customer records rather than a platform's own dashboard.
We separate live from hype
Perplexity, Copilot and Google's AI ads can be bought now; ChatGPT advertising cannot yet. We keep that difference clear, so you spend on what works rather than what sounds impressive in a headline.
Experienced people do the work
No account is left to run itself. The person who maps the options and works out the numbers is the one who runs the ads and adjusts the budget each month.
Earned before paid
We will often tell you to strengthen how the assistants mention you before spending on ads, because in AI search a genuine recommendation often beats a bought one.
AI ads: common questions.
What is advertising in ChatGPT and AI search?
It means paying to show up inside AI assistants and the answers they write, rather than next to the usual search results. That includes paid slots in Perplexity, ads in Microsoft Copilot through Microsoft Advertising, ads inside Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, and, in time, advertising inside ChatGPT itself. Some of these are live today; advertising in ChatGPT is still on the way.
Can you actually buy ads in ChatGPT right now?
Not openly, yet. OpenAI has said advertising is coming to ChatGPT, but there is no ready-to-buy ChatGPT ad product at the moment. What we do now is get you ready: work out the numbers, prepare the tracking and creative, and strengthen how ChatGPT already mentions you, so you can move first when slots open rather than starting cold.
Which AI ad surfaces are live today?
Perplexity runs sponsored follow-up questions and related slots, Microsoft Copilot shows ads through Microsoft Advertising, and Google has started putting ads inside AI Overviews and AI Mode. These are the AI options you can genuinely test now, and we manage them where they suit your business.
How is AI advertising different from AEO?
AEO, or answer engine optimisation, earns your place in an AI answer without paying, by making your business easy for the assistants to read and mention. AI advertising pays for a slot inside or around those answers. They work best together: a paid slot lands far harder when the assistant already recommends you unprompted, which is why we line the two up rather than treating paid ads as a substitute.
How do you measure AI ads when there is no click?
AI answers often settle a question without sending a click, which breaks the usual way of tracking where a sale came from. We set up tracking and match it back to your customer records so we can see sales the ad helped along and any rise in people searching for you by name, and we report against real sales your finance team recognises rather than a platform's own figures.
Do you charge a percentage of ad spend?
No. Whatever you spend on Perplexity, Microsoft Advertising or Google's AI ads is paid straight to the platform, and our fee does not go up because your spend does. You pay for the experienced work of running it well. Management starts from £400 a month per platform. Setting up is a one-off £400, and paid ads run to a three-month minimum.
Is it too early to invest in AI advertising?
For most businesses, the right move today is to be ready rather than to spend heavily. We test the live options where they fit, keep the budget on channels that bring in sales now, and get you ready for the slots not yet open. That way you get the early advantage without paying to be a test case on formats that do not yet work.
Can you guarantee we appear in ChatGPT or AI answers?
No, and anyone who says they can is selling you something. Whether you appear depends on the platforms' still-changing ad products and the assistants' own judgements about what is relevant. What we can do is get you ready properly, buy what is genuinely available, measure it honestly, and move the budget to what brings in profit.
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