Inside the race to get recommended by AI
Simon Thompson spoke to me about Starworks, the directories and what I’ve been testing.
Melbourne, Australia
Ben
Adler.
I build the places AI
finds businesses.
I’m the founder of Starworks. I build and run business directories, and work on how businesses get found in AI search.
Get in touch
My workIt started with
It started with
Starworks.
I started Starworks with online reviews and reputation management. Building the directories led me into generative engine optimisation (GEO): how AI tools find sources and decide which businesses to recommend.
I work on the information behind those answers. Business details, reviews, useful pages and how they connect. I can change something, test it across the network and see what happens.
A bit of contextA few things
A few things
worth reading.
In the Perth AI Search Study, Starworks was the third most-cited domain after Google and Reddit, with 199 citation observations across 2,400 answers. That’s a September 2026 snapshot across four AI search tools.
A separate Australian study by Dossis Digital also looked at Starworks
About me
A little about me.
I’m based in Melbourne and spent seven years living in France. That’s where the surfing photo was taken.
I’m into surfing, travelling, hiking and mountaineering. That’s me on Kilimanjaro. Back home, most of my time goes into tech, AI and building Starworks.
More about me on LinkedInContact
Book a conversation Let’s talk.
For GEO, AI search, partnerships or a question about my work.