■ The arrival of the AI search era and new customer acquisition opportunities
From 2025 onward, the world of search is changing dramatically. AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini are spreading rapidly, ushering in an era where AI cites and recommends the best information in response to users' natural questions.

Unlike traditional keyword search, AI search engines evaluate a combination of factors such as understanding of context and intent, the degree of information structuring, assessment of citation value, and information freshness. In other words, only businesses whose information is "citable" by AI can seize customer acquisition opportunities in this new era.

■ Why the structured data of ぐるっと東京 excels in AI search
ぐるっと東京 manages store information with structured data. Structured data is information organized systematically so that AI and search engines can accurately understand it.

・Organization Schema (organizational information): store name, address, contact details, hours of operation
・Service Schema (service information): details of services provided, features, price range
・Menu Schema (menu information): dish names, descriptions, prices
・NewsArticle Schema (news articles): latest updates and announcements

With this structured data, AI search engines can accurately understand your store's information and cite or recommend it appropriately in response to users' questions. For example, when someone asks an AI, "Tell me an izakaya with private rooms in Shibuya," the likelihood that your listing on ぐるっと東京 will be cited increases significantly.

■ Content design that is easily cited in AI search
At ぐるっと東京, we adopt content design that is easy for AI search engines to cite.

・Pair questions and answers in an FAQ format to provide a structure that AI can easily understand
・Clearly state concrete numbers such as "Founded in XX year" and "XX seats"
・Organize menus and services in table format to make it easier for AI to compare ・Explicitly indicate the update date and time to highlight information freshness

These measures help your information be recognized by AI search engines as a "high-citation-value source."

■ The importance of AIO (AI Search Optimization)
In addition to traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization), AIO (AI Search Optimization) will be indispensable for web marketing going forward. AIO refers to optimization methods that ensure AI search engines and AI assistants properly recognize and cite your content.

By being listed on ぐるっと東京, your store effectively implements AIO measures automatically and secures a competitive advantage in the AI search era. It is a lower-cost, higher-impact approach than implementing AIO measures in-house.

■ What is MEO optimization
MEO (Map Engine Optimization) measures optimize your store’s ranking on Google Maps and strengthen customer acquisition from local users and inbound tourists. Aim to appear at the top for searches like 「Shibuya ramen」 and 「Shinjuku izakaya private room」. Results appear faster than SEO, and you may feel the impact in as little as one week.

■ How listing on ぐるっと東京 affects MEO
By being listed on ぐるっと東京, the consistency of your store’s online NAP information (Name: store name, Address: address, Phone: phone number) is strengthened.
Google checks that the same NAP information is posted across multiple websites and evaluates the reliability of that information. Having accurate NAP information on a highly trusted portal site like ぐるっと東京 improves the credibility of your Google Business Profile and makes it easier to rank higher on Google Maps.
In addition, links from ぐるっと東京 send Google a signal that “this store is recommended by a trustworthy source” (backlink effect), which directly contributes to improving your MEO evaluation.

■ [Monthly 1,100 yen option] Two powerful features to maximize MEO impact
In addition to the basic plan, by choosing the optional add-on for 1,100 yen per month (tax included), you can use two powerful features that further enhance the effects of MEO measures.

① Import, translate, and turn Google reviews into assets
Customer reviews posted on your Google Business Profile are automatically imported to your store page on ぐるっと東京. Furthermore, reviews written in foreign languages are automatically translated into Japanese, and Japanese reviews are translated into multiple languages such as English, Chinese, and Korean for publication.
This turns the “voice of customers” in reviews from something temporary into an "asset" accumulated on your website. The SEO effect also increases, making it easier to rank higher in search results as a "store with great reviews".

② Automatically reflect SNS posts to Google Business Profile
Content you post on Instagram is not only reflected on your store page on ぐるっと東京, but is also automatically posted to the 「Updates」 of your Google Business Profile.
Google tends to favor in rankings stores whose Business Profiles are updated regularly, evaluating them as “active and trustworthy.” In other words, simply posting on Instagram as usual can also help improve your display ranking on Google Maps.

■ Concrete benefits of MEO measures
Increase in visits By ranking higher in 「near me ○○」 searches, you can attract users who “want to go now.” Inbound tourists also search for shops on Google Maps, so it directly leads to inbound customer acquisition. Turning reviews into assets Reviews greatly influence users’ decision-making. With the 1,100 yen monthly option, reviews are automatically accumulated and translated into multiple languages on ぐるっと東京, accelerating trust-building and customer acquisition.

High cost-effectiveness Google Business Profile can be operated for free. In Tokyo, where advertising costs tend to soar, MEO is the most cost-effective customer acquisition measure. Differentiation from competitors With the 1,100 yen monthly option, just posting on Instagram also automatically updates your Google Business ProfileYou can effortlessly differentiate yourself as an "information-rich store."

■ Improving search rankings by acquiring backlinks
By being listed on ぐるっと東京, your store can obtain high-quality backlinks. Backlinks are links from external websites to your own site, and search engines such as Google evaluate backlinks as “votes.” In other words, pages that are linked to by many sites are recognized as valuable sources of information and are more likely to appear at the top of search results.

In particular, backlinks from high-domain-authority portal sites like ぐるっと東京 are highly valued by search engines. Domain authority is an indicator of a site’s overall trustworthiness and authority; links from highly authoritative sites help improve the overall SEO evaluation of your website.

■ Enhancing expertise and authority
ぐるっと東京 is a specialized portal site focused on store information in Tokyo. Links from such area-focused sites send a signal to search engines that “this shop is trusted in the Tokyo area,” which helps improve rankings for local keywords such as 「渋谷 カフェ」 and 「新宿 居酒屋」.

Additionally, when listed stores link to ぐるっと東京 from their own websites or social media, the value of the links mutually increases, creating a virtuous cycle in which both parties’ SEO evaluations improve. This is one of the major benefits of being listed on a portal site.

■ Long-term customer acquisition effects
Once established, the effects of SEO measures can last for a long time. Unlike advertising, there is no need for continuous spending; you can continuously acquire new customers through organic traffic from search engines. In highly competitive areas like Tokyo, advertising costs tend to rise. Customer acquisition via organic search through SEO is an investment with excellent cost-effectiveness. Being listed on ぐるっと東京 is the first step toward that.

■Eliminate language barriers with a single QR code
"Don’t you have an English menu?" Is responding to that one question taking away valuable service time? With ぐるっと東京’s QR code menu, customers simply scan with their smartphone and the menu automatically appears in their native language. There’s no need to prepare separate menu books for each language anymore.

■Zero printing costs. Update your menu anytime, instantly.
Adding seasonal items, adjusting prices, reflecting sold-out status… The printing costs and time that used to occur each time are no longer necessary. Update from the admin panel and the latest menu immediately appears on customers’ smartphones. Cut costs, prevent lost opportunities, and boost customer satisfaction.

■Let photos spark the "I want to eat that" instinct.
For international visitors, the best menu is appetizing photos. A photo-rich menu lowers the barrier to ordering and helps increase average spend per customer. Allergy information and recommendations can also be displayed in multiple languages, enabling meticulous hospitality.

Establish a smart, forward-thinking store image
In today’s digital age, a QR code menu projects a smart, sophisticated brand image. It declutters tables overflowing with paper menus and elevates your brand value as a cutting-edge establishment.

■ Importing, translating, and turning Google reviews into assets
Customer reviews posted to your Google Business Profile are automatically imported into your store page on ぐるっと東京. Furthermore, the reviews are translated and published in multiple languages. As a result, these “customer voices” become an asset that accumulates on the website rather than being fleeting. You can also choose which reviews to display. To be recommended by AI, increasing the number of reviews raises your chances, so this system is highly effective for stores that already have many reviews.

■ Automatic reflection of SNS posts to Google Business Profile
The content you post on Instagram will not only be reflected on your ぐるっと東京 store page, but will also be automatically posted to the “Updates” section of your Google Business Profile. Simply post on Instagram as usual, and it will also help improve your ranking on Google Maps.