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More and more people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity before they open Google. And on Google itself, AI-generated answers now sit above the results. GEO is the work of making sure your brand appears, and is cited, in those answers. Here’s how it works and where to start.
What GEO is
GEO stands for generative engine optimisation: the techniques that make a site and a brand a source for generative AI tools. You will also see AEO, answer engine optimisation, with a very similar meaning: optimising to be the answer, not just one of ten blue links.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Most of these tools search the web before they answer and pick their sources from well-ranked pages. A site Google doesn’t index or trust is unlikely to be cited. GEO adds layers to SEO; it doesn’t replace it.
How AI tools choose what to cite
- Clear, extractable answers. A page that answers the question in its first lines is easier to cite than one that gets there in the third paragraph.
- External sources. Models cross-check what your site says with what others say about you: articles, directories, reviews, forums, interviews.
- Authorship and trust. Content signed by someone with real experience, with concrete data, is more likely to be used.
- Consistency. If your name, address and description change from site to site, the model struggles to understand who you are.
What to do, in order
1. See what AI already says about you
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Copilot who the leading names are in your sector and city, and what they know about your brand. Note who appears, which sources are cited and whether anything is wrong. I explain how to track this in how to check whether ChatGPT mentions your brand.
2. Rewrite your main pages
Each service page should say, right at the start, what you do, for whom and where. Add FAQs with short, direct answers: that’s the format AI tools reproduce.
3. Organise your structured data
Structured data tells machines, without ambiguity, who the company is, what it does and where it is. Organization, Person, services and FAQs are the most useful.
4. Work on mentions beyond your site
Opinion pieces in trade media, complete directory profiles, Google reviews, events and podcasts. In AI answers, a brand mention on a credible site counts even without a link.
5. Measure
Repeat the same questions every month and record whether your brand appears. In Google Analytics, look at visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com. They are still few on most sites, but they tend to convert well.
Common mistakes
- Creating pages just for AI, written for machines. They work badly for people and for Google.
- Relying on llms.txt. So far, none of the major engines has confirmed using it.
- Ignoring technical SEO. If the site isn’t crawled, it isn’t cited.
- Measuring only clicks. Many AI answers don’t send a visit, but they put your brand on the shortlist.
Want to know what AI tools say about your brand? I check it before our first call.
FAQ
How long does it take to appear in AI answers?
It depends on where you start. A brand with solid SEO and mentions on credible sites can appear within weeks of adjusting its pages. A brand with no presence beyond its own site takes longer.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT?
Not in regular answers. What appears depends on the sources the model finds and trusts.
Does GEO work for local businesses?
Yes. Questions like “best dentist in Dublin” are already asked to AI tools, and the answers lean heavily on the Google Business Profile and reviews.
