More buyers now start with a question to an AI assistant instead of a Google search: "What's the best accounting software for a small agency?" or "Who builds custom dashboards for e-commerce?" The assistant answers with a short list of names. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work of making sure your business is on that list.
How AI assistants decide what to recommend
Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews build their answers from two sources:
- What the model learned in training: large amounts of public web content, reviews, forums and articles.
- What they look up live: many assistants search the web as they answer and cite the pages they used.
In both cases, they lean on content that is clear, specific, widely referenced and trustworthy. A brand that is mentioned across reputable sites, explains its offer plainly and answers real questions in detail is far more likely to be cited.
GEO vs SEO: what changes
GEO doesn't replace SEO. Pages that already rank well are the ones AI tools tend to read and quote. What GEO adds is a sharper focus on:
- Direct answers. Clear one-paragraph answers to the exact questions buyers ask.
- Entities, not just keywords. Consistent facts about who you are, what you do, where and for whom.
- Citations. Being mentioned by other credible sites, directories, podcasts and articles.
- Structured data. Schema markup that spells out your services, FAQs, reviews and organisation details.
7 practical steps to improve your AI visibility
- Ask the assistants. Type the questions your customers ask into ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Note who gets recommended and which pages get cited.
- Write answer-first pages. For each service, open with a plain-English definition, who it's for, what it costs to get started and how long it takes.
- Build an FAQ hub. Collect real questions from sales calls and emails and answer each one properly. Mark them up with FAQ schema.
- Keep your facts consistent. Your name, address, services and descriptions should match on your site, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, directories and review sites.
- Earn mentions. Guest articles, local press, partner pages, podcasts and industry lists all create the citations AI tools trust.
- Show proof. Case studies with numbers, reviews and named clients make your claims believable to people and to models.
- Track it monthly. Re-run your question list and record whether you're mentioned, how you're described and which pages are cited.
How long does GEO take?
Live-search assistants can pick up new, well-structured pages within weeks. Changing how a model "remembers" your brand takes longer, because it depends on how widely you're discussed across the web. Treat GEO as an ongoing programme alongside SEO, not a one-off fix.
Want help?
Our AI Search Optimization (GEO) service starts with an audit of how ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity currently describe your brand, then fixes the content, schema and citations behind it. Pair it with SEO for the strongest results, and check your page titles with our free SERP preview tool.