AI visibility audit
See how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews describe your brand today.
Generative Engine Optimization
Get your brand into AI-generated answers.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) helps ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews understand, trust and cite your business when buyers ask questions.
Definition
What GEO means.
GEO, in one paragraph
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of improving how often, and how accurately, generative AI systems mention and cite your brand in their answers. It combines clear entity information, authoritative content, structured data and third-party mentions so AI models can confidently use you as a source.
What’s included
Everything AI engines need to cite you.
Prompt research
Map the questions buyers actually ask AI assistants in your market.
Citation-ready content
Clear, factual, well-structured pages that AI systems can quote.
Entity signals
Consistent brand facts across your site, profiles and knowledge sources.
Mention building
Earn references on the sites AI models trust and learn from.
Share-of-voice tracking
Monitor how often you appear in AI answers versus competitors.
Why it matters
Buyers are asking AI first.
- 01
New front door
More research now starts with an AI assistant instead of a search results page.
- 02
Fewer clicks
AI answers summarise options, so being named matters more than ranking tenth.
- 03
Compounding trust
Brands cited consistently become the default recommendation.
Process
How a GEO programme runs.
- 01
Audit
Benchmark AI visibility and how models describe you.
- 02
Research
Prompts, topics and sources that shape answers.
- 03
Optimise
Content, entities and structured data.
- 04
Amplify
Mentions and citations on trusted sources.
- 05
Track
AI share of voice and referral traffic.
AI SEO
Related services.
In depth
How generative engines build an answer.
Retrieval first, then generation
Most AI search tools first retrieve pages from the web or a search index, then summarise what they found into an answer. To appear, your content has to be retrievable (crawlable, indexed and relevant) and quotable (clear, specific and easy to summarise).
Be the source others cite
AI answers draw heavily on what trusted third parties say about you. Original data, clear definitions and expert commentary on your own site help, but so do reviews, directory listings, press coverage and genuine mentions in communities where your buyers talk.
Clarity beats clever copy
Generative engines struggle with vague marketing language. Plain statements about who you serve, what you offer, where you work and how you differ give AI tools facts they can repeat accurately. Our article on GEO vs SEO explains how this fits with traditional search.
Track what AI says about you
We monitor a set of real buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, and track referral traffic from AI tools in GA4. See our guide to measuring AI search visibility.
Is it right for you?
Signs you need GEO.
- 01
AI recommends competitors
When you ask AI tools for options in your category, rivals appear and you don’t.
- 02
Outdated answers
AI describes old services, prices or locations from years ago.
- 03
No AI referrals
Analytics shows little or no traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini.
- 04
Research-heavy buyers
Your customers compare options carefully before they get in touch.
How we work
From invisible to recommended.
- 01
AI visibility baseline
We test a set of real buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews and record where you appear.
- 02
Fix your own facts
Clear, consistent statements about what you do, who you serve and where, across your site and profiles.
- 03
Content AI can quote
Definitions, comparisons, original data and expert commentary written to be easy to cite.
- 04
Third-party presence
Reviews, directories, digital PR and community mentions that AI tools draw on.
Avoid these
Common GEO mistakes.
Chasing a single platform
ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews all use different sources. Optimising for one and ignoring the rest leaves gaps.
Skipping the SEO basics
If search engines cannot crawl, index and rank your pages, AI tools that rely on search indexes will struggle to find you too.
Vague positioning
Copy like “innovative solutions for modern businesses” gives AI nothing to repeat. Specific statements about services, sectors and locations do.
Inconsistent facts across the web
Old prices, former addresses or outdated service lists on third-party sites can end up in AI answers. Cleaning them up is part of the work.
Judging by one-off checks
AI answers vary by wording, location and time. A single test proves little, so we track a fixed set of prompts over months.
How we measure it
What success looks like.
- 01
Share of AI answers
How often you appear across our tracked buyer prompts.
- 02
Citations & links
Whether AI answers cite and link to your pages.
- 03
AI referral traffic
Visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and others in GA4.
- 04
Description accuracy
Whether AI tools describe your services, locations and strengths correctly.
Use cases
GEO for different businesses.
Local service businesses
People increasingly ask AI tools for “the best” or “a reliable” local provider. Accurate Google Business Profile details, strong reviews and clear service pages make it more likely your business is named.
B2B and SaaS
Buyers use AI tools to build shortlists and compare vendors. Comparison pages, clear pricing models, integration lists and third-party reviews give AI the facts it needs to include you.
Ecommerce
Shoppers ask AI for product recommendations by need, budget and use. Detailed product information, honest buying guides and reviews help your products appear in those answers.
Professional services
Clients ask AI to explain a problem before choosing an adviser. Clear, expert explanations from named professionals can position your firm as the source behind the answer.
Hospitality and travel
Visitors ask AI where to eat, stay and go. Up-to-date listings, menus, photos and reviews across trusted platforms make a big difference.
Further reading
Guides from our team.
- 01
How to Get Your Brand Mentioned in ChatGPT Answers
A grounded guide to improving how ChatGPT finds, understands and describes your business, without gimmicks or big promises.
- 02
How to Measure Your Brand’s Visibility in AI Search
AI assistants now shape buying decisions, but they come with no rankings report. This is a practical way to measure how often you are mentioned, how you are described and what that is worth.
- 03
GEO vs SEO: What’s the Difference and Do You Need Both?
How generative engine optimisation compares with traditional SEO, where the two overlap, and how to decide where your business should put its effort.
Free growth strategy call
See where your next customers will come from.
- A review of your search and AI visibility
- Your biggest quick wins, ranked by impact
- A clear, prioritised plan with no obligation
White-hat methods onlyMonthly reporting you can readNo long lock-in contracts
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the difference between GEO and SEO?
SEO focuses on ranking pages in search results. GEO focuses on being understood and cited inside AI-generated answers. They share the same foundations (good content, structure and authority) and work best together.
Can you guarantee my brand appears in ChatGPT?
No one can guarantee placement in AI answers. We improve the signals that make citation more likely and track progress over time.
Which AI platforms do you optimise for?
ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot.
How do you measure GEO results?
With repeatable prompt tracking, AI share of voice, brand mention monitoring and referral traffic from AI tools.
Does my site need to rank on Google to appear in AI answers?
It helps a lot. Google AI Overviews draw on pages Google already ranks, and other AI tools use search indexes too. Strong SEO foundations make GEO work faster.
How long does GEO take?
Fixing your own site and brand facts can influence tools that search the live web within weeks. Building the third-party mentions that lead AI to recommend you usually takes several months.
Should we block AI crawlers?
Usually not if you want visibility. Blocking crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot can stop those tools citing you. We help you decide which bots to allow based on your goals.
Is GEO only for big brands?
No. Smaller and local businesses often have a better chance in niche or local prompts, where fewer competitors have clear, consistent information online.
Does content drafted with AI hurt GEO?
What matters is quality and accuracy. Content that adds original insight, real experience and correct facts performs better than generic text, however it was drafted.
How often do AI answers change?
Often. Answers vary with wording, location and time, which is why we track a set of prompts regularly rather than relying on a single check.
Do we need separate content for AI?
Usually not. Clear, well-structured pages written for people work for AI tools too. We adjust structure and add missing facts rather than duplicating content.
Can GEO and SEO be done together?
Yes, and they should be. Most GEO work, such as clear content, structured data and authority building, also strengthens traditional SEO.
What prompts do you track?
We build a list of real questions your buyers ask at each stage, such as comparisons, recommendations and “best for” searches, and agree it with you before tracking starts.
Can we see what AI says about us now?
Yes. Our baseline report shows how each AI tool currently describes your business, where you appear and which competitors are recommended instead.
Does GEO help with Google rankings too?
Usually, yes. Clearer content, stronger authority and better structured data help in traditional search as well.
Do reviews affect AI recommendations?
They can. Many AI tools draw on review platforms and listings, so a steady flow of genuine, detailed reviews strengthens your chances of being recommended.
What do you need from us to start GEO?
Access to your website and analytics, a list of your main competitors, the questions your sales team hears most often and any recent reviews, case studies or press coverage.
How is GEO reported?
Each month you get a plain-English report showing your share of AI answers, citations, AI referral traffic and how accurately AI tools describe you, plus what we are doing next.
Let’s talk
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