Search behaviour is changing fast. Instead of scanning ten blue links, more buyers now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google AI Overviews for a direct recommendation. If your brand is not part of those answers, you are invisible at the exact moment a decision is made.

What is GEO?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of improving how often — and how accurately — AI systems mention, cite and recommend your brand. It builds on SEO rather than replacing it: AI tools still rely heavily on crawlable, well-structured web content and on signals of authority.

How GEO differs from traditional SEO

  • Answers, not rankings: success is measured by mentions and citations inside AI answers, not just positions on a results page.
  • Entities over keywords: AI models think in entities — your brand, services, people and locations — and how they connect.
  • Extractable content: clear definitions, comparisons, lists and data are easier for AI to quote accurately.

Practical GEO steps you can start today

  1. Make sure your brand facts (name, services, locations, founders) are consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and directories.
  2. Add Organization, Service, FAQ and Article schema so machines understand your pages.
  3. Create answer-ready pages: “What is…”, “How much does… cost”, “X vs Y” comparisons and honest buying guides.
  4. Publish original data, case studies and expert commentary that others will reference.
  5. Implement an llms.txt file that summarises your key pages for AI assistants.
  6. Track brand mentions across AI tools monthly to see what is improving.

The bottom line

GEO is not a trick — it is about being the clearest, most trustworthy source on your topic. Brands that invest now will compound that visibility as AI search keeps growing.