Someone looking for a boiler, a clinic or a piece of software no longer types the question only into a search engine. They also ask assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity “which brand should I choose?”. If your brand is not mentioned in those answers, you are absent at that moment of decision.
This field is called GEO, generative engine optimisation. In our work with a client in the textile sector, the brand was for a period among the top three brands AI assistants recommended for questions about the sector. In this article we share the core principles we drew from that work.
GEO does not replace SEO
The first and most important principle: GEO is built on top of classic SEO. When assistants generate answers they often draw on web content; sites that are technically sound, well crawled and seen as reliable sources appear in those answers more often. That is why we started by strengthening the technical infrastructure, content and internal links.
Create content that can be cited
AI struggles to use vague, exaggerated statements as a source. Clear, verifiable content that answers one question plainly is far more useful. Answer questions such as what the product is, who it suits, how it is used and when it should be chosen, separately and in plain language.
- Give technical specifications as a table or list.
- Write honest answers to comparison questions.
- Collect frequently asked questions from real customer questions.
Make your brand machine readable
Structured data translates your products, brand and company information into a language search engines and AI systems can understand clearly. Adding the right markup for products, organisation and FAQs is a basic but often skipped step.
Consistent signals across the web
Assistants don't learn about a brand only from its own site. Industry publications, directories, comparison sites and user reviews also shape how a brand is described. Your brand's name, what it does and where it is strong should be described the same way everywhere.
How do you measure it?
Measuring GEO is not as established as SEO. We ask the sector's typical questions to different assistants at regular intervals and track whether the brand appears in the answers and in what order it is recommended. We follow classic rankings in Search Console and crawl the site's technical health with seorankup.ai, the tool we built ourselves.
Where to start?
See where you stand first: ask several assistants ten questions about your sector and look at who gets recommended. Then strengthen your technical SEO and content foundation. If you would like support with this, take a look at our SEO and AI visibility service.