What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO optimizes for the classic Google results list, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) for the answers of AI systems like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI. GEO aims to get your business named and cited as a source inside the generated answer, not just ranked on a results page.

Can I check my visibility in AI answers myself?

Yes. Ask the AI systems the questions your customers would ask and see whether your business appears. For a reliable picture you need samples across several systems and weeks, because the answers vary.

How fast does GEO work?

Slower than paid ads and similar to SEO. AI systems draw on indexed, trusted sources; it usually takes weeks before a new or revised page shows up there.

GEO: How AI answer engines change the way buyers find your business

The path to your company has changed. Two years ago, a buyer typed “precision parts supplier northern Germany” into Google and clicked through ten blue links. Today they ask ChatGPT or Perplexity the same question and get a finished answer with three recommendations. If you don’t appear in those answers, you lose enquiries to competitors without ever noticing.

How GEO differs from SEO

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the discipline of getting cited in AI answers. It does not replace classic search engine optimisation; it builds on it. Google itself is clear that there is no special markup for AI results: pages that perform in classic results are also the ones AI systems prefer to cite.

Still, answer engines reward different behaviour than the classic results page:

Direct answers. AI systems preferentially lift paragraphs that answer a question in 40 to 60 words. Pages that talk around the point get skipped.
Factual density. Concrete prices, timeframes and numbers get cited; marketing phrases don’t. “Websites from $79 per month, change requests implemented within 48 hours” is quotable. “Your partner for digital excellence” is not.
Clear entities. The systems need to understand who is behind a website: consistent company name, address, structured data (schema.org), links to profiles.
Accessibility. If your robots.txt blocks AI crawlers like GPTBot, ClaudeBot or PerplexityBot, you don’t exist on this channel.

How big the channel really is

We measure how often business websites get cited in AI answers with our own probing infrastructure: recurring question sets against Perplexity and Gemini, evaluated by source mentions. Two observations from that series:

First, the share of purchase research running through answer engines grows monthly. Second, the cited sources are remarkably stable. Once a site makes it into an answer engine’s source set, it tends to stay until someone displaces it with better material. Starting early pays twice.

Five steps you can take this week

Answer your most common customer question in the first paragraph of your homepage. Not in section three, not behind a slider.
Check your robots.txt. AI crawlers must not be blocked, or everything else is pointless.
Add structured data. At minimum Organization with name, address and logo; FAQ markup for genuine question-answer blocks.
Replace phrases with numbers. Every claim on your website that could carry a number should get one.
Ask your own test question. Ask Perplexity what it knows about your industry in your region. Do you appear? Do your competitors?

The maintenance problem

The uncomfortable part: GEO is not a one-off measure. Answer engines prefer current, well-kept sources. A website last touched in 2024 loses its citability gradually. That is exactly why we build visibility work into every website subscription instead of selling it as a project: structure, content and measurement continue monthly without you having to think about it.

If you want to know how visible your website is in AI answers today: send us two sentences about your company, we will take a look and reply by email with what we find.