More people now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot questions they used to type into Google: "Which SEO company in Sri Lanka is good for small businesses?", "Best hotels in Ella for families", "How do I register a company in Sri Lanka?". Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is about making sure your business appears in those answers.
How AI assistants find information
There are two main ways:
- Training data: what the model learned from the web before its cut-off date. Hard to influence quickly.
- Live search (retrieval): when the assistant searches the web in real time and cites sources. ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot all do this, often using search indexes from Bing or Google.
Retrieval is where GEO has the most direct effect.
GEO builds on SEO
Most AI tools retrieve pages from search engines. If your page doesn't rank in Bing or Google, it's less likely to be retrieved. So the foundation is the same: crawlable, indexed, fast, well-structured pages with good content.
Bing matters more than you think. ChatGPT search and Copilot rely heavily on Bing's index. Set up Bing Webmaster Tools and submit your sitemap there too.
What makes content citable
Clear, direct answers
Answer the question in the first sentences under each heading. AI systems often quote short passages.
Specific, verifiable facts
Prices, numbers, dates, locations and named examples. Vague content gives an AI nothing to cite.
Self-contained sections
Each section should make sense on its own, because AI may extract just that part.
Original information
Your own data, case studies, local knowledge and experience. If your page says what every other page says, there's no reason to cite it.
Up-to-date content
Show publish and update dates, and keep facts current.
Let AI crawlers in
Check your robots.txt. Some sites accidentally block AI crawlers like OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search), PerplexityBot or Bingbot. If you want to be cited, allow the search crawlers.
Note the difference: GPTBot collects training data; OAI-SearchBot powers ChatGPT search results. You can allow one and block the other.
Build entity and brand signals
AI systems recommend brands they "know" are associated with a topic:
- Consistent business name, description and services across your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Facebook and directories
- Mentions in news, industry publications and "best of" lists
- Reviews on Google and relevant platforms
- Clear structured data about your organisation, founders and services
- A Wikipedia or Wikidata entry, if you're notable enough
llms.txt
Some sites add an llms.txt file, a plain-text summary of the site for AI systems. It's optional and not used by Google Search, but it's simple to add. See llms.txt explained.
Measure AI visibility
- Ask the assistants: regularly test the 10 to 20 questions your customers ask, and record who's mentioned
- Referral traffic: GA4 shows visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and others
- Branded search growth in Search Console
A GEO checklist
- Pages rank in Google and Bing
- Bing Webmaster Tools set up
- AI search crawlers allowed
- Clear answers under question headings
- Specific facts and original data
- Consistent brand information everywhere
- Organization and Person structured data
- Optional llms.txt
Read more about Google AI Overviews, or ask us about our AI search optimisation service.