Customers now ask AI assistants questions like 'best interior designer in Gurgaon' or 'good jewellery shop in Saket'. The assistant names a few businesses. The question is: which ones, and why?
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of helping AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews understand your business clearly enough to mention it. This guide explains what it involves, in plain language.
SEO vs AEO vs GEO
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in search results | Be the direct answer | Be mentioned in AI-generated answers |
| Where it shows up | Google and Bing results, Maps | Featured snippets, voice answers, People Also Ask | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews |
| What to optimise | Pages, keywords, speed, links | Clear question-and-answer content | Consistent facts, trusted mentions, structured data |
They overlap. Strong SEO still matters for GEO, because many AI tools draw on pages that already rank well.
How AI assistants choose which brands to mention
AI assistants do not publish their exact rules, but a few patterns are widely observed:
- Clear facts — what you do, where, for whom.
- Consistency — the same name, address, services and phone across the web.
- Trusted third-party mentions — directories, news, reviews and discussions.
- Strong search rankings — pages that rank well are more likely to be used as sources.
Step 1: Make your brand facts identical everywhere
Write a short fact sheet: legal name, brand name, services, locations, phone, email, founder, and the industries you serve. Use the same wording on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, Instagram and directories.
Inconsistent details are one of the most common reasons AI tools describe a business wrongly. Our guide on ranking on Google Maps explains why consistency also helps local search.
Step 2: Write answer-first pages and FAQs
Start each page with a direct answer in two or three sentences, then explain. Add an FAQ section with the questions customers actually ask you on calls and WhatsApp.
Keep answers specific: say what you do, where, and for whom. Vague marketing language gives AI tools nothing to quote.
Step 3: Add structured data
Structured data (schema markup) is code that labels facts on your page for machines. Useful types for most businesses:
- Organization — name, logo, contact details, social profiles.
- LocalBusiness — address, opening hours, service area.
- FAQPage — your questions and answers.
- Service or Product — what you offer.
Step 4: Earn mentions on sites AI already cites
- Relevant business directories and industry listings.
- Local news and trade publications.
- YouTube videos that explain your work.
- Genuine participation in Reddit and Quora discussions — not spam.
- Review platforms where your customers already are.
If you are comparing agencies for this work, our guide to the top digital marketing companies in Delhi NCR includes a checklist.
Step 5: Keep content fresh and crawlable
AI crawlers need to read your pages. Make sure important text is in the page's HTML when it loads, not hidden behind scripts or images. Check that your robots.txt does not block crawlers such as GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot and Google-Extended unless you choose to.
Update key pages when your services, prices or locations change, and show the updated date.
How to check if AI recommends you
Once a month, ask the same prompts in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity — for example, 'best [your service] in [your area]'. Note whether you appear, how you are described, and which sources are cited.
Fix anything described wrongly at its source. Our SEO, AEO and GEO division runs these checks as part of AI search work.
An honest note: no one can guarantee that an AI assistant will mention your business. Answers change often and differ between users. GEO improves your chances by making you clearer and more trustworthy — it is not a switch.
