Short answer: generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work of making your business easy for AI search tools — such as Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT search, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot — to find, understand, trust and cite when they write an answer. It builds on SEO rather than replacing it.
Written by the Gazelle Agency team · Published 28 September 2026 · Checked against the sources listed at the end.
What does generative engine optimisation mean?
A “generative engine” is a search tool that writes an answer instead of only listing links. When someone asks “Who builds WordPress websites for small businesses in Leeds?”, an AI tool searches the web, reads a handful of pages, and writes a summary — often naming a few businesses and linking to its sources.
GEO is about improving two things: how often your business is included in those answers, and whether the details the AI gives about you are correct.
Where did the term GEO come from?
The term was introduced in a 2023 research paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization”, by researchers from Princeton University and IIT Delhi, later published at the KDD 2024 conference. The researchers tested different ways of rewriting web content and measured how visible that content became in AI-generated answers.
Three findings are useful for any business:
- Evidence helped. Adding quotations, statistics and citations to credible sources made content noticeably more visible in AI answers.
- Keyword stuffing did not. Repeating keywords — an old SEO habit — performed worse than leaving the content alone.
- It depends on the subject. What worked best varied between topics, so there is no single GEO template.
GEO vs AEO vs SEO: what is the difference?
SEO, AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO overlap, but each has a different target:
| SEO | AEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in the list of search results | Be the direct answer to a question | Be mentioned and cited in AI-written answers |
| Where it shows | Google and Bing results, Google Maps | Featured snippets, voice assistants, “People also ask” | Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Copilot |
| What matters most | Crawlable pages, relevance, links, speed | Question headings and short, direct answers | Clear facts about your business, sourced claims, trusted mentions elsewhere |
In practice you need all three. Most AI tools find their sources through a search index, so a page that isn’t indexed is unlikely to be cited. Google’s own guidance says there are no extra requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible to show a snippet.
How do AI search tools choose which businesses to mention?
The exact methods aren’t published and they change often, but the broad process is similar across tools:
- Search: the tool runs one or more searches against a web index.
- Read: it opens a small number of pages that look relevant and trustworthy.
- Write: it summarises what those pages say, often naming businesses and linking to sources.
So your business needs to be reachable (step 1), clearly described (step 2) and backed up by other sources (step 3).
How to optimise your business for AI search: 7 practical steps
1. Make sure search and AI crawlers can reach your site
Check your robots.txt file and any bot protection on your hosting. To appear in ChatGPT search, OpenAI says sites must allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler. This is separate from GPTBot, which collects content for AI training — you can block GPTBot and still allow OAI-SearchBot.
2. Get indexed in Google and Bing
Verify your site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, submit your XML sitemap and fix any indexing errors. Pages that aren’t indexed can’t be found by the tools that rely on those indexes.
3. Be completely clear about who you are
Use the same business name, address and phone number everywhere. Say plainly what you do, who you serve and where you operate on your homepage and About page, and add accurate structured data (such as Organization or LocalBusiness). AI tools can’t recommend a business they can’t identify.
4. Answer real customer questions directly
Use the questions customers actually ask as headings, and answer each one in the first sentence before adding detail. Short, self-contained answers are easy for AI tools to quote accurately.
5. Back your claims with evidence
Where you state a fact, name the source; where you have genuine figures from your own work, share them. This is the kind of evidence the GEO research found made content more visible — and it makes your pages more convincing to people, too.
6. Earn genuine mentions on other trusted sites
AI answers often draw on directories, reviews and articles as well as your own website. Keep your Google Business Profile and directory listings complete, ask real customers for reviews, and look for honest opportunities to be featured. Never buy or write fake reviews — as well as being misleading, fake reviews are banned for UK businesses under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
7. Measure what AI tools say about you
Every month, ask the main AI tools the questions your customers ask and note whether you appear and whether the details are right. In your analytics, look for visits referred by sites such as chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai.
Common GEO myths
- “You need an llms.txt file.” Google says no special AI text files or extra schema are needed for its AI features. An llms.txt file won’t hurt, but it won’t replace clear, crawlable pages.
- “More keywords means more AI visibility.” The original GEO research found keyword stuffing performed worse than doing nothing.
- “An agency can guarantee you’ll appear in ChatGPT.” Nobody controls AI answers. Be wary of anyone who promises guaranteed placements.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO replacing SEO?
No. GEO depends on SEO: AI tools mostly find sources through search indexes, so pages that rank and are indexed are the ones most likely to be cited. Think of GEO as an extra layer on top of good SEO.
Does GEO work for small and local businesses?
Yes. Many AI questions are local (“best accountant near Bristol”), and the basics — a complete Google Business Profile, consistent details and real reviews — are within reach of any small business.
How long does GEO take to show results?
Fixing crawler access and content can take a few weeks, but AI tools refresh their sources at different speeds and trust builds over months. Measure progress with regular checks rather than expecting an overnight change.
Need help with AI search?
Gazelle Agency helps UK businesses with generative engine optimisation as part of our SEO, AEO and GEO services. Book a free consultation and we’ll show you how AI tools describe your business today.
Sources
- Aggarwal, P. et al. (2023). GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. arXiv:2311.09735 (KDD 2024).
- Google Search Central. AI features and your website.
- OpenAI. Overview of OpenAI crawlers.