What is GEO? A Business Owner's Guide to AI Visibility
AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI are becoming the new front door for local businesses. Here's what you need to know about getting found.
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your business's online presence so that AI-powered search engines recommend you to their users. Think of it as SEO's younger, smarter sibling -- built specifically for the age of AI.
When someone asks ChatGPT, "What's the best pizza place in my neighbourhood?" or asks Perplexity, "Find me a reliable accountant for my startup," the AI doesn't show ten blue links. It gives a direct answer, usually recommending one to three businesses by name. GEO is about making sure your business is one of those names.
The term emerged in late 2024 as researchers from Princeton, Georgia Tech, and IIT Delhi published a landmark study showing that content optimized for AI engines saw up to 40% more visibility in AI-generated responses. Since then, GEO has grown from an academic concept into a critical marketing discipline.
How AI Search Is Different from Google Search
Traditional Google search returns a list of links. You click one, visit the website, and make your own decision. AI search is fundamentally different. It synthesizes information from many sources and delivers a single, curated answer.
This changes everything for businesses. In traditional search, you compete for a position on a list. In AI search, you compete for a mention in a narrative. The AI doesn't say "here are 10 options" -- it says "based on reviews, location, and expertise, I recommend these three."
The signals AI engines use are also different. While Google relies heavily on backlinks, meta tags, and keyword density, AI engines look at the overall quality and consistency of information about your business across the internet. They weigh reviews, citations in authoritative sources, structured data, and how consistently your business information appears across platforms.
Perhaps most importantly, AI search is conversational. Users ask follow-up questions. "Is it open on Sundays?" "Do they have vegan options?" "How far is it from my hotel?" Every piece of information about your business that exists online becomes a potential answer to these follow-up queries.
The 5 Pillars of AI Visibility
After analyzing thousands of businesses and how they appear in AI responses, we've identified five key pillars that determine your AI visibility.
Search Presence
Does your business exist in the data sources that AI engines use? This includes Google Business Profile, industry directories, Wikipedia, Wikidata, and structured databases. If AI can't find you in its training data or real-time sources, it can't recommend you. This is the foundation -- without presence, nothing else matters.
Content Structure
Is your content organized in a way that AI can easily understand? AI engines parse your website differently than humans. They look for clear headings, structured data (Schema.org markup), FAQ sections, and well-organized information architecture. Content that answers specific questions directly -- rather than burying answers in long paragraphs -- performs significantly better in AI responses.
Citation Authority
Are you mentioned in sources that AI engines trust? Being cited on industry blogs, news articles, authoritative directories, and educational content gives AI engines confidence to recommend you. Unlike traditional backlinks, these don't need to link directly to your website -- just mentioning your business name in the right context is enough to boost your AI authority.
Review Sentiment
What are people saying about you, and how do AI engines interpret that sentiment? AI doesn't just count stars -- it reads reviews and understands context. A business with 4.3 stars but consistently praised for specific qualities (e.g., "best latte art in the city") can outperform a 4.8-star competitor in specific AI queries. The volume, recency, and specificity of your reviews all factor into AI recommendations.
Local Signals
How strong is your local relevance? For businesses serving a geographic area, AI engines heavily weight local signals: consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data across platforms, local content, community involvement mentions, and geographic specificity in your content. A restaurant that mentions its neighbourhood and city naturally throughout its content will get recommended more often for local queries than one that doesn't.
Quick Wins for Any Business
You don't need a massive budget or a team of experts to start improving your AI visibility. Here are five things you can do this week:
- 1
Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
This is the single most impactful thing you can do. Fill out every field, add photos, respond to reviews, and post updates regularly.
- 2
Add FAQ Schema to your website
Create a FAQ section on your homepage and product/service pages. Add FAQ Schema markup so AI engines can directly parse your answers.
- 3
Write a detailed "About" page
Tell your story in a way that AI can understand. Include your founding year, specialties, awards, team background, and what makes you different.
- 4
Get mentioned on local blogs and directories
Reach out to local bloggers, industry associations, and community websites. A mention in a "best of" article or directory listing builds citation authority.
- 5
Ask customers for detailed reviews
Encourage customers to mention specific products, services, or experiences in their reviews. "Great coffee" is good, but "the best oat milk cappuccino in the city centre" is much more valuable for AI visibility.
SEO vs. GEO: What's the Difference?
GEO doesn't replace SEO -- it builds on top of it. But the strategies differ in important ways.
| Factor | SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank in search results list | Be mentioned in AI answers |
| Key Signals | Backlinks, keywords, meta tags | Citations, structured data, reviews |
| Content Format | Long-form, keyword-optimized | Clear, factual, question-answering |
| User Experience | Click through to your website | AI recommends you directly |
| Measurement | Rankings, traffic, CTR | AI mentions, recommendation rate |
| Trust Factor | Domain authority | Cross-platform consistency |
The Bottom Line
AI search isn't coming -- it's already here. Over 100 million people use ChatGPT weekly. Perplexity processes millions of queries daily. Google has integrated AI overviews into the majority of search results. Every month, more consumers are asking AI assistants for recommendations instead of scrolling through search results.
The businesses that start optimizing for AI search now will have a significant advantage. Just like the early days of SEO, those who move first will build authority that's hard for competitors to catch up with later.
GEO isn't about gaming the system. It's about making sure the information about your business that exists online is accurate, comprehensive, and easy for AI to understand. Do that well, and AI engines will naturally recommend you to the people who are looking for exactly what you offer.