Generative engine optimization (GEO): a plain guide for businesses

What generative engine optimization means

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the work of getting your business named, described correctly and cited in answers written by AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. It is not about ranking a link. It is about being part of the answer a customer reads.

Where SEO aims for a place in a list of links, GEO aims for a place inside the answer itself. For example, a dentist in Leeds might ask an assistant for the best dentist for nervous patients in Leeds. The assistant writes a short answer and names two or three practices. GEO is the work of making sure your practice is one of them, and that the description is accurate.

It overlaps with AEO, answer engine optimization. Both aim to put your business in AI answers. GEO is used more for AI chat assistants, while AEO is a broader term. See what is AEO and GEO vs SEO for the differences.

How generative engines choose what to say

Assistants that search the web find pages, read them, and write an answer from them, often citing a few sources. They do not simply repeat one page. They gather what several pages say and summarise it.

Assistants that answer from their model alone, such as Sarvam in India, rely on what they learned in training. They do not search the web for every question. For these, being mentioned in many trusted places over time matters more than a single page change.

Both types tend to repeat what many trusted sources agree on: directories, reviews, news, comparison articles, forums and your own site. If your business is described the same way in several places, the assistant is more likely to use that description.

Answers vary by question, assistant, language and day. The same question asked tomorrow can give a different answer. This is why measurement needs to track a fixed set of questions over time, not a single check.

A practical GEO strategy

A GEO strategy starts with the questions your customers actually ask. Write them down in their words and languages. For example, a wedding photographer in Toronto might list questions like how much does a wedding photographer cost in Toronto, or do you travel for weddings. These are the questions assistants answer.

Next, make sure AI crawlers can read your site. If your site blocks them, assistants cannot use your pages. You can check this with a robots.txt checker.

Then answer those questions plainly on your site: what you do, where, for whom, prices where useful, and FAQs. Write in short, clear sentences. Assistants find it easier to quote a direct answer than a page of marketing language.

Be present where assistants look. That means a complete Google Business Profile, consistent listings, reviews, and mentions on the sites they cite for your questions. For example, if assistants often cite a local news article or a directory for your industry, being listed there helps.

Publish in the languages your customers use, not only English. If your customers search in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali or another language, your answers should exist in that language too.

Here is the strategy as a list:

• Write down the questions customers ask before choosing a business like yours, in their words and languages.
• Make sure AI crawlers can read your site; check with a robots.txt checker.
• Answer those questions plainly on your site: what you do, where, for whom, prices where useful, and FAQs.
• Be present where assistants look: a complete Google Business Profile, consistent listings, reviews, and mentions on the sites they cite for your questions.
• Publish in the languages your customers use, not only English.

GEO for each assistant

Each assistant has its own habits. ChatGPT often searches the web for current questions and cites sources. Google AI Overviews and AI Mode draw heavily on Google's index and local data. Perplexity cites sources clearly and often favours recent, well-structured pages. Sarvam in India answers from its model and is used in Indian languages.

Because of this, a single GEO plan should cover the assistants your customers use. If your customers are in India, Sarvam matters. If they are in the US or Europe, ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews may matter more.

For more detail, see the guides for each assistant: ChatGPT SEO and how to rank in ChatGPT, how to rank in AI Overviews, Perplexity SEO, and Sarvam AI for business.

How to measure GEO

Measurement starts with a fixed set of questions. Pick the questions that matter most to your business, and check them on a schedule across the assistants your customers use. Do not change the questions every week, or you cannot compare.

Measure how often you are named, for which questions, who is named instead, and which sources are cited. For example, if you are named for two out of ten questions, and a competitor is named for six, you know where to focus.

Compare over weeks, not days, because single answers vary. A one-off check can mislead you. A monthly view shows whether your changes are working.

Tools for GEO

GEO tools automate the checking. They ask the questions for you, record the answers, and show who is named. See AEO tools for what to look for and best AI visibility tools for a named comparison.

Vasukai checks ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude, DeepSeek and Sarvam in your customers' language, shows who is named instead, and drafts the fixes. Plans start at $19 a month and the free AI check needs no card.

When choosing a tool, look for one that shows the full answer, not just a score. You need to read what the assistant said to understand what to fix. Also look for a ranked list of actions, so you know what to do first.