What is GEO (generative engine optimization)?

GEO is making your business easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews to understand, trust and recommend, using accurate information, structured data, reviews and clear answers.

Can anyone guarantee my business will be recommended by ChatGPT?

No. AI assistants decide for themselves. You can improve your chances by being accurate, consistent, well reviewed and easy for machines to read.

Is GEO different from SEO?

They overlap. SEO targets regular search results; GEO targets AI-generated answers. Good SEO foundations such as fast pages, clear content, schema and a complete Google Business Profile help both.

How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT & AI Search (GEO Guide)

More customers now ask an AI assistant “who’s the best plumber near me?” instead of scrolling search results, and the assistant usually names just a few businesses. Here’s what helps you be one of them, honestly explained.

GEO and AEO in plain English

SEO (search engine optimization) helps you show up in Google’s regular results and the map.
AEO (answer engine optimization) helps your content become the direct answer to a question.
GEO (generative engine optimization) helps AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews understand, trust and recommend your business.

They overlap a lot. The foundation for all three is the same: accurate, consistent, easy-to-read information about your business, plus real proof that customers like you.

An honest note first

Nobody controls what ChatGPT or Google recommends, and anyone promising guaranteed AI rankings is guessing. What you can do is remove every reason for an AI to skip you, and give it every reason to trust you.

Step 1: Make your website readable by machines

Put your business name, address, phone, hours, services and service area in the page text.
Add structured data (schema markup) for your business type, services and FAQs.
Make sure your robots.txt doesn’t block AI crawlers such as GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot and PerplexityBot.
Keep pages fast and mobile-friendly.
Optional: publish an llms.txt file, a short plain-text summary of your business for AI tools.

Check all of this in one minute with our free AI visibility check.

Step 2: Complete your Google Business Profile

For local searches, AI assistants lean heavily on business listings. Fill in every field, pick precise categories, add services, hours, photos and attributes, and keep it updated.

Step 3: Be consistent everywhere

Your name, address and phone should match exactly on your website, Google, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook and industry directories. Mismatches make machines unsure which details are right.

Step 4: Earn reviews, and answer them

Steady, recent, genuine reviews are one of the strongest trust signals for people and AI alike. Ask every happy customer, and reply to reviews, good and bad.

Step 5: Answer real questions on your site

Write clear answers to the questions customers actually ask: prices, timing, areas served, what to expect. Short, direct answers near the top of a page are the easiest for AI to quote.

Step 6: Be answerable

Being recommended only matters if you pick up. Make sure calls and texts get a reply in minutes, not days. An AI receptionist can cover after-hours and busy times.

How to see where you stand

Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers would ask, like “best [your service] in [your town]”, and note who gets named. Repeat monthly. It’s not precise, but it shows the trend.

How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and AI search