Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) helps AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews understand, trust and cite your business. Here's what it is, how it differs from SEO, and where to start.
When someone asks ChatGPT “who builds websites for tradies in Werribee?” or Google shows an AI Overview at the top of a search, an AI model decides which businesses to mention. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the work of making sure your business is one of them, and that what the AI says about you is accurate.
The short version
- SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your pages rank in Google’s list of results.
- GEO helps AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews understand your business, trust it, and cite it when people ask questions.
- They work together. AI engines often draw on the same pages search engines rank, so GEO builds on solid SEO rather than replacing it.
Why it matters now
More people are asking questions instead of typing keywords. Rather than scrolling through ten blue links, they get one written answer that names a few businesses. If your website is slow, vague or hard for machines to read, you’re less likely to be one of the names.
For local businesses this is a real opportunity: most of your competitors haven’t thought about it yet.
What AI engines look for
AI models can’t phone you or visit your shop. They piece together a picture of your business from what they can read online. In practice that means:
- Clear, factual answers. Pages that plainly say what you do, where you do it, and for whom. “We install split-system air conditioners across Melbourne’s western suburbs” is far more useful to an AI than “Your comfort is our passion.”
- Structured data. Behind-the-scenes code (schema markup) that labels your business name, services, location, opening hours and FAQs so machines don’t have to guess.
- Consistency. The same name, address, phone number and services on your website, Google Business Profile and directory listings.
- Trust signals. Genuine reviews, real credentials, named people behind the business, and up-to-date information.
- A site machines can read. Fast pages, a sitemap, sensible headings, and no important content hidden inside images.
Five things you can do this month
- Ask the AI engines about yourself. Search for your main service and suburb in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google. Write down whether you appear and what is said. That’s your baseline.
- Write one honest FAQ page. Answer the ten questions customers actually ask you, in plain language, one question per heading.
- Complete your Google Business Profile. Services, service areas, hours, photos and a description that matches your website.
- Fix your basics. Make sure every page has a clear title and description, your contact details are text (not an image), and your site loads quickly on a phone.
- Ask every genuine customer for a review. Every customer, not just the happy ones, and reply to every review you get.
Where GEO goes wrong
- Keyword stuffing. Repeating “best plumber Melbourne” twenty times helps no one, human or machine.
- Fake reviews or made-up claims. Beyond being dishonest, inconsistent information makes AI engines less likely to trust you.
- Set and forget. AI answers change as models update. Check in monthly.
How I approach it
On every website I build, GEO is part of the job rather than an add-on: structured data, clear answers to real customer questions, a technically sound site, and a consistent presence across Google and directories. Then I measure where you stand each month, in search and in AI answers, against the starting point.
If you’d like to know how your business currently shows up, get in touch and I’ll take a look.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO the same as SEO?
No, but they overlap. SEO helps your pages rank in search results. GEO helps AI answer engines understand your business well enough to mention and cite it in their answers. Good GEO starts with good SEO.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT answers?
Not in the normal answers. AI engines choose sources based on what they can find, understand and trust, which is why clear content, structured data and a consistent online presence matter.
How do I know if AI engines mention my business?
Ask them. Search for your service and suburb in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google, note whether you appear and what is said, and repeat the same questions each month to track changes.