Search behavior is changing: many people now ask an AI directly. If your business doesn't appear in those answers, you're invisible to a growing audience. GEO is how you change that.
Why it matters now
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI answers respond by citing sources. Being one of those sources is the new number one spot. Whoever gets there early gains the advantage.
How AI "decides" who to cite
It prefers content that is clear, well structured, self-contained, and from authoritative sources. Filler doesn't help it: a direct answer does.
The steps of GEO
- Extractable content: answer real questions directly (like this section does).
- FAQ with schema: mark up your frequently asked questions with
FAQPageso AI can read them. - llms.txt: publish a file that summarizes your site for language models.
- Authority: get other sites to mention you and link to you.
How to measure it
Ask the assistants directly about your industry and see whether you show up; monitor your brand mentions. It's a new field, but the signals are measurable.