How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI

Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work of making your business easy for AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews to find, understand and cite. In practice it means clear answers on your own website, consistent business facts across the web, structured data, fast crawlable pages and genuine mentions from other sites.

No one can force an AI assistant to recommend them. But the businesses that get mentioned tend to share the same habits, and most of them are within your control.

What is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?

• SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your pages rank in traditional search results.
• AEO (answer engine optimisation) shapes content so it can be lifted as a direct answer, such as a featured snippet or a voice-assistant reply.
• GEO (generative engine optimisation) aims for your business to be mentioned and linked inside answers written by AI assistants.

They overlap heavily. Google's own guidance is that the same SEO fundamentals apply to its AI features, so GEO builds on good SEO rather than replacing it.

How do AI assistants decide which businesses to mention?

When an assistant answers a question like "who builds custom CRMs in Pune", it typically searches the web, reads the pages it finds and writes a summary. It favours sources that answer the question directly, describe the business consistently across many sites, show specific and checkable facts, and are mentioned by other reputable sources. Pages that are slow, hidden behind scripts or vague are easier to skip.

What steps make your website easier for AI to cite?

1. Answer first. Open each page and post with a two- or three-sentence answer to the main question, then explain. Use question-style headings that match how buyers ask.
2. Be consistent about who you are. Your business name, services, locations and contact details should match across your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn, directories and social profiles.
3. Add structured data. Organization, Service, Article, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList schema help machines understand what each page is about.
4. Make pages fast and crawlable. Serve real HTML from the server rather than content that only appears after scripts run, and keep pages fast on phones.
5. Decide on AI crawler access. Check your robots.txt deliberately rather than blocking AI crawlers by accident. An llms.txt file is a newer, optional convention some sites add to summarise their key pages; it is not an official standard.
6. Publish specific, verifiable facts. "Websites live in 5–7 days when content is supplied on time" is quotable; "fast turnaround" is not.
7. Earn mentions elsewhere. Client reviews, case studies, industry directories, interviews and partner pages all tell assistants that others vouch for you.
8. Keep content fresh. Show published and updated dates, and revise key pages when your services or facts change.

Does GEO work for local and service businesses?

Yes, and often more easily than for large brands, because the questions are specific. When someone asks an assistant for "a website developer in Indore" or "a CRM company for real estate in Dubai", it needs sources that clearly state what a business does, where it works and for whom. A complete Google Business Profile, a services page per offering, location details written plainly, client reviews and a few real case studies give assistants exactly that. Service businesses should also answer practical questions on their pages — timelines, what is included, who owns what at the end — because those are the questions buyers ask assistants before they ever make contact.

How do you measure visibility in AI search?

There is no single ranking report yet, so combine a few signals:

• Each month, ask the main assistants the ten questions your buyers ask, and record whether and how your business appears.
• In Google Analytics 4, watch referral traffic from sources such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com.
• In Google Search Console, track impressions for question-style searches and pages that win featured snippets.
• Track enquiries that mention finding you through an AI assistant, by adding the option to your contact form.

What mistakes hurt your chances?

• Mass-produced thin content. Hundreds of near-identical AI-written pages add little and can drag down trust in the whole site.
• Hiding the answers. If prices, timelines or processes only appear after a form, assistants can't quote them.
• Inconsistent details. Old addresses, different service names or outdated phone numbers across the web create doubt.
• Keyword stuffing. Write for the buyer's question, not for a phrase repeated ten times.

Where should you start?

Start with your five most important pages: home, your main services and contact. Rewrite each opening to answer the buyer's question directly, check that your business facts match everywhere, add the relevant schema, and make sure the pages load fast as plain HTML. Then publish a small number of genuinely useful guides — like this one — on the questions your customers ask most.

Clepto.in builds websites with technical SEO and structured data on every page, and runs performance and digital marketing with tracking that shows which channels bring real enquiries. If your site is due for a rebuild, see our guide to redesigning without losing rankings.