A GEO audit is a systematic check of whether and how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews mention your company. We put the questions your potential customers ask to these systems and evaluate the answers systematically. The result is a clear picture of where you are already visible, where competitors are ahead and which sources make the difference.
Why are Google rankings no longer enough as a yardstick?
Google rankings only show where a website appears in the list of results, not whether AI search mentions or recommends a company. For a long time, the question was simple: where does our website rank on Google? AI search works differently. Instead of a list of ten links, it delivers a finished answer, often with a few recommendations and a handful of sources. If you are not in it, you are simply not part of the conversation.
On top of that, AI answers are not the same for everyone. They depend on the wording, the system used and whether it searches the web live. A single test at your desk therefore says little. The picture becomes meaningful once you ask many questions in a structured way and compare the answers.
What does a GEO audit examine?
A GEO audit checks whether your company is mentioned in AI answers, how it is described, which competitors it appears alongside and which sources the answers rely on. In detail:
- Are you mentioned? Does your company appear in typical questions from your target audience, for example about providers, solutions or experts in your region?
- How are you described? Are the details on services, locations and leadership correct, and what is the tone?
- Who do you appear alongside? Which competitors does the AI name, and in what context?
- What is the answer based on? Which websites, media and portals are cited as sources?
That last question is particularly valuable for PR work. It shows which media and platforms shape the picture in your industry. In our own analysis of the sources ChatGPT cites, trade and sector media came out clearly ahead. If AI is getting facts about you wrong, read what to do when ChatGPT gets your company wrong.
How does a GEO audit work?
A GEO audit works in two steps: first we put your audience’s questions to AI systems, then we analyse the answers. It starts with a set of questions. Together with you, we gather the questions that customers, applicants or journalists would actually ask, from broad to very specific. We put these questions to several AI systems, with and without web search, and document every answer along with its sources.
Then comes the analysis: how often does your name come up, in which position and in what tone? Which facts are missing or out of date? Which sources keep appearing? The result is a picture you can compare with competitors and track over time.
What follows from the results?
An audit delivers a list of concrete starting points, for example:
- trade media that the AI likes to cite and where your company has not yet appeared
- outdated details on your own website or in directories
- topics where you can make your expertise even more visible
- technical hurdles that keep AI crawlers away from your website
This turns a snapshot into a plan for media relations, website and thought leadership. At Fullstop PR, a PR agency based in Berlin and Vienna, we put that plan straight into practice through PR strategy and media relations. “A GEO audit is the most honest view from outside: it shows how a company comes across when nobody from the company is in the room,” says Miriam Günther, who heads our Berlin office and leads GEO at Fullstop PR.
How often should you measure AI visibility?
Language models are updated regularly, and web search keeps bringing new sources into play. We therefore recommend repeating the audit at fixed intervals, for instance every quarter or after major communication campaigns. That way you can see what is working.
Read more about our approach on our GEO optimisation page. For a first impression of how your company comes across in the media today, try our free PR analysis.
GEO at Fullstop PR
We check how ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity talk about your company and turn the findings into a plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a GEO audit myself?
You can get a first impression by asking ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini a few typical questions about your industry. Reliable results need many questions, several systems, careful documentation and a comparison with competitors.
Which AI systems belong in a GEO audit?
At least ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini and the AI Overviews in Google Search, as they are widely used in German-speaking countries. Depending on the audience, Microsoft Copilot or Claude can be added.
How does a GEO audit differ from an SEO audit?
An SEO audit mainly examines your own website and its position in classic search results. A GEO audit looks at the answers of the AI systems themselves and at all the sources they use, including media coverage, portals and directories.