Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, is about making sure a brand appears in the answers given by ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews. AI systems rely on sources they trust, above all editorial coverage, trade media and clearly structured websites. Brands that show up there with a distinct expert position stand the best chance of being named.
What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?
Search engine optimisation aims for a place in a list of links. GEO aims for something else, namely to become part of the answer itself. Ask an AI today which time-tracking software suits a mid-sized company, or which clinic has the most experience with knee surgery, and you get a ready-made paragraph with names, context and sometimes sources. Many users never click any further. So the question is no longer simply whether your website can be found, but whether your company features in that answer and how it is described.
Language models summarise what many sources say consistently. They draw on their training data and, depending on the system, on a live web search. Either way, what is said about a brand often, consistently and in credible places shapes the picture the AI passes on.
Why does editorial coverage carry so much weight?
An article in a newspaper or trade magazine has qualities that AI systems value. It comes from an independent source, it is dated, it names people, places and connections, and it places a company within a topic. When a managing director is quoted again and again across several outlets as an expert on the same subject, a pattern emerges that machines can read well. This is where classic media relations and GEO meet. Good PR has always been about getting third parties to talk about a company. Now AI systems are listening too.
Five levers that make companies visible in AI answers
1. Own a clear expert position
AI systems link names to topics. The clearer that link, the more likely a company is to appear when that exact topic comes up. One face, one core topic and recurring key messages work better than ten loosely connected ones. In our work we see time and again how powerful it is when a founder or managing director speaks about the same subject in trade and business media over many months.
2. Be present in the trade press
Reach alone is not enough. Trade media provide the precise, well-sourced content that language models draw on for specific questions. A guest article in an industry magazine, an interview in a public sector title or a comment on an energy portal stays findable for a long time and shows expertise in the right context.
3. Tell the same story everywhere
Contradictory information confuses people and machines alike. Company name, founding year, locations, services and the description of what you offer should match across press materials, your website, LinkedIn, business directories and your newsroom. A well-maintained boilerplate is an underrated tool here.
4. Make your website easy to read
AI systems favour pages that answer questions directly. Clear subheadings, a short key statement at the start of every article, FAQ sections, visible authors and dates all help. Structured data based on schema.org adds another layer. A technical check is worthwhile as well, since some websites unintentionally block AI crawlers such as GPTBot or PerplexityBot in their robots.txt and give away visibility as a result.
5. Provide your own data and quotable statements
Surveys, analyses and market observations are valuable material for journalists and for AI answers. Companies that publish their own figures or explain well-known indices clearly become a source in their own right. Short, clear sentences that sum up a position matter too. Journalists quote them, and language models readily pick them up.
How can you measure GEO success?
Regular test queries are a good place to start. Which questions do potential customers ask? Does your company appear in the answers, and which sources does the AI cite? Tracking these queries over several months reveals how things change. It helps to stay relaxed, because answers vary by system, wording and timing.
What does GEO mean for your PR strategy?
The good news is that solid media relations already lay the groundwork. GEO mainly shifts your perspective. With every press release, interview and guest article, it is worth asking whether it strengthens the company’s expert position and whether the key facts are stated clearly and correctly. Media relations, website and social media should pull in the same direction rather than running side by side.
“GEO is not a trick you set up once. It is the natural result of good PR. If you appear in reputable media as an expert and say clearly on your own website what you do, AI systems will understand you too.” Maria Samos Sanchez, Managing Director, Fullstop PR
Want to know how well AI systems already know your company? We will look into it as part of our free PR analysis.
Frequently asked questions
What does GEO mean?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. It covers everything a company does to be visible, and accurately described, in the answers of AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews.
Does GEO replace traditional SEO?
No. SEO remains important because many AI systems draw on search results. GEO adds editorial coverage, trade media presence and a clear expert position to the mix, all of them classic PR disciplines.
How quickly does a brand start appearing in AI answers?
There are no guarantees. Systems with live search often reflect new coverage within weeks, while training data takes longer to catch up. Consistent media relations over several months is the most reliable route.
