Definition
What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice of getting your business, product or content named in the answers AI assistants generate - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Bing Copilot. It is the AI-search equivalent of SEO, but the inputs that move rankings are different: schema markup, Wikidata entries, Bing Places, Reddit threads, editorial citations, and reviews are weighted far more heavily than backlinks and on-page keyword density.
The term was popularised by a 2023 academic paper from Princeton, Georgia Tech and the Allen Institute for AI. In 2026 the category went mainstream as ChatGPT usage overtook Bing.com.
GEO vs SEO
They are complementary - not competing - but the weights are different enough that an SEO-first team can do everything "right" and still score zero on a ChatGPT visibility audit.
| Dimension | SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| What it optimises | Ranked list of blue links on Google | Synthesised paragraph in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Bing Copilot |
| Primary index | Bing (powers ChatGPT Browse + Copilot) + each model's training corpus | |
| Key ranking inputs | Backlinks, on-page content, Core Web Vitals | Schema.org markup, Wikidata, Bing Places, Reddit, news citations, reviews |
| Measurement | Keyword rank tracking, GSC impressions | Was the business named? Sentiment? Which competitors got cited? |
| Time-to-impact | Weeks to months | Days for live-retrieval (Browse, Perplexity) - months for training inclusion |
| Who runs it | SEO agencies, in-house SEO teams | GEO-specialist tools (like Asked) - the category is new in 2026 |
Why GEO matters now
800M+ weekly users
ChatGPT now serves over 800 million weekly active users - more weekly traffic than Bing.com received at its peak. Every one of those users is a buyer asking questions you used to be paid to answer first on Google.
~60% of B2C buyers
Recent surveys put the share of buyers who have used an AI assistant for at least one purchase decision in 2025 at around 60%. The behaviour change in B2B is even faster.
Zero standard for GEO
Unlike SEO, there is no Google Search Console for AI search. There is no rank tracker for ChatGPT. Whoever sets the measurement standard wins the category. Right now most tools (Asked included) are racing to define it.
Who needs GEO
- 1Local service businesses where buyers ask ChatGPT "who is the best X in <city>?" - plumbers, dentists, lawyers, installers
- 2Software / SaaS startups whose ICP increasingly asks AI before searching Google
- 3Direct-to-consumer brands competing in categories where shoppers ask ChatGPT for product recommendations
- 4Consultants and agencies whose buyers query AI for vetted shortlists
- 5Anyone who has watched a buyer paste a ChatGPT screenshot into a sales call
How to do GEO: a 5-step playbook
None of this is a black box. The same five steps work for a single-location plumber and a Series-A SaaS company - only the citation sources change.
Audit yourself first
Before doing anything, find out where you actually stand. Run a real ChatGPT query for your buyer intent ("best plumbers in Manchester") and write down whether you got named, who did, and what the model said about you. The free audit at askedaudits.com automates this.
Open the playbook for this step →Fix your structured data
Deploy LocalBusiness, Organization, Service, BreadcrumbList, FAQPage and HowTo JSON-LD across the site. Wire every entity to the sameAs hub (Google Maps, Wikidata, LinkedIn, Bing Places, OpenStreetMap, Crunchbase) so the LLMs can resolve who you are.
Open the playbook for this step →Claim Bing Places and seed Wikidata
ChatGPT Browse and Copilot use Bing's live index. Most businesses optimise for Google and skip Bing - that single gap explains a large share of "ChatGPT doesn't know my business" cases. Wikidata is high-leverage training data; an accurate entity entry pays dividends across every model refresh.
Get cited in the sources LLMs trust
Reddit threads, niche trade publications, local news, podcasts, HARO/Qwoted quotes. One mention in a real news outlet outranks fifty directory listings for LLM authority. Build a 90-day citation calendar.
Open the playbook for this step →Re-audit and iterate
GEO is measurable. Re-run the same audit queries every two weeks, log the verbatim answers, watch your score move. If it does not, you have a fixable problem - usually a missing entity link or a thin Bing Places record.
Open the playbook for this step →Tools for GEO
The category is young, so honest framing matters more than hype. Here is how the landscape looks in 2026.
Asked - the GEO-native audit + 14-day fix
Asked (askedaudits.com) is built specifically for GEO. We run real ChatGPT queries against your business, score visibility on a 0-100 scale, and ship a 23-sheet workbook (£99 DIY) or a done-for-you 14-day fix (£499) with a money-back guarantee tied to the score moving.
Traditional SEO + citation tools (BrightLocal, Moz Local, Yext)
These were built for Google ranking and citation hygiene - still useful for the NAP-consistency part of GEO, but none of them audit ChatGPT directly. Pair with a GEO-native tool to cover the AI surface.
Rank-tracking-style entrants (Semrush AI tracking, Profound, Otterly)
Enterprise-priced AI search trackers, focused on measurement-only at $500-$5,000/month. Useful for in-house marketing teams at large brands. Most local and SMB buyers want the audit + fix bundle that Asked ships.
GEO FAQ
What does GEO stand for?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It is the practice of optimising your business, product or content so it gets named in answers generated by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini and Bing Copilot.
Is GEO the same as SEO?
No. SEO ranks your page in a list of blue links. GEO gets your business named in the synthesised paragraph that increasingly replaces those links. The fundamentals overlap (schema, citations, reviews) but the weighting is different - GEO leans heavily on Bing, Wikidata, Reddit and editorial authority.
Is GEO the same as AEO?
Effectively yes. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and GEO refer to the same practice. GEO is the more common term in 2026.
How long does GEO take to show results?
ChatGPT Browse and Perplexity (live retrieval) reflect new schema, Bing Places listings and citations within days. Training-data inclusion (so ChatGPT knows you without browsing) takes one model refresh cycle - typically months.
How do I check if my business has GEO problems?
Run a free ChatGPT visibility audit at askedaudits.com - pick your business from Google, and we fire four buyer-intent queries at gpt-4o and tell you whether you are named, who got named instead, and what to fix.
Find out where you stand on GEO in 60 seconds.
Free audit. No credit card. Real ChatGPT queries, verbatim responses, 0-100 score.
Run my free audit →