AEO and GEO: getting your business cited by AI search
More buyers now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews before they ever click a link. These answers explain how AI search picks the businesses it mentions, what you can influence, and what is hype.
14 questions · Updated
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the work of making your business more likely to be mentioned, recommended and cited in answers written by AI tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews. It builds on SEO but focuses on being quotable, clearly described and widely corroborated across the web.
Read the full answerWhat is answer engine optimisation (AEO)?
Answer engine optimisation (AEO) means structuring your content so search engines and AI assistants can lift it as the direct answer to a question: featured snippets, Google AI Overviews, voice assistants and chatbot answers. It focuses on clear question-and-answer content, short direct answers up front and machine-readable structure.
Read the full answerWhat is the difference between SEO, AEO and GEO?
SEO aims to rank your pages in search results so people click. AEO aims to have your content used as the direct answer in snippets, AI Overviews and assistants. GEO aims to have generative AI tools mention and recommend your business. They share foundations, so good SEO remains the base for both.
Read the full answerHow do I get my business mentioned or recommended by ChatGPT?
Make your business easy to find, understand and verify. Publish clear pages on what you do, for whom and where; answer buyers' questions directly; keep your name, services and contact details consistent everywhere; earn reviews and mentions on trusted sites; and let AI crawlers access your site. There is no way to pay for or guarantee a mention.
Read the full answerHow do I appear in Google AI Overviews?
Google says there are no extra requirements beyond normal SEO: your page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet, and the content must be helpful and reliable. In practice, pages that answer the exact question clearly near the top, with supporting detail and good technical health, are the ones AI Overviews tend to link to.
Read the full answerIs SEO dead now that people use ChatGPT and AI search?
No. AI search tools still rely on the web, and most of them run searches and read ranked pages to write their answers. What has changed is that some questions are answered without a click, so content must be built to be quoted and recommended, not only to rank. SEO is the foundation; AEO and GEO are built on it.
Read the full answerWhat kind of content gets cited by AI search engines?
AI tools tend to cite content that answers a specific question directly, is easy to extract, and looks trustworthy: clear headings, a short answer up front, specific facts and figures with sources, named authors or organisations, recent update dates, and pages that cover a topic in depth. FAQ pages, guides, comparisons and data pages are frequent sources.
Read the full answerDoes schema markup help with AI search and AEO?
Schema markup (structured data) helps machines understand facts on your page, such as your business details, services, FAQs, articles and reviews, and it makes you eligible for some rich results in Google. It is not a ranking switch and does not guarantee AI citations, but it removes ambiguity, which supports both SEO and AI visibility.
Read the full answerWhat is llms.txt and do I need one?
llms.txt is a proposed plain-text file at the root of a website that gives AI tools a short, curated summary of the site and links to its most important pages. It is not an official standard and Google does not use it for search. It is cheap to add and harmless, but it will not fix weak content.
Read the full answerShould I block AI crawlers like GPTBot in robots.txt?
For most businesses that want customers to find them, no. Blocking AI crawlers can reduce the chance that AI tools read, cite or recommend you. Some crawlers collect training data and others fetch pages to answer live questions, and they can be controlled separately. Block only if you have content you need to protect.
Read the full answerHow do I measure whether AI search tools mention my business?
Build a fixed list of the questions your buyers ask, run them regularly in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google, and record whether you are mentioned, how you are described and which sources are cited. Track the share of answers that mention you over time, alongside referral traffic from AI tools in your analytics.
Read the full answerDo reviews and mentions on other websites affect AI answers?
Yes, often more than your own website. When AI tools research a recommendation, they read review sites, directories, comparison articles, forums and news. Consistent, positive, specific mentions across those sources make it more likely you are recommended and described correctly. Thin or contradictory information makes it less likely.
Read the full answerHow long does AEO or GEO take to show results?
Expect months, not days. AI tools that search the live web can pick up new pages as soon as they are indexed, so some answers can change within weeks. Shifting how models describe and recommend you, which depends on reputation built across many sites, usually takes several months of consistent work. Anyone promising guaranteed AI rankings is overselling.
Read the full answerDo I need an AI SEO or GEO agency in Singapore, or can I do it myself?
You can do the basics yourself: answer customer questions clearly on your site, keep business details consistent, collect reviews and test AI answers monthly. An agency helps when you lack time for steady publishing, need technical fixes, or want structured tracking. Be wary of anyone guaranteeing citations or rankings in AI tools.
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