GEO: how to get your business cited by AI assistants

How AI assistants decide which businesses to name

My working model for how AI tools select sources rests on three factors.

First, the page must answer the specific question in plain words that a language model can extract and quote directly. Vague or complex phrasing often gets skipped.

Second, the business identity must be clear. The name, description, and location should be described the same way across your website, social profiles, and directories. Inconsistency confuses the model.

Third, the claim needs external validation. AI assistants look for corroboration from trusted third parties. This includes customer reviews, industry round-up articles, press mentions, or genuine community discussions on platforms like Reddit. If a model cannot verify your claim against independent sources, it is less likely to cite you.

What my own testing shows

On 11 October 2026, I ran a test to see how AI assistants handle specific buyer questions. I used ChatGPT (gpt-4o-mini) and Claude (Haiku 4.5), with web search enabled. I asked each model the same questions three times to account for variability.

For “Who are the best SEO consultants in Bath?”, ChatGPT named SEOBurf in all three runs and cited seoburf.com. However, for broader questions like “Best GEO agency UK” or “Which UK consultants specialise in GEO?”, the results differed. Claude built its answers primarily from about eight “best GEO agencies in the UK” round-up articles. ChatGPT tended to name agency homepages. When I asked “What is generative engine optimisation and how do I get cited?”, both models cited explainer pages from Wikipedia, HubSpot, and how-to articles.

The answers changed from run to run. This means a single test proves little. But the pattern is clear. For specific local queries, your own site can win. For broader category queries, being featured in the right third-party articles matters as much as your website. You need to be visible in the sources the AI trusts for verification.

What GEO work involves

I approach GEO as a five-step process.

1. Test the real questions. I identify the specific prompts your customers are likely to ask AI assistants. We test these against current models to see where you appear and where you are missing.
2. Fix your business description. We ensure your name, services, and location are described consistently everywhere. This includes updating your website, social profiles, and directories. We implement Organization schema to help machines understand your entity.
3. Make key pages answer directly. We rewrite critical service pages to answer specific questions in plain, quotable language. The goal is to provide the exact snippet an AI might lift.
4. Build third-party proof. We work to get your business mentioned in reviews, industry round-ups, press releases, and genuine community discussions. We also look for opportunities to publish original data or research that others might cite.
5. Measure and repeat. We track visibility over time. AI answers change, so we re-test regularly and adjust our strategy based on what is working.

How GEO is measured

Measuring GEO requires looking beyond traditional search metrics. Google Search Console now has a Generative AI report, rolled out from June 2026. It shows per-page impressions for AI Overviews and AI Mode. However, it does not show clicks, click-through rates, or specific query data. It shows where your pages appeared, without the questions that triggered them.

Bing Webmaster Tools offers an AI citation report in its Copilot section. This lists each grounding query with a citation count and your site’s share of citations. Google does not publish comparable data. Because AI answers vary, a single check is not enough. I run repeated prompt tests across several runs to get a reliable picture.

I also use my own tool, WhereInAI. It tracks whether ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google’s AI answers mention your brand. This gives you ongoing visibility into how you are perceived across different platforms. You can see if you are being cited, ignored, or mentioned incorrectly.

Results

At Cruise Nation, we focused on structured content and entity work. Over a 5-month period, this approach built 1,472 AI citations across 567 cited pages.

What GEO can’t do

No one can guarantee a citation. AI models are non-deterministic, meaning they do not always give the same answer for the same prompt. You can influence the likelihood of being cited, but you cannot force it.

Google’s spam policies explicitly name “attempting to manipulate generative AI responses in Google Search” as spam. This was updated on 15 May 2026. Tactics designed to trick models into citing you, such as hidden text or deceptive schema, are against policy and can lead to penalties.

You do not need special AI text files like llms.txt to appear in Google’s AI features. Google’s own AI optimisation guide says these files aren’t needed. GEO builds on sound SEO principles. It works alongside your existing search strategy. If your site has technical issues or poor content, fixing those first is essential.

Questions I get asked

What is GEO?

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. It is the process of structuring your content and brand data so AI assistants can find and quote you. It focuses on clarity and consistency to help models understand who you are and what you offer.

Can I influence what ChatGPT says?

You can influence the likelihood of being cited. By providing clear, consistent, and verifiable information, you make it easier for AI models to select your content. However, you cannot force a specific answer. The model chooses based on its own logic and training.

How long does it take?

It is an ongoing process. AI models update their knowledge and behaviour regularly. Results vary by industry and competition. For example, at Cruise Nation, the work built 1,472 AI citations across 567 cited pages over 5 months. There is no fixed timeline for every business.

How is it measured?

We use a mix of tools. Google Search Console shows AI impressions. Bing Webmaster Tools provides citation data. I also use WhereInAI to track brand mentions across ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. We run repeated prompt tests to account for variability in AI answers.

Does GEO replace SEO?

GEO builds on SEO. You need a solid technical foundation and quality content first. GEO adds a layer of optimisation for AI-specific queries. It works alongside your existing search strategy to improve visibility in both traditional and AI-driven search results.

What does working with you look like?

It is senior-led. I do the audit, strategy, and review myself. We start by testing the real questions your customers ask. Then we fix your business description and content. I work with Tayyaba Ameen, an SEO specialist, on AI search visibility. You get direct access to me throughout the process.