Short answer: GEO (generative engine optimisation) is the work of getting your business named, correctly, when people ask AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews for a recommendation. SEO gets you onto Google's list of links. GEO gets you into the answer itself.
Written October 2026. AI search changes fast, so we date every guide and update it.
Why does it matter now?
More people now ask AI instead of scrolling through ten blue links. In May 2026 Google said AI Overviews have over 2.5 billion monthly users and AI Mode over 1 billion, and in February 2026 OpenAI said ChatGPT has more than 900 million weekly users. Ask "Which aircon servicing company in Tampines is good?" or "best tuition centre for P5 maths in the east" and you often get one short answer with a few names. If your business isn't one of those names, you're much less likely to get the click.
How is GEO different from SEO?
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you show up | Google's list of links | Inside the AI's written answer |
| What you win | A click to your site | A mention, often with a link |
| What it reads | Your pages, links to your site | Your pages, plus what others say about you |
| How you measure it | Rankings, clicks | How often AI names you, and how accurately |
The good news: they help each other. A fast, clear, well-structured website is the base for both.
How do AI assistants decide who to mention?
Nobody outside these companies knows the exact rules, and they change. For Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Google says there are no extra requirements beyond normal SEO basics: your page just needs to be indexed and allowed to show a snippet. Across the AI tools, the same few things keep coming up:
- They can read your site. Your pages load fast, the text is real text (not words inside images), and you haven't blocked AI crawlers by accident.
- They understand who you are. Your business name, what you do, where you are and who you serve are stated plainly, the same way, on every page.
- Other people talk about you. Reviews, directory listings, news mentions and forum posts tell the AI you're real and trusted.
- You answer real questions. Pages that answer what customers actually ask ("How much does it cost?", "How long does it take?") are easier to quote.
What can a small business do this month?
- Ask the AIs about yourself. Type "best [your service] in [your area]" into ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity. Note who gets named, and whether you do.
- Fix your basics. One clear sentence on your homepage saying what you do, for whom, and where. Same name, address and phone number everywhere.
- Claim your Google Business Profile and ask happy customers for honest reviews.
- Add an FAQ to your main pages with the questions customers really ask, answered in two or three sentences.
- Check your robots.txt isn't blocking AI crawlers you want to read your site. For ChatGPT search that's OAI-SearchBot, and for Perplexity it's PerplexityBot. Blocking GPTBot or Google-Extended mainly opts you out of AI training, and Google says Google-Extended doesn't affect Google Search. Google's AI Overviews just need your pages to be in normal Google Search.
- Don't count on llms.txt. It's a 2024 proposal for a plain summary file aimed at AI tools, not an official standard. Google says you don't need special AI text files to show up in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no major AI company has said it relies on llms.txt. Adding one is cheap and harmless, but your time is better spent on steps 2 to 5.
Watch out for
- Guarantees. No one can promise you'll be named by ChatGPT. An agency that guarantees a ranking or a percentage is guessing.
- Fake reviews or fake mentions. They break Google's rules, and Singapore's CCCS has said a business posting fake reviews is engaging in an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. They often get found out too.
- Forgetting SEO. GEO builds on a good website. If your site is slow or unclear, fix that first.
Quick answers
Is GEO the same as AI SEO? Mostly, yes. You'll also see AEO (answer engine optimisation) and LLMO. They all mean getting your business into AI-written answers.
Do I still need SEO if I do GEO? Yes. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode draw on pages in Google Search, and ChatGPT search pulls from web search providers such as Bing. A strong, clear website is the base for both.
How long does GEO take? Fixing your website basics takes weeks. Getting talked about more widely takes months. Anyone promising instant results is overselling.
Can I check my AI visibility for free? Yes. Ask the AI assistants yourself, as in step 1 above, or get our free visibility check and we'll do it for you.
Sources
- GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, Aggarwal et al., arXiv, 2023 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Google I/O 2026: Sundar Pichai's opening keynote, Google blog, 19 May 2026 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Scaling AI for everyone, OpenAI, 27 Feb 2026 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- ChatGPT search, OpenAI Help Center (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Overview of OpenAI crawlers, OpenAI (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Perplexity crawlers, Perplexity docs (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Google's common crawlers (Google-Extended), Google Search Central (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- The /llms.txt file proposal, llmstxt.org (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Google: no AI system currently uses llms.txt, Search Engine Roundtable, 18 Jun 2025 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- CCCS media release on fake customer reviews, 21 June 2024 (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Prohibited and restricted content, Google Maps user contributed content policy (checked 26 Oct 2026)