Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): how to get your business mentioned by AI
More customers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI answers instead of scrolling through links. GEO is how you make sure your business is part of the answer.
For years, getting found online meant one thing: ranking on page one of Google. That still matters. But more and more people now type a full question into ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google itself and read an AI-written answer instead of clicking through ten links. If your business isn't part of that answer, you're invisible to that customer.
Making your business easy for these AI tools to find, understand and recommend has a name: Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO.
How is GEO different from SEO?
Traditional SEO (search engine optimisation) helps your page rank in a list of links. GEO helps your business get mentioned inside an AI answer. The two overlap a lot, because AI tools read the same websites Google does. The difference is in what they reward:
Clear answers over clever headlines. AI tools look for a sentence they can quote.
Facts that agree everywhere. If your website, Google Business Profile and Facebook page all show the same address, hours and services, the AI trusts them more.
Other people talking about you. Reviews, news mentions, directories and community posts tell the AI you're real and well regarded.
7 steps to make your business AI-friendly
1. Answer real customer questions on your website
Write down the 10 questions customers ask you most, like "Do you deliver to Laguna?" or "How long does a tarpaulin print take?" Answer each one in plain words on your website, ideally on a FAQ page or on the page for that service. Start each answer with the direct answer, then explain.
2. Say who you are, where you are and what you do, in one sentence
Put a clear summary near the top of your home page: "Casa Maria Home makes handwoven rattan furniture in Pampanga and ships nationwide." AI tools often lift exactly this kind of sentence.
3. Keep your details the same everywhere
Check your business name, address, phone number and hours on your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook, Instagram, Shopee or Lazada store and any directories. Fix anything outdated. Mixed details make AI tools unsure, and unsure tools leave you out.
4. Get reviews, and reply to them
Reviews on Google and Facebook are one of the strongest signals that you're a real, active business. Ask happy customers for a review, and reply to every one. AI answers often summarise what reviewers say, so specific reviews ("fast delivery to Cebu", "great for wedding giveaways") help you show up for those exact questions.
5. Show your expertise with useful articles
Short guides that answer a question well, like "How to choose the right paper for wedding invitations", give AI tools something worth citing. Write from your own experience: real prices, real timelines, real tips. That's something AI can't make up, and it's what makes your page the one worth quoting.
6. Help machines read your page
Use one clear heading per section, short paragraphs and lists. Give every page a descriptive title and meta description. Our free SEO & Social Preview shows how your title and description look and flags ones that are too long. If you have a web developer, ask them to add structured data (schema.org markup) for your business, products and FAQs. It labels your details in a way search engines and AI tools understand.
7. Don't block the good bots by accident
Some website settings or security plugins block AI crawlers. Blocking every bot also stops tools that could recommend you. Ask your developer to check your site's robots.txt file and decide on purpose which AI tools may read your public pages.
How to check if it's working
Once a month, ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google a few questions your customers would ask, like "best rattan furniture maker in Pampanga" or "where to print tarpaulins in Cubao". Note whether you're mentioned and which websites the answer cites. Those cited websites show you where to get listed or mentioned next.
In Google Analytics, you can also look for visitors arriving from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai or gemini.google.com. Tag the links you share with our Campaign Link Kit so you can tell your other channels apart.
The bottom line
GEO isn't a trick. It rewards the same things good customer service does: clear answers, honest details and happy customers who talk about you. Start with your FAQ and your Google Business Profile this week. They help with Google, AI tools and real people at the same time.