How to improve your content’s visibility with GEO optimisation

GEO optimisation increases the chances of systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews finding, understanding and using your content as a source. To improve those chances, you should present information clearly, back up your claims with reliable evidence and make sure your website is technically accessible. Generative engine optimisation (or generative AI optimisation) means optimising content for generative search and answer systems. Here are seven ways you can put GEO optimisation into practice.

What are the key tactics for GEO optimisation?

There are seven ways to make your content easier for generative AI systems to understand, verify and cite. Many of these tactics are also used in search engine optimisation (SEO), as SEO and GEO have a lot in common. GEO, however, is different from AI SEO, which involves using AI-powered tools to improve traditional SEO. GEO’s focus is on optimising content for generative AI systems.

1. Answer search queries directly and in full

Think about the questions people might have when searching for information on your topic. For each one, provide a clear answer that makes sense even without the surrounding text. Start with the answer itself, then add context and details. AI systems can evaluate precise definitions, specific steps and clear comparisons more easily than lengthy introductions. You should also cover related follow-up questions on the same page, as long as they match the original search intent.

Real-world example: If someone asks, ‘How long does setup take?’, start by giving a reliable time estimate and explaining what needs to be in place before they can begin. Then walk them through the individual steps and explain what might slow things down.

2. Structure content so AI systems can easily understand and cite it

Use the following elements to organise your content and make it easier to follow:

• a clear hierarchy of HTML headings
• short paragraphs
• lists
• tables

For example, an H2 heading should address a specific question, with the paragraph directly below it providing the answer. You can use FAQs to answer additional questions, but important information should still appear in the main text rather than being moved to the FAQ section.

Real-world example: If you’re explaining several methods, give each one its own H3 heading. Under each heading, explain what the method is for, how it works and what its limitations are. You can then use a table to compare the methods based on the most important criteria.

3. Back up your claims with experience and reliable sources

To strengthen your E-E-A-T signals (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), make it clear who wrote the content and what qualifies them to write about the topic. Back up important facts with primary sources, and use your own tests, research or case studies to show that you have firsthand experience. Include the publication date and the date the content was last updated. Check regularly to see if any claims have become outdated. Make sure each source actually supports the claim you’re linking it to.

Real-world example: If you’re comparing software products, explain when the testing took place, which versions you tested, what criteria you used and who carried out the tests. When describing specific features, link to the official documentation for each product.

4. Make it clear who or what your content is about

Generative AI systems need to understand who or what you’re talking about and how the different terms you mention are connected. To make this easier, use the same names and terms throughout your content, especially when referring to products. Spell out abbreviations the first time you use them and avoid switching between different names for the same thing. You can also use detailed author profiles, company pages and internal links to show how the people, organisations, products, services and topics you mention are related to each other.

Real-world example: If a technical article is written by a particular author, use the same name throughout the article and link to their profile. The profile should explain their qualifications, area of expertise and other articles they’ve written. Make sure product and company names are also consistent across all linked content.

5. Use structured data that matches your content

When adding structured data using Schema.org markup, make sure it accurately represents the content visitors can see on the page and matches the type of page you’re working with. For search features that support structured data, Google recommends providing information that is as complete and accurate as possible. It also prefers the JSON-LD format. The type of markup you use depends on the page. For example, Article or BlogPosting often works well for guides, while Organization is suitable for company pages. Likewise, you can use LocalBusiness for individual business locations and Product for product pages.

Real-world example: If a local business has a page for one of its locations, it can use LocalBusiness markup to provide details such as its name, address, opening hours and URL. This information needs to match what’s shown on the page and what appears in the business’s online directory listings.

6. Build your reputation through online mentions and reviews

When your brand is mentioned on other websites, it gives generative AI systems more sources of information about your business. These mentions can include editorial coverage, industry directory listings and genuine customer reviews. They are especially valuable when the information about your business, such as its name and location, is consistent across trustworthy sources. You can earn these mentions by sharing your expertise, working with other businesses and delivering good results. Buying links or posting fake reviews, on the other hand, is not a sustainable approach to GEO optimisation.

Real-world example: A business publishes an industry analysis that clearly explains its findings, keeps its information up to date in online directories that cover its industry and asks customers for honest reviews in line with the review platforms’ guidelines. Its company name, address and services are described consistently across all these sources.

7. Make sure AI systems can access and index your content

Your content needs to be technically accessible so that search engines and AI systems can find and process it. To make sure everything is working as it should, regularly check:

• HTTP status codes
• internal links
• XML sitemap
• canonical tags
• how your website displays on mobile devices

You should also pay attention to how you use robots.txt. This file controls which crawlers can access your website but it doesn’t reliably prevent a URL that search engines already know about from being indexed. Different AI systems use different crawlers, and some distinguish between accessing content for search results and using it to train AI models. ChatGPT Search uses OAI-SearchBot to crawl content for search, while GPTBot is used for model training. Perplexity uses PerplexityBot and Perplexity-User, among others, while Anthropic uses ClaudeBot and Claude-User. Google AI Overviews and AI Mode rely on the regular Googlebot, while Google-Extended controls other ways content can be used with Gemini.

Real-world example: A site crawl reveals that important guide content only loads after a browser makes an API request. To address this, the team changes the website so that the main content is rendered on the server. They also fix an issue that was accidentally blocking a search crawler they wanted to allow. They then crawl the URL again to check the result.

How can you measure GEO optimisation success?

Unlike traditional search engine rankings, GEO doesn’t have a single, fixed ranking position you can track. Instead, create a set of prompts covering questions about your brand, products, problems your audience might have and comparisons with competitors. Use the same prompts to regularly test your visibility in different AI systems. For each test, record the date, the AI model or interface you used, the answer it generated, the sources it cited and where your brand was mentioned in the response. Since AI-generated answers can vary even when you use the same prompt, running multiple tests gives you a more reliable picture than checking just once.

You can measure your success using the following key performance indicators (KPIs):

• share of monitored prompts that mention your brand
• share of AI-generated answers that link to or cite your website
• your brand’s visibility compared with specific competitors
• accuracy and tone of how your brand is described
• number of cited pages and topics covered
• traffic to your website from AI systems, where this can be tracked
• conversions and assisted conversions from this traffic
• changes in crawling, indexing and traditional organic search visibility

For Google, you can track data on Google AI Overviews and AI Mode through Google’s search performance reports. Combine this with data from your server logs and web analytics tools to get a clearer picture of what’s happening. This makes it easier to tell whether you’re seeing a genuine trend or just normal variation in AI-generated answers.

Which tools can help with GEO optimisation?

Different generative engine optimisation tools are designed for different tasks:

The IONOS AI Search Manager helps you analyse your website and make improvements based on the results. It scans your entire website to assess how well it’s positioned for Google, ChatGPT and other AI systems. It then uses this analysis to provide specific SEO and GEO optimisation recommendations. You can also use its AI features to improve your website copy and FAQs. The tool lets you manage your business information across more than 35 industry directories from one place as well. However, you should still have the results reviewed by your editorial team and supplement them with your own measurements.

Which mistakes should you avoid with GEO optimisation?

Certain mistakes can lower the quality of your content or make it harder to measure how well your GEO optimisation is working. Common mistakes include:

• Writing content for bots rather than people and repeating keywords so often that the text sounds unnatural.
• Using long introductions that bury the actual answer too far down the page.
• Publishing AI-generated content without having an expert review it or backing it up with firsthand experience and reliable sources.
• Adding structured data that contains incorrect information or details that aren’t visible on the page.
• Failing to make it clear who wrote the content, who is responsible for it or when it was last updated.
• Providing inconsistent business information on your website and external business profiles.
• Accidentally preventing crawlers from accessing important content through JavaScript, login requirements, noindex or robots.txt.
• Treating the results of individual test prompts as reliable proof that your GEO optimisation is working.
• Assuming that adding an llms.txt file or similar special files can replace technical SEO and high-quality content.

FAQs about GEO optimisation

How do you write content that AI systems can easily cite?

Focus on answering one question per paragraph. Give a direct answer, explain any requirements or limitations that affect it and make sure the paragraph makes sense on its own. Use specific terms, back up your claims with facts that can be verified and place sources close to the statements they support.

Does every page need an FAQ section for GEO optimisation?

No. An FAQ section is useful when you want to give short answers to additional questions people actually have. Important information should stay in the main text rather than being moved to the FAQ section. Adding questions that people aren’t searching for or that don’t help readers just makes the page longer without adding value.

Which types of structured data matter most for GEO optimisation?

That depends on what your page is about. Common types include Article, BlogPosting, Person, Organization, BreadcrumbList, Product and LocalBusiness. Whatever you use, the markup needs to match the content visitors actually see on the page. There’s no special type of structured data designed just for GEO optimisation.

Should you allow AI crawlers to access your site through robots.txt?

If you want your content to appear in an AI system’s search answers, you should allow its search crawler to access it. Check the crawler’s official user agent so you know which one you’re allowing. Remember that access for search is different from allowing content to be used for other purposes. Your decision should also take business needs, data protection and copyright requirements into account.

How often should you measure your GEO optimisation results?

For many websites, checking once a month is a good starting point. If your content changes frequently or you’re launching a new product, you may want to check more often. The important thing is to use the same set of prompts, record how each test was carried out and repeat the tests over time.