Generative engine optimisation (GEO): How to get cited in AI answers
If you’re a small business owner trying to build your presence online, generative engine optimisation (GEO) can feel like one more thing to learn. The good news: you don’t need a big budget or technical background to benefit. GEO is about making your content easy for AI answers to find, understand, and cite — so when tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or Google’s AI Overviews summarise a topic, your page gets referenced.
In this guide, we’ll give you an overview of GEO, show why it matters, and focus on five high‑impact tasks you can do in a couple of hours a week. Expect checklists, examples, and quick wins you can use today.
GEO in one minute
GEO is the practice of shaping your pages so AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews) can quickly lift, verify, and cite them. That way, when people ask questions, your brand is named and linked inside the answer — not just listed below.
Add lift‑ready answer‑blocks to homepage, top service, top guide
State real facts: prices, steps, sources, last updated
Strengthen local trust: Google Business Profile, reviews, consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number)
Publish one Q&A article and interlink from money pages (pages that makes you the most money)
Track monthly with a simple scorecard: “Are we cited? Is there a link?”
In summary: focus on these five moves first to earn citations and qualified visits without a big budget.
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
GEO helps AI “answer engines” select your content as a trusted source inside their responses. Instead of only chasing traditional search‑result positions (the list of blue page titles), you also optimise to be named and linked inside the AI‑generated answer..
Quick compare: SEO vs GEO
SEO: win traditional search‑result positions; measure rank/CTR.
GEO: be named and linked inside the AI answer; measure reference rate (how often you’re cited).
Do both: make pages quotable (answer‑blocks + facts) while keeping technical SEO basics tidy.
Why this matters for small businesses
When your service page, guide, or FAQ is cited, you can still earn high‑intent visits even if no one opens the results list. GEO helps protect — and often grow — your discoverability as behaviour shifts toward AI summaries.
Five high-impact GEO tasks for small teams
Task #1: Make 3 pages quotable (answer-block)
Add an answer-block under the H1 on home, top service, top guide.
One-sentence answer + 3–5 bullets + “In summary…” line.
Answer the main question in the first 100–150 words.
Task #2: Add proof & clear facts (fact box + real FAQs)
On your top service page, add: prices from $…, areas, response time, what’s included, guarantee, Last updated.
Add 3–5 real FAQs with short, plain answers.
Task #3: Strengthen local trust
Complete Google Business Profile (categories, services, hours, photos)
Collect 2 new reviews
Keep Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) identical across site/footer/directories.
Task #4: Publish one Q&A article (and interlink it)
Title idea: “How much does [service] cost in [place] in [Year]?”
Open with the price range and what affects it, then add 4–6 Q&As.
Link from home + service pages with descriptive anchors.
Task #5: Start simple GEO tracking (scorecard)
Track 3–5 priority queries monthly in ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity
Are we cited? Is there a link? What to improve? Save screenshots.
A 30-day quick-start that actually moves the needle
Goal for the month: make 3 key pages easy to quote, add proof, strengthen local trust, publish one Q&A, and start simple tracking.
Week 1 — Make 3 pages quotable
Add an answer-block to home, top service, top guide (50–120 words + 3–5 bullets + “In summary…”).
Week 2 — Add proof & clear facts
On the top service page, add a fact box (prices/areas/response time/what’s included/guarantee/Last updated).
Add 3–5 real FAQs with short answers.
Week 3 — Strengthen local trust
Complete Google Business Profile, match Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) identical to your site, and secure 2 new reviews.
Week 4 — Publish one Q&A & start tracking
Publish one Q&A article (“How much does [service] cost in [place] in [Year]?”) and link to it from key pages.
Start a GEO scorecard and log whether you’re cited each month.
Conclusion: GEO that fits your business
We know many small businesses want better visibility but don’t have the time, team, or budget for a big‑agency programme. That’s why our GEO support is practical and flexible — designed for real‑world constraints.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining what you’ve got, we focus on what actually works — without overspending or overcomplicating things.
Our approach includes:
Actionable GEO makeovers for your three money pages (answer‑blocks, fact boxes, real FAQs)
SEO‑friendly content planning around conversational queries, plus one Q&A article per core service
Local trust tune‑up: Google Business Profile, consistent NAP, and lightweight review prompts
Clear, jargon‑free mini audits with a prioritised to‑do list you can act on
Simple GEO tracking (reference‑rate scorecard + screenshots of citations)
AI tools for content — Custom GPTs and prompt kits to outline, refine, and brainstorm fast
Optional training so you can run GEO in‑house with confidence
Transparent, flexible pricing with no locked‑in contracts
It’s not about doing everything — it’s about doing the right things, well. If that sounds helpful, let’s shape a GEO plan that fits your budget and bandwidth.
GEO FAQs
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Most systems follow a simple pipeline: discover → understand → retrieve → judge → compose → cite. To be chosen, make your pages clear, evidenced, current, and locally relevant—and structure them so they’re easy to lift (short paragraphs, bullets, tables, quick answers).
Do this (keep it simple):
Add a quick answer under the H1 (50–120 words + 3–5 bullets).
Include real facts: prices/timeframes/what’s included + a visible Last updated.
Show local fit: service areas, reviews, consistent name/address/phone.
Publish one Q&A and link to it from money pages.
Track monthly: are you named in the answer? is there a link?
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Traditional SEO aims to win traditional search-result positions (the list of blue page titles) and earn clicks. GEO aims to be named and linked inside the AI-generated answer. In practice you’ll do both, but for beginners the win is to make pages quotable, verifiable, and locally trustworthy.
What stays the same (keep doing this)
Audience-first content: solve the searcher’s problem clearly and quickly.
E-E-A-T signals: real author, short bio, about/contact details, credentials, social proof.
Technical hygiene: fast pages, mobile-friendly layouts, clean HTML, safe site, no crawl traps.
Information architecture: sensible categories, internal links that help users (not just bots).
On-page clarity: descriptive H2/H3s, meaningful filenames/alt text, concise meta titles/descriptions.
Local basics (if relevant): consistent NAP, well-built Google Business Profile, fresh reviews.
Backlinks/mentions: authoritative, relevant references still help discovery and trust.
What changes with GEO (new emphasis)
Measure reference rate: how often pages are cited inside AI answers (and any referral quality).
Format for extraction: add answer-blocks (50–120 words + bullets + “In summary…”), tables, and fact boxes.
Evidence over adjectives: use numbers, quotes, and named sources; make verification effortless.
Schema depth: beyond basics — FAQPage, HowTo, LocalBusiness/Organization, author and modified dates.
Conversational coverage: Q&A clusters mirroring natural language (“how much…”, “is it worth…”, “near me”).
Freshness cadence: keep prices, processes, and examples current; show dateModified visibly.
Earn citations, not just links: being quoted builds visibility and brand salience.
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Early research that popularised “GEO” found that adding citations, quotes, and stats — alongside clearer structure — increased the likelihood of being cited in AI answers. Treat this as directional rather than guaranteed: results vary by industry, and models evolve.
