GEO consulting and AI visibility
Answers need good sources too.
GEO consulting examines how a business is represented in generative answers. Is the brand mentioned? Is the website linked as a source? What information appears in connection with your offer?
I understand Generative Engine Optimization as an extension of my SEO work. My focus is citability and mentions: content's suitability as a source and observation of brand mentions. AI agents and workflows in marketing and search are also part of this.
For your business, the work starts with a clear question. A single AI answer is not enough as an observation. We need an understandable starting point and must distinguish what we can change from what each system decides.
Forward-thinking.Dependable.
What does GEO mean for your marketing?
GEO looks at information about your business appearing in generative answers. For marketing, it may matter whether an answer describes your offer accurately and which sources are visible alongside it.
I recommend first defining the questions under which your business might have a role. They include questions arising during a customer decision and terms used to classify your offer. The selection should be reasoned and fit the actual market.
Then review the existing information foundation. Are services and responsibilities described unambiguously? Do important details agree across different places? Are specialist statements connected to a verifiable source?
My approach connects this review with SEO. A new abbreviation doesn't justify restarting all website work. Additional tasks must follow from the specific question.
Distinguishing citability and mentions
Citability and mentions describe different aspects of my work. Citability means the suitability of content to support a statement as a verifiable source. A mention is a reference to the brand or person within an answer.
A brand can be mentioned while another website is linked as the source. A page can receive a source reference without its brand being highlighted in the answer text. I therefore want to document these observations separately.
For content, this means the specific statement should be understandable, its basis should remain visible and it should fit the question. For brand information, the name, offer and affiliations need clear descriptions.
These recommendations make content easier to verify. They cannot guarantee that a system will cite it. The comparison of SEO, GEO and AEO explains the terms in the context of search visibility.
How visibility can be observed
AI visibility can only be observed meaningfully when the question and observation framework are documented. I recommend selecting a reasoned set of questions and recording the system and timing.
Visible mentions and sources should be recorded separately for each answer. Content errors also deserve a separate entry. This keeps it clear whether the observation concerns a brand's appearance, a link or the quality of a description.
Repeated observations help put individual answers into context. They don't replace consideration of the method's limitations. Settings and system changes can affect comparison.
For work on your website, I would connect this starting point with possible initiatives. Which information is being made more precise? Which content receives a verifiable foundation? What should be assessed differently in a later observation?
Measurement should support a decision. I would not present its results as a complete picture of all AI use or as direct evidence of a revenue effect.
For comparison, questions should be worded in an understandable way. I recommend also recording their relationship to your offer. A pure brand query examines a different context from a question before a purchase decision. The two observations should therefore serve distinct purposes in the analysis.
The handling of inaccurate details should also be established. Which detail is wrong, and where does the business provide the correct information? An observation may prompt a better description on your own website. Whether a later answer incorporates that change is assessed separately. Correcting the website and its possible representation by a system are two different steps.
Connecting SEO content and brand information
SEO content and brand information should create a shared, reliable description of your business. An article can explain a specialist question. An offer page must show what your business actually does in that context.
I recommend reviewing the scope of statements in existing content. What knowledge supports them? Who takes specialist responsibility? Which details change over time? Contradictions between pages deserve priority over cosmetic changes.
Connections between content also matter. A specialist article can link to an appropriate expertise page. That page leads to a person or offer readers can understand. Linking should follow that relationship.
For new content, I want statements that can also be understood individually. This helps readers get started quickly and makes source work verifiable. It is an editorial quality decision, not a claimed guarantee of AI citations.
My experience with new forms of search
My experience includes GEO as an extension of SEO and optimising citability and mentions. I also work with AI agents and agentic workflows in marketing and search.
My further training includes the SurferSEO AEO Masterclass and HubSpot AI Search Certification. I'm an Otterly Ambassador. That role should be understood separately from the training listed.
Under Agentic Search, you'll find my perspective on the workflows behind new forms of search. If you'd like to examine your business's representation in AI answers more closely, describe your starting point through contact and an initial consultation.
You can also include an observed example in your initial enquiry. It is treated as one observation, not a complete finding.
Questions & answers
Frequently asked questions about GEO
12 questions on this topic.
Does GEO replace search engine optimisation?
GEO doesn't replace SEO in my approach. Work on understandable content and a website whose purpose is clear remains important. GEO adds observation of representation in generative answers. Additional tasks should be decided from your offer and a specific question rather than the new term alone.
Can you guarantee mentions in ChatGPT?
I cannot guarantee mentions in ChatGPT or other generative systems. Each system decides which brand or source to select. My work focuses on verifiable information and documented observation. A promised citation would not be a reliable basis for planning or a budget decision.
What is the difference between a citation and a mention?
A mention names a brand or person in the answer text. A citation or source reference connects a statement to a visible source. Record them separately during observation. A brand recommendation can appear without a link; a source link does not automatically mean the brand is recommended.
Does my website need special AI files?
I would not universally recommend special AI files as your website's first GEO initiative. First review the offer, content and technical accessibility. Additional files need a specific purpose and a documented assumption. A general claim that a particular file format generates AI citations would be unjustified.
For which businesses is GEO a relevant question?
GEO is relevant when you want to understand how your business is represented in generative answers. Start with specific customer questions and the actual offer. I recommend identifying the decision needed first. This helps assess whether observation and content work are a useful current priority.
How is a useful selection of prompts developed for observation?
A prompt selection should come from relevant customer questions. I recommend considering different stages of a purchase decision and documenting the reasons for the selection. The system and observation framework must also be established. This makes clear which parts are examined and what conclusions the comparison explicitly cannot support.
How is an AI visibility baseline documented?
An AI visibility baseline records the questions used, systems and time of observation. Mentions and source references are recorded separately for the answers. Errors in representation should also be captured. I recommend saving the results before website changes so later comparisons have a reference point.
Which content might serve as sources in generative answers?
Potential sources include content answering a relevant question with verifiable information. This may be specialist explanations or clear business information. I recommend assessing suitability from the question's perspective. No particular content type guarantees selection by a system or a visible source link.
What role does information about a brand and person play?
Brand and person information helps readers understand responsibilities and specialist background. Names, offers and roles should be clear and consistent across different places. For my website, this includes biographical details and confirmed experience. I don't infer an automatic effect on selection in generative answers from that.
How can I review existing SEO content for GEO?
Review existing SEO content for clarity, sources and its connection to the offer. I recommend reading central statements individually: Are they understandable, correct and sufficiently bounded? Missing business information or contradictory details are further starting points. Revision should answer a specific quality question rather than replacing content across the board.
Why do AI answers and brand mentions fluctuate?
AI answers can differ between observations because systems generate answers under their current conditions. The cause of an individual change often cannot be identified unambiguously from outside. I therefore recommend documenting the framework and timing and observing repeatedly. One answer is not complete evidence of visibility.
What training and role do you bring in AI search?
In AI search, I've completed the SurferSEO AEO Masterclass and HubSpot AI Search Certification. I'm also an Otterly Ambassador. My experience includes GEO, citability and mentions, and agentic marketing processes. The ambassador role is a function within the provider's ecosystem, not an additional certification.