What is GEO? GEO stands for generative engine optimisation: setting up your website and online presence so that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews know your business, describe it correctly and recommend it. Where SEO is about a high position in the search results, GEO is about a mention in the answer itself.
When someone asks ChatGPT “which web designer in Leuven do you recommend?” or “where can I find a good physiotherapist in Kessel-Lo?”, they do not get a list of ten links. They get a short answer with a few names. The question is whether your business is among them.
What is GEO and how does it differ from SEO?
SEO and GEO share the same goal: customers finding you. The difference lies in where they search and what the answer looks like.
- SEO makes sure your page ranks high in the results of Google and Bing. The customer clicks through to your website.
- GEO makes sure an AI assistant names your business in its answer. The customer gets a recommendation, often without comparing ten sites first.
They reinforce each other. A website that is technically sound and gives clear answers ranks better in Google and is also easier for AI to understand. So GEO does not replace SEO, it builds on it.
How does an AI assistant choose which business to recommend?
An AI assistant does not make up its answer out of nowhere. It relies on what it finds about you:
- Your own website: what you do, for whom and where you are based
- Your Google Business Profile with address, opening hours and categories
- Reviews on Google and other platforms
- Mentions on other websites, such as local directories, partners or news articles
- Structured data (schema) that describes your services and location in machine language
The clearer and more consistent that information is, the better the chance that an AI assistant describes and recommends you correctly. If your site only says “we are here to help”, an AI does not know what you do or for whom.
Five things you can do for GEO today
- Say literally what you do and where. A sentence like “web designer in Leuven for freelancers and SMEs” is instantly clear to people and to AI.
- Create a page per service. A separate page for each service gives AI assistants a clear answer to a specific question.
- Answer the questions customers ask. A block of frequently asked questions with short, concrete answers is often taken over word for word.
- Update your Google Business Profile. Correct category, opening hours, photos and a short description.
- Collect reviews. Ask happy customers for a review in which they briefly explain how you helped them.
The technical side: schema and llms.txt
Besides content, technology helps too. With structured data (schema) you tell search engines and AI in a fixed format who you are: your business name, address, services, opening hours and frequently asked questions. That way they do not have to guess.
An llms.txt file is a fairly new tool: a simple text file in the root of your website that gives AI assistants an overview of who you are and which pages matter. It is also important that AI crawlers such as those of OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity are allowed to read your site. Some websites block them without knowing it.
How do you measure whether GEO works?
In Google you can track your rankings. With AI assistants that is harder, because every answer is slightly different. A practical approach: regularly ask ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity the same questions your customers ask, and note whether your business is mentioned and who appears instead.
At NicoWeb.be we do this automatically every week for the questions that matter. That way you can see whether you are making progress. Read more about our approach on the page about SEO and GEO in Leuven.
Frequently asked questions
Should a small business already work on GEO?
Yes, and for small businesses it is an opportunity. AI assistants also recommend local freelancers, as long as their website and profiles are clear enough. Laying the foundation takes little time.
Can anyone guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend my business?
No. Nobody controls what an AI assistant answers. You can increase the chance with clear content, structured data, reviews and mentions, and track the result.
Is GEO different from SEO?
It is an extension. A good SEO foundation is also the foundation for GEO. On top of that come things like llms.txt, clear answers to questions and tracking mentions in AI answers.
Get your business found in Google and AI
Curious how findable your business is today in Google and in AI assistants such as ChatGPT? Tell us briefly about your business. You get an answer within one working day and a free tailored proposal. Request your free proposal.