AI search guide

Generative engine optimization (GEO): a practical guide for local businesses

Updated November 1, 2026

Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the practice of making your content and your business more likely to be used and named in answers written by generative AI: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode.

Most GEO advice is written for publishers and software companies chasing citations. Local businesses have a simpler goal: when someone nearby asks an assistant who to call, be one of the names. Here's what that takes.

Where the term GEO comes from

The term was popularised by a 2023 research paper titled "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization", which tested how changes to web content affected whether generative engines used it in their answers. Adding citations to credible sources, relevant quotations and concrete statistics tended to help; stuffing keywords didn't.

The lesson carries over to local businesses: specific, verifiable, well-sourced information gets used. Vague marketing copy gets skipped.

How generative engines build a local answer

For a question like "best emergency plumber in Hamilton", a typical AI search answer is assembled roughly like this:

The assistant rewrites the question into one or more searches.
It retrieves pages, listings and reviews that rank for those searches.
It extracts facts it can rely on: who offers the service, where, how they're reviewed, what makes them stand out.
It writes a short answer naming the businesses the sources support best, sometimes with links to the pages it used.

A GEO checklist for local businesses

Service pages that answer "what, where, who for, how much roughly, how fast" in plain sentences.
A clear statement of the towns and neighbourhoods you serve, matching your Google Business Profile.
Facts an assistant can quote: years operating, licences, warranties, response times, specialisms. Only claims you can back up.
A frequently asked questions section written in the words customers use.
Reviews that describe real jobs, on Google and the review sites that matter in your field.
Consistent name, address and phone details across directories, Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
Mentions on independent sites: local news, associations, supplier dealer lists, community pages.

What doesn't work

Hidden text aimed at AI crawlers, mass-produced pages for every town, fake reviews, and lists that rank your own business first on your own site are all easy for search engines to discount, and some break Google's spam policies. Generative engines rely on search indexes, so tactics that hurt you in search hurt you here too.

Measuring GEO

There are no rankings in an AI answer, so measure presence: your mention rate (the share of tracked questions where you're named), your recommendation rate, how often your site is cited as a source, and your share of voice against the competitors who appear. Ask the same questions from the same location on a schedule so changes reflect real movement, not random variation.

Questions

What does GEO stand for in SEO?

Generative engine optimization: optimizing to appear in answers produced by generative AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features. Don't confuse it with geo-targeting, which means targeting a location.

Is GEO replacing SEO?

No. Generative engines lean on search indexes, so strong SEO is the foundation of GEO. Think of GEO as SEO plus attention to how AI reads and summarises you.

Do I need an llms.txt file?

It's optional and inexpensive to add, but no major assistant has said it relies on one. Clear, crawlable pages matter far more.

How is GEO measured?

By tracking whether you're mentioned, recommended or cited across a fixed set of questions, over time, from your location.

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