GEO in one sentence
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) means preparing a website so that AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or the AI overviews in Google Search mention and cite it in their answers.
People increasingly ask search engines not with a short keyword but with a whole sentence: "Where can I find a reliable electrician in Zlín?" or "Which hair salon nearby has a free slot on Saturday?" Instead of a list of links, they get an answer straight away. GEO makes sure your business is part of that answer.
How it differs from SEO
SEO (search engine optimisation) aims to get you as high as possible in the results of Google or Seznam. GEO aims to get AI to pick you as a source for its answer.
- SEO: the goal is a position in search results, measured by traffic from search engines.
- GEO: the goal is a mention or citation in an AI answer, harder to measure and mostly indirect.
It does not work without SEO
They are not two separate disciplines. AI assistants often draw on websites that are easy to find and understand for classic search engines too. Good SEO is therefore the foundation of GEO.
How AI chooses its sources
Nobody outside the companies developing AI knows exactly, and the methods keep changing. In general, though, these help:
- Clear and concrete answers. Text that answers a question directly can be quoted. Generic phrases cannot.
- The facts in one place: what you do, where, for how much and how to contact you.
- Structured data that describes your business, services and prices to machines.
- Credibility: mentions of you on other websites, in directories and in reviews.
- The same details everywhere. When your address or phone number differs between places, neither AI nor search engines are sure which one is right.
What a small business can do
- Answer on your website the questions customers ask you most often: price, availability, the area you cover.
- Unify your business details on your website, in your Google Business Profile, on Firmy.cz and in other directories.
- Add structured data (schema.org) about your business, services and prices.
- Give concrete information: numbers, places, real examples.
- Consider an llms.txt file with a summary of your website for language models. For now it is a proposed standard, not a requirement.
Common mistakes
- Generic copy without concrete information, such as "we are professionals with many years of experience".
- Prices and services only in a PDF or an image, which machines read worse than plain text.
- A different address or phone number on your website and in directories.
- Outdated information: old prices, discontinued services, wrong opening hours.
- No answers to the questions customers actually ask.
How to tell whether it works
The simplest test is to ask. Type into ChatGPT or Perplexity a question your customer would ask. If you ran a car service, for example: "Where in Zlín can I get my tyres changed quickly?" Then see which businesses the answer mentions and whether you are among them.
In your website analytics you can track visits that came from AI assistants. The numbers are usually small for now, but they are worth watching.
GEO with me
When I build a website, SEO and GEO are included in the price: structured data, clear answers to common questions and unified business details.