GEO: How to be found by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and answer engines

Until yesterday, "being found online" meant only one thing: appearing in Google's search results. Today, more and more people are asking their questions to ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google's AI—and they receive a concise answer with only a few cited sources. If your website isn't among those sources, you simply don't exist. This is where GEO comes into play.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO is the set of techniques used to get cited by AI-powered answer engines. While SEO optimizes to "rank" within a list of links, GEO optimizes to "be the source" that the AI uses to build its response. Two different goals, which often reinforce each other.

Why it matters to you right now

This isn't a future scenario; it's what is already happening. More and more customers get their information from an AI assistant even before opening Google or contacting you.

• Your clients ask AI for advice before choosing a supplier.
• AI answers cite very few sources: either you are there, or your competitor is.
• Those who position themselves now build authority while the field is still wide open.

How to prepare your website for AI search

1. Structured Data (schema.org)

AI assistants understand content much better when it is marked up with structured data: who you are, what you offer, where you operate, your FAQs, and reviews. It is the most direct way to tell the AI, "this information is reliable."

2. Clear and extractable content

Answer precise questions, use explicit headings, definitions, and lists. The Q&A (FAQ) format is gold: it is exactly what an AI assistant looks for to construct an answer.

3. Authority and E-E-A-T

Real authors with a bio, cited sources, and consistent identity across various channels (website, LinkedIn, social profiles). AI rewards recognizable and trustworthy entities.

4. Nothing to hide from crawlers

Content must be in the HTML (server-side rendering), not generated solely via JavaScript. A clean sitemap and an llms.txt file summarizing the site for LLMs also help.

SEO and GEO are not in conflict

The good news: most GEO work is also great SEO. Solid technical foundations, useful content, and structured data help both Google and AI assistants at the same time. You don't have to choose: you just need to do both well.

The question is no longer just "do I appear on Google?", but "does AI cite me when someone asks about what I do?".

At M's Works, we design websites ready for both SEO and GEO, right from the very first line of code. If you want to find out if your site is "citeable" by AI assistants, let's talk: we'll show you where to start.