What is GEO and how does it differ from SEO?
GEO means preparing content so that AI systems such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews use it as a source and name your company in their answers. Classic SEO aims for a good position in the list of results, GEO for a mention in a generated answer. The foundations are the same, the emphasis is different.
| Aspect | Classic SEO | GEO |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Position in the search results | Mention and source link in the AI answer |
| Unit assessed | The page as a whole | Individual paragraphs and statements |
| Important signals | Relevance, links, technology, loading time | Clear answers, verifiable facts, mentions on other websites |
| Measurement | Rankings and clicks in Search Console | Spot checks in AI tools, referrals in web analytics |
Where do ChatGPT and AI Overviews get their information?
From two sources: the model’s training data and a live web search. For specific questions such as "web design agency in Thurgau", the systems search the web in real time and summarise the pages they find. Google AI Overviews rely on the Google index, and search in ChatGPT uses the Bing index among others. If your site is properly indexed by Google and Bing, you already meet the most important requirement.
How do I write content that AI systems quote?
By making every section answer one question directly and make sense on its own:
- Start each section with the answer in one or two sentences, then add the details
- Phrase headings as questions, the way customers ask them
- Use concrete details instead of marketing language: region, services, process, duration, requirements
- Present comparisons and steps as a table or list
- Give each service and topic its own page instead of one page for everything
- Show the author, publication date and update date
These guides follow exactly this pattern.
Which technical foundations are needed?
| Measure | What it does |
|---|---|
| Structured data (Schema.org: Organization, LocalBusiness, Article, FAQPage) | States in machine-readable form who you are and what the page is about |
| Content directly in the HTML instead of loaded only via JavaScript | Crawlers see the text without having to run scripts |
| Check robots.txt | Do not accidentally block search bots such as OAI-SearchBot or PerplexityBot |
| XML sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools | New and changed pages are picked up faster |
| llms.txt | Voluntary overview for language models, not yet a binding standard |
Important: the Google-Extended entry in robots.txt only controls whether Google may use your content for its AI models such as Gemini. It has no effect on AI Overviews, which are part of regular Google Search and use the regular Googlebot.
Why are mentions on other websites so important?
Because AI systems give more weight to what several independent sources agree on. A company that only talks about itself on its own website is mentioned less often than one that also appears elsewhere.
- A complete Google Business Profile with genuine reviews
- Listings in directories such as local.ch and search.ch with identical name, address and phone number
- Memberships in trade associations and local business associations with a link to your website
- Reports in local media, expert articles and interviews
- Case studies on the websites of partners and customers
How do I measure whether GEO works?
There is no measuring tool like Search Console for AI answers yet. With three methods you still get a good picture:
- Once a month, ask ten to twenty typical customer questions in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google and note whether and how your company is mentioned
- Analyse visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and similar sources in your web analytics
- Ask new enquiries how they heard about you
Is GEO worth it for a small SME?
Yes, because almost every measure also improves classic SEO and makes the site clearer for visitors. GEO is therefore not a separate project but part of a well-built website: clear structure, one page per service, answers instead of empty phrases and clean technology.