What Is GEO? 9 Steps to Get Seen in ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews

In brief: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the work of increasing the chances that your content will be used and cited as a source in answers from AI systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews/AI Mode. There is no magic file or trick. What helps is a crawlable website, content that answers the question in its first paragraph, specific sourced data, and a trustworthy brand that is mentioned elsewhere online. GEO does not replace SEO; it builds on it.

Last updated: September 2026

What is GEO?

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is a general name for efforts to improve content visibility in AI-powered search and answer systems. The concept entered academic discussion in a “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” paper published in November 2023 and accepted at KDD 2024. The authors report that content publishers can improve visibility in generative search-engine answers, by up to 40% in their study.

You may also hear terms such as AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), LLMO, or “AI SEO.” The name varies, but the idea is similar: a user asks a question, an AI reads several sources and writes one answer, and your goal is to be one of those sources.

Why does it matter in Türkiye now?

Google launched AI Overviews and AI Mode in Türkiye on 18 February 2026 (Webrazzi, egirişim). Some Turkish searches now show an AI-written summary at the top of the results page.

A study of Türkiye by Stradiji (English report) summarizes the change using data from February–June 2026: 1,035 queries across 17 industries, Semrush data, and Google Search Console:

• AI Overviews appeared for 59% of the queries studied.
• The rate was 70% for informational queries and 37% for transactional queries.
• In June 2026, click-through rates were down an average of 33% compared with before launch.
• Yet average ranking position remained stable at 7.6.

That last finding matters: your rankings may stay the same while your traffic falls, because users get the answer without visiting your page. This is one agency's study; other sources may report different percentages. But the direction is clear: appearing on the first page of Google is not enough; being part of the answer can matter too.

The difference between SEO and GEO

Google's own guidance supports this view: there is no additional requirement or special optimization for appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode. A page must be indexed and eligible to appear in search. GEO work is wasted if the SEO foundation is broken.

How do AI systems select sources?

The details of each platform are proprietary and keep changing, but the general process is similar: the system receives a question, finds relevant pages, extracts relevant passages, combines them into an answer, and lists sources. That leads to three requirements:

1. Your site needs to be discoverable and crawlable.
2. Your content must make sense passage by passage. A model may use a few sentences that answer the question instead of processing your entire 3,000-word article.
3. Your content should look trustworthy: sourced, current, and clearly attributed to an author.

What does research say about content techniques?

The GEO paper tested several content techniques for improving visibility in generative search. The findings summarized by the authors:

• Citing sources, adding quotations, and using statistics noticeably improved visibility.
• Clear, fluent writing helped too.
• Keyword stuffing produced no meaningful benefit; this old SEO habit does not work here.
• The paper also reports that lower-ranked sites benefited relatively more from the tested techniques. Smaller publishers are not shut out.

A caveat: this was a laboratory benchmark. Real platforms may behave differently. The findings are a useful place to start testing your own content.

Nine practical steps for GEO

1. Do not block AI crawlers

AI products use different bots for different purposes. According to OpenAI's official documentation:

These settings are independent: you can choose not to allow model training and still appear in search answers. Example robots.txt rules:

# To appear in search and answers
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /en

User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /en

# To opt out of model training (your choice)
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /en

A common issue is that robots.txt is correct but firewall or bot-protection settings (such as Cloudflare) block legitimate crawlers. Check your server logs for 403 responses from these bots.

2. Render content on the server

Vercel's analysis of AI crawlers (December 2024) says OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity crawlers do not execute JavaScript, while Gemini can thanks to Google's infrastructure. A site that loads content only in the browser may look blank to these crawlers. Their behavior may change, but the safe choice is clear: important content should be in the first HTML response. Next.js server-side rendering (SSR) and static generation (SSG) provide this; see our technical SEO guide for Next.js.

3. Put the answer in the first paragraph

The “In brief” box at the top of this article is intentional. If AI cites a passage, it is likely to be a short, standalone paragraph that answers the question directly. Use a pattern such as “X is a Y that does Z.” Put the definition in the first paragraph and the detail afterward.

4. Use question-style headings and self-contained sections

People ask AI complete questions: “How much does it cost to build a website?” or “What is the difference between ERP and CRM?” Question-style headings help systems find a relevant passage. Write each section so it makes sense on its own, without “as explained above.” Use tables for comparisons and numbered lists for processes; both readers and models can extract these formats easily.

5. Include specific data, quotations, and sources

This was one of the paper's strongest findings. Replace vague phrases such as “very fast” or “significant savings” with dated numbers and sources. Link to quotations and official documents. Your own data—for example, anonymized measurements from your projects—is especially valuable. The rule is simple: never invent statistics. Doing so misleads readers and damages credibility.

6. Keep content current and show its date

AI answers serve people who expect current information. An old, unmaintained page is a risk for both the reader and the system. Show a “last updated” date on important pages and genuinely revise them. A three- to six-month review is sensible for fast-changing topics such as prices, regulations, and technology.

7. Make your brand and author identity clear

When AI systems assess a source, they ask, “Who is this?” Complete your about and contact pages, show author and company details on articles, and keep your name, address, and phone consistent. Link official accounts such as LinkedIn and Google Business Profile to your site. The Organization structured-data sameAs field is designed for this.

8. Earn mentions on other websites

AI learns about you from your own site and what others say about you. Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors report lists inclusion in “best of” lists, industry-site presence, and quality mentions among the top factors for local AI visibility. The report calls citations “the new links.” Practical work includes industry directories, news coverage and interviews, expert contributions, customer reviews, and collaborative content.

9. Use structured data accurately, without exaggerating its impact

Google says you do not need special schema to appear in AI features. Structured data should clarify meaning and match the visible page. Use appropriate types such as Organization, Article, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness, and Service. One detail: Google documents that it removed FAQ rich results from search. FAQPage markup remains valid, but adding FAQ schema no longer makes a result appear larger. FAQs are still useful because they present clear, extractable answers.

Common GEO myths

• “Add an llms.txt file to appear in AI.” There is no evidence that the file affects visibility. Ahrefs analyzed 137,210 domains in May 2026 (study): 28% had a valid llms.txt, but 97% of those files received no requests that month. AI bots are not going out of their way to fetch it, and Google does not require it. It is not harmful, but it is not where to spend your effort.
• “Generate hundreds of pages with AI.” Bulk content created without meaningful human value may violate Google's spam policies. AI can help, but each page still needs real information and expertise.
• “Repeat the keywords more.” Research suggests that keyword stuffing does not help.
• “Do it once and you're done.” Platforms and models change constantly; GEO needs ongoing work.

How to measure GEO

There is no single “GEO ranking” today. Use three methods together:

1. Google Search Console: Clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted under the “Web” search type in the Performance report; there is no separate filter. Track query-level changes in impressions and clicks.
2. Analytics referrals: Monitor domains such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, and gemini.google.com. Volume may be small, but seeing which page was cited helps you decide what to improve.
3. Manual checks: Once a month, ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode 15–20 real questions your customers ask. Is your brand mentioned? Which pages are cited? Who are the competitors? Record the answers in a sheet. Results vary by person and time, so look at trends, not one response.

A 30-day starting plan

• Week 1 — Technical check: Review robots.txt and bot-blocking rules; confirm pages are indexed in Search Console; ensure content appears in the first HTML. For a quick first check, use our free website analysis tool.
• Week 2 — Rewrite key pages: Update the opening sections of your five most important service, product, and traffic pages to answer the main question first; change headings to question formats where appropriate.
• Week 3 — Trust signals: Add sources, data, and dates; clarify author and company identity; validate structured data.
• Week 4 — External signals and measurement: Update the Google Business Profile, join relevant industry directories, create a manual-test tracker, and record the first results.

How we apply this on our site

Aktaş Digital is built with Next.js and renders page content on the server. We use BlogPosting and BreadcrumbList for articles and Service structured data on service pages. The web applications and corporate websites we build for clients follow the same technical principles from the start. Contact us through our project inquiry form if you want to assess your current site.

Frequently asked questions

Are GEO and SEO the same?

No, but they are not separate either. SEO makes a site discoverable and rankable in search. GEO builds on that foundation and aims to make the content a source in AI answers. GEO cannot rescue a site with weak SEO fundamentals.

Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT or Gemini?

Organic citations are not purchased through rankings; accessibility, content quality, and trust signals matter. Advertising products are separate and do not replace organic citations.

Can a small business benefit from GEO?

Yes. The GEO paper reports that lower-ranked sites benefited relatively more from the tested techniques. For local businesses, a complete Google Business Profile, reviews, and service pages are especially important; see our local SEO guide.

Will AI Overviews eliminate traffic to my website?

The effect varies by query type. In Stradiji's study, AI Overviews appeared for 70% of informational searches and 37% of transactional searches. High-intent pages for quotes, appointments, and purchases appear less affected. Avoid relying only on informational traffic and strengthen branded searches.

Should I add an llms.txt file?

There is currently little reason to do so: Google does not require it, and a large analysis found that 97% of the files received no requests. Put your effort into the content itself.

How long will it take to see results?

There is no fixed timeline. Crawling, indexing, and model updates take time. Technical fixes may show an effect in weeks, while content and external-mention work often takes months. Start a manual testing log now so you can see changes over time.

Conclusion

Search is no longer just “ten blue links.” It is a system that writes an answer and cites a few sources below it. There is no new trick for becoming one of those sources: make your site crawlable, answer clearly, use sourced data, stay current, and build a trusted brand. These are already the foundations of good SEO. GEO helps you see them through the perspective of answer-generating systems. Start small, measure, and improve the pages that create the most value. Begin with our free website analysis tool to assess your site.