Field notes · Generative Engine Optimization
Generative Engine Optimization: what it is, and what it is not.
GEO is the work of getting a business named and cited inside generative AI answers — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and AI Overviews. Some vendors call the same work LLM SEO or ChatGPT SEO. The label matters far less than what is actually being done.
The short version
A generative answer is assembled, not ranked. The model pulls from its training, from a live retrieval layer, and from third-party sources it considers credible — then writes a paragraph. Your website is one input among several, and often not the loudest one.
So the work splits into four parts:
- Earned third-party presence. Lists, directories, reviews, press and community threads are cited far more often than a brand's own pages.
- Entity accuracy. Consistent name, location, services and credentials everywhere the business appears, so the model resolves you as one entity rather than three.
- Machine-readable pages. Content served in the HTML, not assembled by JavaScript. AI crawlers largely do not execute it.
- Measurement. A fixed question set, run repeatedly across engines, so you can see movement instead of believing in it.
What does not appear to be the lever
Schema markup. The best available controlled research — 1,885 pages tracked against 4,000 controls — found no meaningful citation uplift from adding schema, and Google's own guidance says structured data is not required for AI search visibility. We still implement it, because it earns rich results and clarifies entities. We just will not tell you it is the lever.
How long it takes
Two to three quarters for earned and content work to compound. Technical access and entity consistency can be fixed in weeks and sometimes move things quickly. Anyone promising results in thirty days is either doing something risky or describing something they cannot measure.
What nobody can guarantee
Appearing in ChatGPT. Models are non-deterministic, results are personalized, and no vendor has access to the ranking mechanism. What can be guaranteed is the work, the measurement, and honesty about what the measurement can and cannot tell you.
Sources referenced: Ahrefs, We Tracked 1,885 Pages Adding Schema. AI Citations Barely Moved (May 2026). Google Search guidance on AI search tactics (2026). Full source list on the AI Visibility page.
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