What is GEO and why does it matter for my business?

GEO – Generative Engine Optimisation – is the practice of making your business visible in AI-generated search responses, as distinct from traditional search engine results pages.

When someone uses an AI tool – ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, or similar – to ask a question like “what is the best marketing consultant for a startup in the UK” or “how do I get my business found online,” the response they receive is generated by the AI based on the information it has access to. GEO is the process of making sure your business is part of that information ecosystem – that your website, your content, and your structured data give AI tools enough clear, credible, well-structured information to reference you accurately and confidently in their responses.

GEO matters for your business because the way people search is changing rapidly. A growing proportion of searches – particularly for recommendations, advice, and comparisons – now happen through AI tools rather than traditional search engines. Businesses that are well represented in AI responses will increasingly capture the awareness and enquiries that previously came through Google search rankings alone.

The practical steps that improve GEO performance overlap significantly with good SEO practice – clear, well-structured content that directly answers the questions your audience is asking, FAQ content with schema markup, consistent and accurate business information across all online platforms, and a strong review profile that signals credibility and trust. The key difference is that GEO rewards content that answers questions directly and authoritatively, in natural language, rather than content optimised primarily for keyword density.

GEO is still an emerging discipline and the best practices are evolving quickly. Businesses that get the foundations right now – before the majority of their competitors are thinking about it – will be significantly better positioned as AI-generated search continues to grow.