How to get recommended by (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity & more)
If you run a website or a business online, you already think about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But here’s the shift: many people now ask AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude for answers—skipping traditional search results. To stay visible, you need GEO: Generative Engine Optimization.
What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?
GEO is the practice of making your content easy for AI systems to find, understand, and recommend. Think of it as SEO for AI-generated answers.
The Bookstore Analogy
- Traditional Search (Computer Kiosk): You type a topic and get a list of links. SEO helps your “title and blurb” stand out so people click.
- AI Search (Helpful Staffer): You ask a question, and a staffer brings a few books, summarizes the key parts, and highlights what matters. GEO helps the “staffer” (the AI) read, trust, and quote your content.
Bottom line: Traditional search returns a list of links. AI search returns a synthesized answer—with links often shown as citations. Your content must be structured so AI can parse it and include it in those answers.
SEO + GEO: They Work Together
- SEO: Gets your content crawled, indexed, and ranked so AI can find it in the first place.
- GEO: Makes your content readable, trustworthy, and quotable for AI summaries.
Your Two-Pronged GEO Plan
- Short-Term: Optimize content for current AI assistants that generate answers in real time.
- Long-Term: Publish clear, structured content that can be included in future model training and knowledge sources.
Step-by-Step: How to Optimize for AI Search
Step 1: Publish High-Quality, Trustworthy Content (E-E-A-T)
Experties-Experience-Authoritiveness-Trustworthiness
- Answer real questions: Focus each page on a clear problem, with specific solutions.
- Write clearly and concisely: 2–3 sentence paragraphs, scannable headings, and bullets.
- Use facts and examples: Include numbers, quotes, and references. Avoid fluff.
- Add a summary + FAQ: Summaries and Q&A blocks are easy for AI to lift and cite.
Step 2: Make Content Accessible (for People and AI)
- Use proper headings: H1 for the main topic, H2/H3 for sections.
- Write in plain English: Avoid jargon unless you define it.
- Add alt text and captions: Describe images meaningfully.
- Provide transcripts: Include text transcripts for audio/video.
Step 3: Prefer Plain HTML (SSR/SSG over JS-only)
AI and some crawlers can miss content rendered only by JavaScript. Ensure your core content is available in plain HTML using server-side rendering (SSR) or static site generation (SSG).
<!-- Minimal, semantic HTML example -->
<article>
<h1>How to Optimize for AI Search</h1>
<p>This guide covers GEO and practical steps...</p>
<h2>Key Steps</h2>
<ul>
<li>Use clear headings</li>
<li>Add structured data</li>
<li>Publish FAQs</li>
</ul>
<figure>
<img src="/images/geo-diagram.png" alt="Diagram showing GEO workflow">
<figcaption>GEO improves AI understanding and citations.</figcaption>
</figure>
</article>Step 4: Add Schema Markup (Structured Data)
Schema helps AI understand what your page is (Article, Product, FAQ, HowTo). Many WordPress SEO plugins can add this automatically. You can also embed JSON-LD.
<!-- JSON-LD: Article schema (edit values to match your post) -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "GEO Guide: Optimize Content for AI Search (ChatGPT, Gemini)",
"description": "Learn Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to make your content easy for AI assistants to find, understand, and cite.",
"author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Your Name" },
"datePublished": "2025-08-22",
"image": ["https://example.com/images/geo-guide.png"],
"mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://example.com/geo-guide" }
}
</script>Step 5: Allow Crawling in robots.txt
Double-check that your robots.txt doesn’t block important user agents. If you want AI crawlers to read your content, don’t disallow them. (Names may evolve; treat the list below as a starting point.)
# robots.txt (example)
User-agent: *
Allow: /
# Example specific user agents (confirm current names/policies)
User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xmlStep 6: Explore Emerging Standards (llms.txt)
llms.txt is an emerging idea (not a formal standard). This file offers brief background information, guidance, and links to detailed markdown files.
# llms.txt (experimental example)
# Title
> Optional description goes here
Optional details go here
## Section name
- [Link title](https://link_url): Optional link details
## Optional
- [Link title](https://link_url)On-Page GEO Checklist
- One clear topic per page (match a real user question).
- Short intro that states the value of the page.
- Descriptive H2/H3 subheadings that mirror common queries.
- Facts, numbers, and examples instead of vague claims.
- Plain HTML output (SSR/SSG) for core content.
- Schema markup (Article, FAQ, HowTo as applicable).
- Helpful images with alt text and captions.
- Summary section and an FAQ block.
- Internal links to related posts for depth and context.
FAQ (Great for AI Answers)
What’s the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO makes your content easy to find and rank in traditional search. GEO makes your content easy for AI systems to read, trust, and cite in generated answers. You need both.
Do I need special tools for GEO?
Not necessarily. Focus on clear writing, solid site structure, accessible HTML, and Schema. Many WordPress SEO plugins already help with this.
<!-- JSON-LD: FAQPage schema (edit Q&A to match your content) -->
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What’s the difference between SEO and GEO?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "SEO helps your pages rank in traditional search results. GEO helps AI assistants read, trust, and cite your content in generated answers."
}
},{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Do I need special tools for GEO?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "You can start with what you have: clear writing, accessible HTML, and Schema markup. WordPress SEO plugins can add structured data automatically."
}
}]
}
</script>Conclusion
GEO is about making high-quality, human-friendly content that AI can easily parse and cite. When you write clearly, structure pages well, add Schema, and ensure plain HTML output, you win with both people and AI.
Your move: Pick one key page today. Add clear headings, a short summary, an FAQ, and Article schema. Then review your robots.txt and consider an experimental llms.txt. Small steps add up fast.