GEO - Generative Engine Optimisation
Generative engine optimisation for online stores that want to show up in ChatGPT and AI Overviews too.
More and more buying questions get asked to an AI instead of a search box. What kind of underlay suits underfloor heating, or which of two brands is better. GEO is the work that increases the chance your store shows up in that answer, and it starts with things you're probably already doing.
The problem
Right now, GEO is where the most nonsense gets sold of any part of online marketing. That makes it hard to work out what you actually need to do about it.
- Agencies sell citation guarantees and fixed percentages, while AI answers change week to week and aren't deterministic.
- Isolated tricks get offered, like an llms.txt file, that none of the major platforms actually use.
- What ChatGPT does with your brand shows up in no dashboard, so you don't even know if you have a problem.
- Meanwhile, many online stores' robots.txt blocks AI crawlers without anyone having deliberately decided that.
The opportunity
Google states in its own documentation, updated on 10 July 2026, that the AI features in Search run on the existing ranking and quality systems and don't need separate markup or an llms.txt. Strong SEO is therefore the basis of GEO. On top of that come three things that are genuinely specific: content that's factual and citeable enough to serve as a source, product data that AI shopping can read, and crawlers you deliberately allow in. Since June 2026, Search Console has also shown how often your pages appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, so it's no longer a fully blind channel.
Our approach
What we actually do for your AI visibility.
No tricks, just the work that's demonstrably shown to count. And honest about where the knowledge runs out.
Baseline measurement of AI traffic
First we check how much traffic and revenue already comes from ChatGPT and other AI sources. Once your measurement is right, that's simply sitting in your own data.
Arranging crawler access
Block OAI-SearchBot, and you won't appear in the answers. OpenAI's own documentation says so. We deliberately set, per crawler, what is and isn't allowed.
Citeable content
Comparisons, specifications, prices and clear answers to the question as it's actually asked. An AI needs facts to be able to cite you, not woolly brand copy.
Product data for AI shopping
Getting your feed ready for the shopping feature in ChatGPT. OpenAI publishes its own specification for that, with a mapping from the Google Shopping format, so much of the Merchant Center work is reusable.
Brand mentions beyond your site
Research suggests that mentions of your brand elsewhere on the web correlate more strongly with AI visibility than backlinks. That's correlation, not proven cause, so we treat it as a direction rather than a recipe.
Measuring what can be measured
The AI report from Search Console goes into your dashboard, with the caveat attached: it counts impressions, not clicks, and it only covers Google. What ChatGPT does we track separately, through your traffic sources.
In the Growth System
Stage 04: the same engine, a new exit.
GEO isn't a separate channel next to SEO, it's the same organic base becoming visible in a second place. It does touch stage 03, since getting your brand visible inside an AI answer is organic work, while the ad slot underneath it is something you buy. We do both, and keep them apart in the reporting.
View the full Growth System- 01 Measure
- 02 Discover
- 03 Attract
- 04 Get found
- 05 Scale
Frequently asked questions
What clients usually ask.
Missing a question? Email or call us, the lines are short here.
What exactly is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation: making sure your brand and products appear in answers from AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI overviews. The basis is strong SEO, since Google confirms those features run on the same ranking systems. On top of that come citeable content and good product feeds.
Can you guarantee ChatGPT will mention my online store?
No, and nobody can. AI answers are non-deterministic and change week to week. What we do is structurally increase the odds using the factors that are demonstrably shown to matter, then see what it delivers. Be wary of anyone promising guarantees or fixed percentages.
Is there already serious traffic coming from AI tools?
Not yet for most online stores. Research from SparkToro and Datos (June 2026) shows that AI tools drive less than 1% of all outbound web traffic. It's growing, and it's sensible to be prepared for it now, but anyone telling you a large share of your customers already comes from there is selling you something.
Does my SEO work automatically carry over to ChatGPT?
Partly, and less automatically than often claimed. What's certain is that you need to allow OpenAI's crawler in. What determines whether you get mentioned after that isn't public and changes fast. That's why we'd rather measure it than make bold claims about it.
Do I need a separate budget for this?
Usually not. Most of GEO is work that benefits your organic visibility anyway. What's genuinely on top is the AI shopping feed and the measurement work, and that's limited. If your SEO basics aren't solid yet, starting there almost always pays off more.
Can I see if it's working?
Partly. For Google, Search Console shows how often you appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, though that's impressions only, without clicks, positions or search terms, and it's not in the API. For ChatGPT and Perplexity, we look at your referral traffic. A complete picture doesn't exist yet, and we don't pretend it does.
Your own data already shows how much traffic comes in from AI.
We'll map out the AI sources in your analytics and check whether your robots.txt is actually letting in the crawlers that matter.
Reply within 24 hours on working days