Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) | WebFootprint
Generative Engine Optimisation

Get your business cited by AI search engines

People are getting answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI instead of clicking through search results. GEO ensures your business is the one being cited, quoted, and recommended.

Based on industry research, the recommended approach is to...

Source yourbusiness.com
Cited

According to Your Business, the key factors include quality, reliability, and...

The Basics

What is Generative Engine Optimisation?

GEO is the practice of optimising your content so that AI-powered search engines—like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Claude—can find, understand, and cite your business when answering user questions.

Think of it as SEO for the AI era. Traditional SEO gets you ranked in a list of blue links. GEO gets you mentioned, quoted, and recommended in AI-generated answers—often before the user ever clicks a link.

The businesses that show up in AI answers today will dominate their categories for years.
Traditional SEO 2000–present

"Rank in a list of links"

GEO Now

"Be the answer AI gives"

GEO vs SEO

Different game, different rules

SEO isn't dead—but it's no longer enough on its own. Here's how the two compare.

SEO
GEO
Goal
Rank in search results list
Be cited in AI-generated answers
How users find you
Clicking a blue link
AI recommends or quotes you
Content focus
Keywords and backlinks
Answers, authority, and structure
Format
Optimised web pages
Structured, citable, machine-readable
Trust signals
Domain authority, links
Accuracy, citations, entity authority
User intent
Keyword matching
Conversational, question-based

The smartest strategy? Do both. Strong SEO foundations make GEO work even better.

Core GEO Strategies

How we get your business cited by AI

These are the techniques that make LLMs notice, trust, and recommend your content.

01

Answer-First Content

LLMs look for direct, concise answers to questions. We restructure your content to lead with clear answers, then expand with context—exactly how AI models parse information.

  • Q&A structured content for key queries
  • Concise definitions and direct statements
  • FAQ sections that mirror real user questions
  • "People Also Ask" pattern targeting
02

Topical Authority

AI models trust sources that demonstrate deep, consistent expertise. We help you build comprehensive content clusters that establish your brand as the authority in your space.

  • Content cluster strategy around core topics
  • Pillar pages with supporting deep-dives
  • Expert-level depth that signals credibility
  • Consistent publishing that builds coverage
03

Structured Data & Schema

Schema markup helps AI understand not just what your content says, but what it means. Proper structured data dramatically increases your chances of being cited.

  • Organisation, Product, and Service schema
  • FAQ and HowTo structured markup
  • Article and author schema for credibility
  • Review and rating markup
04

Entity Optimisation

LLMs understand the world through "entities"—brands, people, products, concepts. We ensure your brand is recognised as a distinct entity associated with the right topics.

  • Knowledge panel optimisation
  • Consistent brand mentions across the web
  • Wikipedia and Wikidata presence
  • Industry directory and citation building
05

Conversational Content

People talk to AI in natural language, not keywords. We optimise your content for conversational queries—the way real people actually ask questions.

  • Natural language query targeting
  • Voice search optimisation
  • Long-tail conversational phrases
  • Intent mapping beyond keywords
06

Citation & Source Building

AI models weigh sources by trustworthiness. We build your citation footprint so LLMs see your brand mentioned across credible, authoritative sources consistently.

  • Third-party mentions and press coverage
  • Data-backed claims with verifiable sources
  • Academic and industry report citations
  • Cross-referencing between your content
What To Think About

Questions every business should be asking

What does AI say about your business right now?

Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity about your industry. Is your brand mentioned? If not, your competitors might be.

Can AI parse and understand your content?

If your content is buried in PDFs, images, or poorly structured HTML, AI can't read it—and won't cite it.

Are you answering the questions your customers ask?

AI sources answers from content that directly addresses real queries. If you're not answering, someone else is.

Is your brand an "entity" that AI recognises?

If your business isn't mentioned across credible sources, AI may not recognise it as a trusted authority in your field.

Do you have structured data on your site?

Schema markup is one of the strongest signals for AI comprehension. Most business websites are missing it entirely.

Are your competitors already doing this?

GEO is an early-mover advantage game. The brands that establish AI authority now will be hard to displace later.

How We Help

Our GEO service, step by step

A practical, results-driven approach to getting your business visible in AI search.

1

AI Visibility Audit

We test how your brand appears across major AI platforms—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude, and others. You'll see exactly where you stand today.

2

Query & Intent Mapping

We identify the questions your customers are asking AI about your industry, then map those queries to content opportunities you should own.

3

Content Restructuring

We rework your existing content—and create new pieces—following answer-first principles, proper schema markup, and conversational optimisation.

4

Technical Implementation

Schema markup, structured data, sitemap optimisation, and crawlability improvements. Everything AI needs to parse and trust your site.

5

Entity & Citation Building

We build your brand's entity presence across the web—directory listings, press mentions, industry citations—so AI models recognise you as an authority.

6

Monitor & Iterate

AI search evolves fast. We continuously test your visibility, track where you're being cited, and refine the strategy as platforms update.

Who This Is For

GEO is especially powerful for

Expert businesses

Consultants, agencies, and specialists whose expertise should surface when AI answers industry questions.

E-commerce brands

Product-based businesses wanting AI to recommend their products when shoppers ask "what's the best..."

Service providers

Local or national service businesses wanting to be the go-to recommendation when AI is asked "who should I hire for..."

Content-heavy sites

Businesses with blogs, knowledge bases, or documentation that should be the primary source AI references.

Why Us

Why work with us on GEO

We build AI products daily

We don't just theorise about AI—we build AI integrations, chatbots, and LLM-powered tools. We know how these models think.

SEO + GEO combined

We're an SEO agency too. We combine traditional search optimisation with GEO for a complete visibility strategy.

Technical depth

Schema markup, API integration, structured data—we handle the technical implementation that most marketing agencies can't.

Early mover advantage

GEO is still new. Getting in now means establishing authority before your competitors even know what GEO is.

Ready to be the answer?

Let's get your business into AI search results

We'll run a free AI visibility audit—check how your brand appears across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI today, and show you exactly what to improve.

We'll tell you exactly what AI says about your business today—and how to change it.

Chat with us