Build the signals that make AI engines recommend you
In our programs, AEO gets you cited in AI answers and GEO keeps you cited. GEO builds the content, authority and technical signals AI engines use to recommend your brand, month after month.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is ongoing work that keeps AI engines recommending your brand. It builds the content, trusted sources and technical setup they rely on.
In our programs, AEO (answer engine optimization) gets you cited first. GEO keeps you cited as platforms change how they write answers.
What is generative engine optimization?
GEO treats AI recommendation as a channel to maintain, not a one-time win. Every major AI platform changes how it finds, weighs and credits information.
A brand that earns a citation once will lose it over time as competitors keep working and platforms change.
How GEO works: the technical mechanisms
Indexed content quality
Clear structure and labeled facts make pages easier to read and quote. That means clear headings, direct answers and schema markup (code that labels what a page says).
Entity consistency
AI tools build a picture of your brand from how you appear across the web. Your entity is how your company is described: name, location, products. Matching entity data gives a stronger signal than mismatched listings.
Citation authority
Trusted sources depend on your category. Examples include trade associations, industry databases, directories and publications. A placement in those sources raises the chance of a citation.
Crawl access
Check each platform's official crawler settings. For ChatGPT search that includes OAI-SearchBot. Crawler policies differ by provider and change over time.
GEO vs AEO vs SEO: what a business actually needs
Ranked positions
Earns a position on a search results page. How: technical health, content depth and links from other sites.
Result: a position buyers may or may not click.
Cited in AI answers
Earns a place in AI-written answers. How: content structure, entity data and outside citation placement.
Result: a brand mention or citation buyers act on.
Sustained AI citation
Keeps and grows AI citation as platforms change. How: ongoing work on content, entity data, schema and sources.
Result: citation share (how often AI names you) tracked month over month.
Most brands new to AI search need an AEO engagement first, with a defined scope, set deliverables and a measurable result. A GEO retainer then protects and grows what was built.
The LumeSurge GEO process
- 01
Audit baseline
Test 25 to 40 buyer prompts across four AI platforms. Set your current citation share and list which competitors are cited instead.
- 02
Content structuring
Rewrite key pages into short, direct answers. Add schema on every relevant page: Organization, Service, LocalBusiness and FAQPage.
- 03
Entity alignment
Make your brand details match on every outside source: directories, association listings, publications and industry databases.
- 04
Source placements
Earn listings and mentions in the outside sources AI trusts most in your category.
- 05
Monthly tracking
Run your tracked buyer prompts each month. Report citation share by platform, change from the prior month and competitor movement.
- 06
Ongoing optimization
AI platforms change how they find sources, and they do so often. Adjust schema and page structure as they change.
Measuring GEO: how we track citation share month by month
GEO is measured by citation share. For a set group of buyer prompts in your category, what share of AI answers name or cite your brand?
- Citation share by platform: ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode
- Competitor citation share on the same prompts
- New prompts entering or leaving your category
- Attribution quality: named as a recommendation, or mentioned in passing
- Source changes: which outside sources are driving AI citations
The goal is a steady rise in citation share on the prompts your buyers actually ask.
Industry programs that build on this
Contractors
Build lasting AI recommendation presence when customers ask who to hire.
IndustryManufacturers
Keep your citation share when customers ask AI which manufacturer to shortlist.
ServiceVisibility Retainer
The monthly GEO program with citation share reporting and ongoing optimization.
Pairs well with AEO, Visibility Retainer, and the Free AI Visibility Snapshot.
Generative engine optimization (GEO) questions
What is the difference between GEO and AEO?
This split is our own framing, not an industry standard. We use AEO for the work of getting you cited in AI answers for your category, and GEO for the ongoing program that keeps and grows those citations as AI platforms change. Most brands need AEO first, then GEO.
Does llms.txt matter?
Google Search does not use llms.txt. A well-formed llms.txt file may help some other AI tools find your content, with no guarantee.
How is citation share calculated?
Each month we run a fixed set of buyer prompts across four AI platforms. We record which brands appear in each response. Citation share is the percentage of those prompts where your brand is named or cited.
How long does GEO take to show results?
Timing varies by site and by how often each source is re-crawled. Timing depends on your site and market. AI models update on different timescales, so steady work matters more than any single change.
Do I need to be on a retainer for GEO?
GEO needs ongoing work. AI platforms change how they find sources, new competitors earn citations, and buyer prompts shift. The Visibility Retainer is the structured way to run GEO with monthly reporting. A one-time engagement can build the base. Ongoing work holds the position.
Find out where you stand in AI answers
Start with the Free AI Visibility Snapshot. Or read about the Visibility Retainer to see the full GEO program.