GEO and AEO: visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google
GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) describe the work of making sure that AI systems find a company, describe it correctly and cite it as a source. This means answers in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot as well as in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode. AWEO takes care of the fundamentals that actually count and measures the result.
Updated:
What has changed
More and more people no longer type their question as keywords but as a full sentence, often directly to an AI. Google launched AI Mode in Switzerland in October 2025. Such systems break a question down into several sub-searches and summarise the results. If you are not found in the process, you do not appear in the answer.
We see this on aweo.ch as well: Google Search Console shows search queries that read like instructions to an AI, for example asking it to research online and name specific agencies for AI content.
What Google itself says
In May 2026, Google published its own guide to generative AI in Search. The key message: for Google, GEO is the same as SEO, because AI answers are built on the same ranking systems. What matters is original, helpful content based on first-hand experience, clean technical foundations and a well-maintained business profile.
Google is just as clear about what does not help: llms.txt files, artificially breaking content into chunks, special markup or bought mentions. And building a separate thin page for every search variant violates the spam policies.
Our approach
- 1
Measure the starting point
We review Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools and a fixed list of questions your customers would ask an AI. Is your company mentioned? Described correctly? Who appears instead?
- 2
Technical setup and indexing
Language, canonicals, sitemap, structured data, loading speed. Plus Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow, because ChatGPT and Copilot draw on the Bing index.
- 3
Make the company tangible as a brand
One consistent company description, a complete Google Business Profile, reviews and consistent entries in reputable directories.
- 4
Content with substance
Pages that answer specific questions with your own facts, examples and processes. No mass production of keyword pages.
- 5
Genuine mentions
Expert articles, interviews, LinkedIn and YouTube. AI systems often rely on sources outside your own website.
- 6
Measure monthly
Search Console with its generative AI report, Bing, the fixed list of questions and enquiries in which customers name “AI” as their source.
SEO, GEO, AEO: what is what?
| Term | Meaning | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| SEO | Search engine optimization | good positions in classic search results |
| GEO | Generative engine optimization | being mentioned and cited in generative AI answers |
| AEO | Answer engine optimization | appearing as the direct answer to a question |
| LLMO | Large language model optimization | another term for the same goal as GEO |
In practice the terms overlap heavily. The foundation is the same for all of them.
What we do not do
- No guarantee of first place or of mentions in ChatGPT. Nobody can seriously promise that.
- No bought links and no fake mentions.
- No mass of automatically generated pages for every search variant.
Frequently asked questions about GEO and AEO
Do I need an llms.txt file?
Not for Google: Google explicitly ignores it. Other services could use it, but according to analyses from 2026 AI crawlers hardly ever request it. It does no harm, but it is not a lever.
How quickly will I see results?
Technical fixes often take effect within a few weeks. New content, reviews and mentions usually take two to six months to show in rankings and AI answers.
Can visibility in AI answers be measured?
Partly. Since 2026, Google has shown impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search Console. For ChatGPT and Perplexity we work with a fixed list of questions that we check the same way every month.
Is GEO worthwhile for smaller companies too?
Yes. Especially for local services and niche topics, smaller providers have good chances, because AI systems look for specific, credible sources.