Generative engine optimization: how to get cited by AI answers
People now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews before they buy. Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the work of making your site one of the sources those tools quote. I am David and I do this work myself, on top of classic SEO, with plain talk and no promises I cannot keep.
I have done SEO and SEM since 2013. I cannot promise you will get cited. I can promise I will tell you the truth about your pages and fix what I can. I joke little, I work much.
What generative engine optimization is
Classic SEO helps you rank in a list of links. GEO helps you get quoted inside the answer an AI tool gives. Same site, different finish.
When someone types "which travel insurance covers cancellations" into ChatGPT, the tool builds an answer from sources it trusts. If your page is clear, dated and easy to quote, your odds go up. If it is vague, the tool skips you.
GEO is not a secret trick. It is good writing with clean facts, tidy structure and sources you can check. Some people call it AI SEO, some call it GEO. If you need the classic side too, my SEO consultant page covers it.
How AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity pick sources
These tools need solid answers to show. Here is what they reward, from what I see day to day:
- A clear answer in the first two lines. No warm up.
- Short headings that read like questions people would type in a chat.
- Clean facts with dates. If a fact changes often, the page says when it was checked.
- Links to the original source. Readers trust that and machines do too.
- Structured data, which is code that tells Google what each part of the page means.
What is opinion gets skipped. Tools quote what is documented. If you want the full method, I wrote a note on how to rank in ChatGPT.
What I do in a GEO project
I keep it practical. Here is what I do exactly:
- I read your key pages the way an AI tool would and mark what is hard to quote.
- I rewrite the pages your buyers ask about, with the answer up top.
- I tidy structured data and internal links so each part is labelled right.
- I point to original sources and keep dates current.
- I track citations and tell you what moved, in plain words.
You get short docs and real changes, not a huge PDF no one reads.
The pillars of SEO for AI: entities, structure, mentions and technical base
This is what comes up most often when you look at how AI search answers are built. I share it as observation, not as a published algorithm.
Entities instead of loose keywords
A language model understands concepts and relationships: who you are, what you offer, to whom and where. If your site explains that clearly and consistently across pages, it is easier for models to tie you to your topic.
Content that is easy to extract
Short paragraphs that answer a question in the first two sentences, plus lists, tables and FAQs. What can be quoted as is has a better chance of showing up in an answer.
Mentions and reputation beyond your site
AI answers tend to lean on what others say about you: forums, social, video and press. A mention in a recognised source can matter even without a link.
Technical base and supporting files
A crawlable, fast site with correct structured data is still the foundation. Some sites also try an llms.txt file to help models, but there is no guarantee they use it: I treat it as an extra, not the fix.
How I work: my process in four steps
I keep it simple. First I learn your trade. Then I touch the pages. Then we read numbers together.
- 1Check. I open your site, your Search Console and your GA4, which is Google's tool to see clicks and contacts. You give me access and ten minutes to explain what you sell. I tell you on a call what I see wrong.
- 2Fix. I rewrite the key pages so the answer sits in the first two lines, with clean facts and sources.
- 3Label. I clean structured data and internal links, or I send clear asks for your dev.
- 4Track. Each month we watch citations, clicks and contacts. If a page stops getting quoted, we adjust. I ping you first.
What I need from you to start
- Access to Search Console and GA4, read only is fine
- Which pages bring buyers today
- Who can publish changes, you, me, or your dev
GEO consultant vs agency: which fits you
I have been on both sides. Each one has its moment.
| Point | With me | With an agency |
|---|---|---|
| Who does the work | I do it from start to end | An account lead plus staff |
| Talk | You write to me direct | You write to a manager |
| Speed | Few clients at once, fast moves | More hands, more meetings |
| Tech | I read code, logs and feeds | Split across roles |
| Setup | Simple quote, no odd lock in | Yearly deal and layers |
Pick a freelance when you want one brain on your site. Pick an agency when you need lots of hands at once, like fifty pages in a week.
How to measure whether you get cited
No tool can promise citations. We can measure them. Here is how I do it:
- We list the questions your buyers ask AI tools, ten to fifteen of them.
- We check who gets quoted in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, once a month.
- We watch clicks and contacts from AI answers in GA4.
- We keep what gets quoted and rewrite what does not.
If nothing moves after two rounds, I tell you. A one-off SEO audit can be enough to start.
When it makes sense to hire me
Hire a GEO consultant when your buyers ask AI before they buy and your pages are not ready to be quoted. Here are real cases I see:
- A shop whose buyers compare products in ChatGPT first. We rewrite key category pages so the answer is clear and dated.
- A firm that sells abroad and each country version drifts. I set hreflang, which tells Google what version to show per place, and clean per-country pages.
- A team already doing classic SEO that wants the AI layer on top. We join both so they pull the same way.
- A studio-type business that lives from calls. We fix service pages and track contacts, the way I did for architecture studios at ChovA.
When not yet: if you just launched and you have no clear offer, sell a bit first. Come back when you have proof people pay.
My experience with SEO and AI
I am from Cornella and I talk like over coffee. This is what I have touched:
- SEO and SEM since 2013, with multi-market ecommerce.
- At Heymondo, travel insurance, SEO and SEM for Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. At IDFinance, Moneyman, SEO for Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Poland and Georgia. With local keyword research, E-E-A-T content per country, which means first-hand notes that build trust, link building per country and report automation.
- At ChovA, client hunt for architecture studios with SEO and SEM.
- SelfPackaging, Grupo Brownie and Mopec, where I was head of ecommerce.
- PrestaShop deep: PHP modules, payment gateways, shipping and the Salesforce to PrestaShop link. Also WordPress and MySQL.
- Google Ads and Shopping, Meta Ads, email marketing, CRO and A/B tests, which are small page tries to get more quotes, and GA4 and Looker Studio boards.
- In 2026 I build AI agents and automation for marketing chores. I live in Andorra since 2022. I invest in startups.
I still like small shops. Big words bore me. Clear data keeps me calm.
FAQ
What is generative engine optimization?
Generative engine optimization is the work of making your site a source that AI tools quote. You write clear answers, keep facts dated and tidy the structure so machines can parse each page.
How is GEO different from classic SEO?
Classic SEO helps you rank in a list of links. GEO helps you get quoted inside the answer. Both need the same clean site. GEO adds the finish that makes a page easy to cite.
How do I get cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity?
Answer the reader's question in the first two lines. Use short headings that read like questions. Keep facts current with dates and link to original sources. There is no shortcut, but clear pages get quoted more often.
How much does a GEO consultant cost?
It depends. I quote after I see your site, your trade and your goal. I look at site size, how many pages need rewriting, if you sell in one place or many, and if your team ships or I ship. You send the form, I check your case and I send a closed quote.
Can you guarantee I will appear in ChatGPT?
No. Nobody can. I can promise I will make your pages clear, dated and easy to quote, and I will track who cites you. If the work does not pay, I tell you before you spend more.
When does it make sense to hire?
When your buyers ask AI tools before they buy and your pages are not ready to be quoted. If you already do classic SEO, GEO sits on top of it. If you just launched, sell a bit first and come back with proof people pay.
Let us talk
Tell me your case with a short form. I read it myself and I reply.