Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): SEO for the Age of AI Answers

For twenty years, getting found online meant ranking on Google's page of blue links. That still matters. But a growing share of searches now end with an AI-written answer: Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and Copilot.

Generative engine optimisation, usually shortened to GEO, is the work of getting your business into those answers. You'll also hear it called AI search optimisation, answer engine optimisation (AEO) or LLM optimisation. They mean roughly the same thing.

How GEO differs from SEO

They're not rivals. The foundations of good SEO, a fast, well-structured site with useful content, are also the foundations of GEO. See SEO for small businesses.

What AI engines look for

Clear answers

AI engines pull passages that answer a question directly. A page that opens with a straight answer is more quotable than one that builds up to it.

Consistent facts

The same name, location, services and details across your website, profiles and listings. Contradictions reduce confidence.

Credible sources

Mentions in news, reviews, directories, industry sites and other independent sources. AI engines weigh what others say about you, not just what you say about yourself.

Structure

Headings, lists, tables, FAQs and structured data make content easier for machines to read and quote.

Specifics

Numbers, names, places and dates. "Delivers across Accra in 24 hours" is more useful to an AI than "fast delivery".

What to do first

1. Audit what AI says about you. Ask the major assistants the questions your buyers ask. Record the answers. See how to get recommended by ChatGPT.
2. Write a clear entity statement. One paragraph saying exactly what your business is, where, since when, for whom. Put it on your about page.
3. Fix your facts everywhere. Website, Google Business Profile, social media, directories.
4. Create one page per service and location, each answering the obvious questions directly.
5. Add FAQ sections and structured data.
6. Make sure AI crawlers can read your site. Check robots.txt and consider an llms.txt file. See what llms.txt is.
7. Earn mentions on credible sites in your industry and country.
8. Publish useful, specific guides that answer real buyer questions.

Writing for GEO

• Put the answer in the first sentence of each section.
• Use the words people actually type or say when they ask.
• Write in short, self-contained paragraphs that make sense if quoted alone.
• Include specifics: numbers, places, names, dates.
• Cite sources for claims where you can.
• Keep content up to date. AI engines doing live searches favour current information.

Why it matters now, especially in Ghana

Many local searches in Ghana are answered by thin pages, empty business profiles and foreign websites. That means AI assistants often have very little good information about Ghanaian businesses. A business that does the work now can become the default answer in its category before competitors notice. See AI search optimisation in Ghana.

Measuring GEO

• Ask a fixed set of questions in each AI assistant every month.
• Record whether you're mentioned, how you're described, and who else is named.
• Track referral traffic from AI tools in your analytics.
• Ask new customers how they found you. "ChatGPT told me" is becoming a common answer.

Common questions

Does GEO replace SEO?

No. Google search is still huge, and good SEO feeds GEO. Do both.

Can GEO be guaranteed?

No. No one controls what an AI says. You can make your business the clearest, most credible option.

Does MediaWura do GEO?

Yes. See our AI search optimisation service.