Geol.ai Help Center - GEO & AI Search Optimization FAQs

Question 1

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Accepted Answer

GEO is the practice of optimizing content so generative AI systems (AI search/answer engines) can find, understand, and cite it when producing answers. The term was formalized in research introducing GEO as a framework to improve visibility in generative engine responses.

Question 2

What problem does GEO solve that traditional SEO doesn't?

Accepted Answer

SEO primarily optimizes for rankings and clicks in link-based search results. GEO optimizes for being selected as source material inside AI-generated answers—often without a click—where the 'winner' is the page that's easiest to extract, trust, and cite.

Question 3

Is 'GEO' the same thing as 'AI SEO' or 'LLMO'?

Accepted Answer

In practice, yes—these terms often describe overlapping goals: improving visibility inside AI-driven discovery and answers. 'GEO' is commonly used for optimization targeting generative engines; 'LLMO' emphasizes LLM behavior; 'AI SEO' is a broad umbrella term.

Question 4

Does GEO only matter for ChatGPT?

Accepted Answer

No. GEO applies to any system generating answers from web knowledge: Google's AI experiences, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, and others. Different engines fetch and cite differently, so you want platform-agnostic fundamentals plus platform-specific adjustments.

Question 5

What is an 'answer engine'?

Accepted Answer

An answer engine is a system that tries to return the answer directly (often with citations), rather than a list of links. This includes AI assistants and AI-powered search features like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.

Question 6

What is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

Accepted Answer

AEO is a set of practices designed to increase visibility in AI-generated answers and other direct-answer surfaces. It encompasses practices to increase brand visibility in AI-generated answers like ChatGPT and Google's AI experiences.

Question 7

GEO vs AEO: what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

GEO has a broader focus on generative engines and citation likelihood in generated responses. AEO has a broader focus on direct-answer surfaces including AI answers, featured snippets, and voice assistants. They overlap heavily in tactics like question targeting and answer-first formatting.

Question 8

What does it mean to be 'cited' by an LLM?

Accepted Answer

A citation is when the AI system includes your brand or page as a referenced source—via a link, footnote, or 'Sources' panel. Some systems cite more consistently than others; Perplexity is explicitly source-forward with numbered citations.

Question 9

Do AI engines always include citations?

Accepted Answer

No. Some answers include no links; others include a source list; others include brand mentions without URLs. Your goal is to maximize selection likelihood plus attribution likelihood through credible, extractable content.

Question 10

What is 'grounding' in AI search?

Accepted Answer

Grounding means the model generates an answer using retrieved sources (web pages, docs, databases) rather than only internal model memory. Engines with live retrieval tend to cite more and provide more current information.

Question 11

What is 'entity' optimization in GEO?

Accepted Answer

Entity optimization ensures people, brands, products, and topics are described consistently so AI systems can connect mentions across the web into one understood 'thing.' This helps AI recognize your brand as an authoritative source.

Question 12

Is GEO just 'writing in Q&A format'?

Accepted Answer

Q&A helps, but GEO is broader: technical accessibility, structured data, entity clarity, authority signals, content architecture, freshness strategy, and being cited/mentioned in trusted places. It's a comprehensive optimization approach.

Question 13

GEO vs SEO: which should I prioritize?

Accepted Answer

If you rely on organic acquisition, do both: SEO keeps you discoverable in traditional search and feeds many AI systems' source pools. GEO increases the chance you become the cited source in AI answers.

Question 14

Does strong SEO help GEO?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. Many AI answer systems lean on the web's existing authority signals (links, reputation, discoverability). SEO is often the base layer; GEO is the extraction plus citation layer built on top.

Question 15

Can GEO work if my site has weak SEO?

Accepted Answer

It's harder but possible in a niche. Start by building one definitive page that is exceptionally structured, original, and credible, then expand to a cluster of supporting content.

Question 16

Will GEO replace SEO?

Accepted Answer

No. SEO still matters for indexing, authority, and discovery. GEO expands optimization into 'answer selection,' not just ranking. Both disciplines will coexist and complement each other.

Question 17

Is AEO just featured snippet optimization?

Accepted Answer

AEO includes featured snippets, but also AI chat answers, voice responses, 'AI Overviews'-style summaries, and other direct-answer products. It's broader than just targeting the featured snippet position.

Question 18

What is 'AI Visibility'?

Accepted Answer

'AI visibility' is your share of presence inside AI answers: citations, mentions, and recommendations across platforms. It's not a single universal metric—each tool and platform defines and measures it differently.

Question 19

What types of queries benefit most from GEO?

Accepted Answer

Queries that benefit most include 'What is...' definitions, 'How to...' procedures, comparisons ('X vs Y'), best practices and checklists, tool selection queries, and troubleshooting questions.

Question 20

What types of businesses benefit most from GEO?

Accepted Answer

SaaS, B2B services, healthcare/legal info publishers (with compliance considerations), ecommerce categories, local services, and any brand that wins via education-led acquisition benefit most from GEO investment.

Question 21

How do AI engines pick sources to cite?

Accepted Answer

AI engines typically favor sources that are clearly relevant to the question, easy to extract (structure, headings, lists), credible (reputation, consistency, corroboration), and accessible to fetch/crawl without blocks or friction.

Question 22

What makes content 'easy to extract'?

Accepted Answer

Content is easy to extract when it uses question-based subheadings, provides direct answers in the first paragraph, uses bullets/steps/tables, includes explicit definitions and constraints, and maintains consistent terminology.

Question 23

What makes content 'credible' to an answer engine?

Accepted Answer

Credible content features transparent authorship and expertise, citations to primary sources where applicable, consistent entity details (brand, product, people), and corroboration by other reputable sites through mentions and links.

Question 24

Do backlinks still matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Backlinks matter as part of reputation and discoverability, but the 'best-linked page' doesn't automatically become the 'most-cited' page in AI answers. Extraction clarity and topical completeness often decide the final selection.

Question 25

Do social mentions matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Social mentions can matter indirectly. They increase discovery, brand/entity signals, and sometimes become part of a system's trusted corpus. They're not a direct ranking factor but contribute to overall authority.

Question 26

Does page speed matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Yes, especially for systems doing live fetches. Slow or JavaScript-heavy pages can fail retrieval or time out, preventing your content from being considered as a source for AI answers.

Question 27

What's the fastest way to start GEO?

Accepted Answer

Pick one high-intent topic, write answer-first sections and a deep FAQ, add structured data (Organization, WebSite, Article, FAQ subset), ensure bots can fetch it, then build a small cluster of 5-10 supporting pages around it.

Question 28

What should I audit first for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Start by auditing crawlability (robots, WAF, authentication walls), rendering (SSR vs heavy client rendering), content structure (answer-first plus headings), entity clarity (who/what you are), and schema coverage (basics done correctly).

Question 29

Which pages should I optimize first?

Accepted Answer

Prioritize pages that already convert or rank: your flagship guides, use-case pages, pricing/comparison pages, and glossary/definitions. These have existing authority and traffic that can be leveraged for AI visibility.

Question 30

Should I create new content or update existing pages?

Accepted Answer

Start by upgrading existing pages that already have authority. Then add new pages to fill topic gaps and question clusters. Existing pages have established authority that can be leveraged faster.

Question 31

How long does GEO take to show impact?

Accepted Answer

It depends on whether the platform uses live retrieval, cached indexes, or training data. For systems that retrieve live web, improvements can show up faster once recrawled; for others it may lag. Avoid promising timelines; measure via monitoring.

Question 32

What's a good 30-day GEO plan?

Accepted Answer

Week 1: technical audit plus fix fetchability plus schema baseline. Week 2: restructure 1-2 core pages answer-first plus add robust FAQ. Week 3: publish 5-10 supporting pages (cluster). Week 4: build citations, add monitoring, iterate.

Question 33

What does 'answer-first' mean?

Accepted Answer

Put the direct answer in the first 1-3 sentences, then expand with details, steps, and examples. This improves extraction for AI systems and improves user satisfaction by delivering value immediately.

Question 34

How long should each FAQ answer be?

Accepted Answer

Aim for 40-70 words for the initial snippet (optimized for extraction/citation), with additional expandable content for depth. This two-layer approach serves both quick answers and detailed explanations.

Question 35

Should I include step-by-step instructions in FAQs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, especially for 'how-to' queries. Use numbered steps for clarity, then add a short 'common mistakes' list. Step-by-step content is highly extractable and valuable for procedural questions.

Question 36

Are tables good for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Yes—tables are easy to parse for comparisons (e.g., GEO vs SEO vs AEO), requirements checklists, and 'if/then' decision logic. They structure information in a way that's highly extractable.

Question 37

Should I write for beginners or experts?

Accepted Answer

Write for both—layer the content: beginner-friendly snippet at the top, expandable advanced detail below. This reduces bounce and increases citation usefulness for different audience segments.

Question 38

Should I include examples?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Provide a 'good' example (well-structured answer) and a 'bad' example (vague/marketing fluff). Examples increase clarity and extraction quality while helping readers understand best practices.

Question 39

Does duplicate content hurt GEO?

Accepted Answer

It can. If multiple pages answer the same question with slight variations, engines may pick the stronger one and ignore the rest. Consolidate into canonical 'definitive' pages for best results.

Question 40

Should I add a glossary section instead of a FAQ?

Accepted Answer

Do both: a glossary for entities/terms, and a FAQ for question intent. The FAQ captures 'how-to / vs / troubleshooting' queries that glossaries miss, while glossaries define key terminology.

Question 41

What is FAQPage schema?

Accepted Answer

FAQPage is a Schema.org type for pages that present a list of questions and answers. It's implemented with mainEntity containing Question objects with acceptedAnswer. It helps search engines understand your FAQ content structure.

Question 42

Does FAQ schema guarantee higher rankings or AI citations?

Accepted Answer

No. Even Google explicitly says structured data enables eligibility but does not guarantee display. Use it to improve machine understanding and consistency, not as a guaranteed growth lever.

Question 43

How many FAQs should I mark up in JSON-LD?

Accepted Answer

For on-page UX, you can have many FAQs. For JSON-LD, mark up the most important questions (often 20-50), keep all answers visible, and avoid thin/promotional entries. Quality over quantity.

Question 44

Can I mark up marketing questions like 'Why are we the best?'

Accepted Answer

You can include them on-page, but putting promotional Q&A into FAQ schema increases spam risk and decreases credibility. Keep schema FAQs educational and user-intent driven, not promotional.

Question 45

Can FAQ answers contain links and lists?

Accepted Answer

Google's FAQ structured data documentation allows certain HTML tags in the text field, including links and lists. This means you can include bulleted lists, numbered steps, and relevant hyperlinks in your FAQ answers.

Question 46

Do I need FAQ schema if Google limits FAQ rich results?

Accepted Answer

Google limiting rich results doesn't eliminate schema value: other parsers can still consume it, it helps consistency, and the visible FAQ content itself is the primary asset. Schema remains valuable beyond Google.

Question 47

What other schema types matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Commonly useful schemas include Organization plus WebSite (entity clarity), Article or TechArticle (for guides), BreadcrumbList, Person (author), and SoftwareApplication if relevant. FAQPage is a layer—not the foundation.

Question 48

How do I validate my FAQ schema?

Accepted Answer

Use Schema.org Validator for structural correctness and Google's Rich Results Test for Google eligibility. Also monitor Search Console for structured data issues. Regular validation catches errors before they impact performance.

Question 49

Which OpenAI crawlers matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

OpenAI documents OAI-SearchBot (used to surface sites in ChatGPT search features), GPTBot (training crawler), and ChatGPT-User (user-initiated fetch, not general crawling). OAI-SearchBot is most important for visibility.

Question 50

If I block GPTBot, can I still appear in ChatGPT search?

Accepted Answer

Yes—OpenAI states the settings are independent; you can allow OAI-SearchBot while disallowing GPTBot. This lets you appear in search results without contributing to training data.

Question 51

What are Anthropic's crawlers?

Accepted Answer

Anthropic documents ClaudeBot (potential training data collection), Claude-User (user-initiated fetch), and Claude-SearchBot (improves search result quality). Similar structure to OpenAI's crawler ecosystem.

Question 52

What are Perplexity's crawlers?

Accepted Answer

Perplexity documents PerplexityBot (surfaces and links websites in Perplexity search results) and Perplexity-User (user-initiated fetch to answer questions). PerplexityBot is the main crawler for visibility.

Question 53

Does Perplexity-User follow robots.txt?

Accepted Answer

Perplexity's documentation notes that since the fetch is user-requested, this fetcher 'generally ignores robots.txt rules.' The user explicitly asked to access the content, so Perplexity honors that request.

Question 54

How do I allow OpenAI's search crawler in robots.txt?

Accepted Answer

Add an allow rule for OAI-SearchBot and verify your robots.txt syntax. OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot for inclusion in ChatGPT search results.

Question 55

Should I block AI crawlers?

Accepted Answer

It's a business decision: block training crawlers if you want to reduce training use; allow search crawlers if you want visibility and citations. Many companies separate 'search inclusion' from 'training inclusion' where possible.

Question 56

Can my WAF block AI crawlers even if robots.txt allows them?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If your WAF blocks their IPs or challenges them, they may never fetch your content. Perplexity explicitly provides WAF configuration guidance and IP ranges for verification to prevent accidental blocking.

Question 57

What is llms.txt?

Accepted Answer

/llms.txt is a proposed standard: a markdown file at your site root that provides LLM-friendly guidance and curated links to key resources, intended mainly for inference-time use when an assistant is answering questions about your site.

Question 58

Is llms.txt the same as robots.txt?

Accepted Answer

No: robots.txt provides access control signals for crawlers (allow/disallow). llms.txt provides curated 'how to use this site' context for LLMs/agents. They're complementary standards for different purposes.

Question 59

Should I publish markdown versions of key pages?

Accepted Answer

If feasible, yes. The llms.txt proposal suggests making clean markdown versions available (e.g., .md appended URLs) to reduce parsing friction. This gives AI systems cleaner, more extractable content.

Question 60

Do sitemaps and RSS still matter for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Sitemaps aid discovery; RSS can help syndication and recency detection. They don't guarantee citation, but they remove preventable barriers to discovery and help AI systems find your content.

Question 61

How do I optimize for Perplexity citations?

Accepted Answer

Ensure PerplexityBot can fetch your pages, make answers extractable with clear headings and lists, and publish definitive pages that cover topics completely. Perplexity searches the internet in real time and distills sources.

Question 62

How do I optimize for ChatGPT citations?

Accepted Answer

Allow OAI-SearchBot for search visibility, make your page easy to cite with direct answers and credible references, and strengthen brand/entity presence across the web. Focus on being the most authoritative source.

Question 63

How do I optimize for Claude citations?

Accepted Answer

Focus on technical accuracy and careful sourcing. Ensure Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User can access content if you want visibility. Anthropic documents these bots and their intended uses in their help center.

Question 64

How do I optimize for Copilot / Bing-driven answers?

Accepted Answer

Treat Bing SEO as a core dependency: strong technical SEO, clear structured content, and authority through citations. Many AI answer experiences rely on mainstream web indexes and reputable sources.

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