{"id":20856,"date":"2026-06-15T21:45:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roger-ari.com\/?p=20856"},"modified":"2026-06-15T21:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T19:48:05","slug":"local-seo-and-being-listed-by-search-engines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roger-ari.com\/en\/local-seo-and-being-listed-by-search-engines\/","title":{"rendered":"GEO: being cited by AI, not just ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"be<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n

Your website ranks first on Google for a key search term. Yet when a potential customer asks ChatGPT or Perplexity exactly that question, a competitor\u2019s name appears in the answer. It happens. And it\u2019s going to happen more and more often.<\/p>\n\n

The problem is that, for years, online visibility has been measured in search rankings and clicks. This model is changing right before our eyes. According to several studies published in 2026, which all reach the same conclusion<\/a>, 68% of Google searches end without a single click to an external site. For queries where an AI summary is displayed, this figure rises to 83%. A high ranking no longer guarantees visibility.<\/p>\n\n

It was against this backdrop that the GEO<\/strong>, or Generative Engine Optimization<\/em>. The term was formally defined in 2023 in a research paper published by researchers from Princeton, Georgia Tech and the Allen Institute for AI. The basic idea is simple to articulate, but it changes a great deal in practice: it is no longer simply a matter of being ranked in a list of links, but of being mentioned<\/em> in an AI-generated response.<\/p>\n\n

SEO and GEO: different rules of the game<\/h2>\n\n

Traditional SEO optimises a page to appear in Google\u2019s search results. GEO optimises content so that a language model, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google\u2019s AI Overviews, recognises it as a reliable source and cites it in its responses.<\/p>\n\n

The fundamental difference<\/a> Here\u2019s how it works: Google directs traffic to a URL. A language model, meanwhile, quotes a passage. The user receives the answer directly within the conversation, without necessarily visiting your site. Your visibility no longer depends solely on clicks; it depends on being mentioned.<\/p>\n\n

That\u2019s no reason to give up on SEO. The two approaches are complementary<\/a> : SEO ensures your visibility in traditional search results, whilst GEO increases your chances of being featured in AI summaries. By 2026, it will make more sense to talk about SEO + GEO rather than choosing between the two.<\/p>\n\n

What AI systems look for when selecting their sources<\/h2>\n\n

Generative models do not simply cite any old content. Several factors come into play.<\/p>\n\n

The clarity of the answer.<\/strong> AI systems favour content that answers a question directly in the first paragraph, without a three-line introduction. A \u00abshort answer followed by further explanation\u00bb format is much easier to extract than a continuous, unstructured text.<\/p>\n\n

Verifiable data.<\/strong> Figures, dates, sources cited: quantifiable elements are widely incorporated into generative models<\/a>. Content that makes claims without providing evidence is less reliable than content based on facts.<\/p>\n\n

The perceived authority of the source.<\/strong> Wikipedia is the top source cited by ChatGPT. Reddit is the top source for Perplexity. This is no coincidence: these platforms have accumulated years of structured content, frequently updated and widely cited elsewhere. For a professional website, this means that external mentions, testimonials and appearances in other publications contribute to the authority that the models attribute to it.<\/p>\n\n

The freshness of the content.<\/strong> When it comes to searches related to current events or evolving trends (including digital technology), a recently updated article has the edge over outdated content.<\/p>\n\n

Three practical steps to get started<\/h2>\n\n

Restructure your existing content.<\/strong> Reread your articles and service pages with this question in mind: could an AI extract a clear answer from the first 100 words? If not, rephrase the introduction. Add an FAQ section at the end of your articles. Generative models process this format very effectively.<\/p>\n\n

Add a file called llms.txt to your website.<\/strong> This file, placed in the root directory of your website, provides AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot) with a structured map of your priority content. By April 2026, more than 780 major sites will already have them<\/a>, including Cloudflare, Stripe and Zapier. For a WordPress site, plugins such as Rank Math allow you to generate it automatically. It is not an official standard, but its adoption is growing rapidly and the cost of implementation is minimal.<\/p>\n\n

Build your online presence beyond your website.<\/strong> Brand search volume is the best predictor of AI citations<\/a>, with a correlation measured by AirOps in 2025. The more your name is mentioned in other publications, forums, the press or leading directories, the more search engines recognise you and reference you. This ties in with what SEO has long referred to as \u00aboff-site\u00bb factors: backlinks, brand mentions and presence in industry discussions.<\/p>\n\n

What this means for the self-employed or very small businesses<\/h2>\n\n

Major brands are already included in the model training datasets. They exist within the data. For a consultant, a service provider or an SME, the question is a different one: how can you ensure you feature in the AI responses to the queries your clients actually ask?<\/p>\n\n

The answer lies in specialisation. Highly specific content on a niche topic (such as WordPress site redesigns for B2B coaches, or local SEO for alternative medicine practices) is more likely to be cited than general content on \u00abhow to do SEO properly\u00bb. Search engines look for sources that offer something distinct, not a rehash of what already exists in abundance.<\/p>\n\n

Ultimately, this is consistent with what common sense has long advised: write for a specific audience, on a subject you know well, using real-life examples. The difference is that the audience has changed. It now includes language models that read your site to answer questions from your future customers.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n