What is GEO, and how do you get ChatGPT to recommend your business?
More and more people ask an AI for a recommendation before they search on Google: “Which accountancy firm would you recommend in Andorra?” or “Where can I get my windscreen repaired in Andorra la Vella?” GEO is how you show up in ChatGPT and other AI tools when they answer. Here I explain what GEO is, how it relates to SEO and what you can start doing today.
What is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization: optimising for the engines that generate answers, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI Overviews. Instead of ten links, these systems give a written answer and sometimes cite their sources. If you're not among those sources, you don't exist for that question.
SEO and GEO: how they're alike and how they differ
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Appearing in Google's results | Being mentioned in the AI's answer |
| What it shows | A list of links | A written answer with recommendations and sources |
| What it rewards | Relevance, authority and user experience | Clear, verifiable information repeated across trustworthy sources |
| How it's measured | Rankings, clicks and conversions | Mentions, citations and traffic coming from AI |
The good news is that they reinforce each other: much of what AI tools consider trustworthy comes from what Google already considers trustworthy. A fast, clear, well-structured website is the foundation for both.
How to get AI to recommend you
Say plainly what you do, where and for whom
AI tools summarise. If your website says “comprehensive value-added solutions”, there's nothing to summarise. If it says “we repair and calibrate windscreens in Andorra la Vella, with same-day appointments”, there is.
Answer your customers' questions
An FAQ section with direct answers is gold: those are exactly the sentences AI tools look for to build their answers. Guide prices, timescales, service area, languages, guarantees.
Verifiable facts
Years of experience, projects, certifications, location, opening hours. Concrete facts that match across your website, your Google profile and other sites.
Presence beyond your website
AI tools cross-check. Reviews, industry directories, local media and associations make it more likely you'll be mentioned.
Structured data
Schema.org markup helps machines understand unambiguously who you are, what you offer and which questions you answer.
Check that you're not blocking AI crawlers by accident. Some security settings or robots.txt configurations do exactly that.
How to measure GEO
- Write down the questions your ideal customer would ask.
- Put them to the main AI tools every month.
- Note whether you appear, how you're described and who gets recommended.
- Check your analytics for visits coming from them.
- Adjust your content and presence based on what you find.
What content AI tends to cite
Clear service pages
One page per service, covering what's included, who it's for, which area you cover and how to hire you. It's the most direct source when someone asks “who does this in Andorra?”.
Guides that genuinely answer questions
Articles that resolve a specific question from start to finish, with steps, examples and FAQs. AI tools prefer sources that explain, not ones that only sell.
Honest comparisons
When one option makes sense and when another does, even if one of them isn't you. Honesty builds trust with people and with the systems that summarise information.
GEO checklist for your website
- Every service has its own page with a clear title.
- Your home page says in one sentence what you do, where and for whom.
- There are FAQs with two- or three-sentence answers.
- Your contact details match across your website, Google profile and directories.
- Your website has structured data for your business, services and FAQs.
- AI crawlers aren't being blocked by accident.
- You publish useful guides regularly.
- You check every month whether AI tools mention you.
What this means in Andorra
In a small, multilingual market there's a clear opportunity: many questions about services in Andorra have few good sources, and even fewer in several languages. Whoever explains clearly what they do, in Catalan, Spanish, French and English, stands a very good chance of being the answer.
Frequently asked questions
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. They complement each other. Without an SEO foundation, it's hard for AI to treat you as a trustworthy source.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT?
Recommendations in AI answers can't be bought: they're earned with clear information and a presence on trustworthy sources.
How long does it take to see results?
AI tools update their information at different rates. Changes typically show within weeks or months, which is why we measure every month.
Does it affect small businesses?
Yes, a lot. For local searches, AI usually recommends only a handful of names. Being one of them makes all the difference.
SEO and GEO work best together. If you want to know how Google and AI see you today, we start with an audit.
Kim CapelBuilding websites in Andorra since 2005. Today: signature websites, AI implementation and SEO. More about me