What Is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)? Explained for Business Owners

If you have heard the term GEO and wondered what it means, here is the simple version: GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It is the practice of making your business visible in AI-generated search results — the answers given by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, and Gemini.

Traditional SEO helps your website rank on Google's list of ten blue links. GEO helps your business get recommended when someone asks an AI assistant for help finding a service like yours. The difference matters because AI search is growing rapidly, and the way it recommends businesses is fundamentally different from how Google ranks websites.

How AI Search Works Differently from Google Search

When someone searches on Google, they see a list of websites and decide which one to click. The user does the filtering.

When someone searches on ChatGPT or Perplexity, the AI reads hundreds of sources, synthesises the information, and gives a direct answer — often naming specific businesses. The AI does the filtering. Your website does not get a chance to compete with a compelling headline or meta description. Either the AI knows about your business and trusts it enough to recommend, or it does not.

This means the signals that matter for GEO are different from traditional SEO:

What Signals AI Engines Use to Recommend Businesses

AI engines look for businesses that are easy to understand, well-documented, and consistently mentioned across multiple sources. The key signals include:

• Entity recognition: Does the AI understand that your business is a specific entity with a name, location, services, and contact details? Schema markup (JSON-LD structured data) is the primary way to make this clear.
• Content clarity: Are your service descriptions detailed and structured in a question-and-answer format? AI engines extract information from FAQ sections, service descriptions, and clearly written content.
• Data consistency: Is your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) identical everywhere — your website, Google Business Profile, directories, and social media profiles?
• Authoritative mentions: Is your business mentioned on other reputable websites? Directory listings, industry publications, and local business associations all contribute to AI trust.

Why GEO Matters for Indian Businesses Right Now

India has one of the fastest-growing AI search user bases in the world. ChatGPT alone has millions of active users in India, and that number is growing every month. When a potential customer in Bengaluru, Mumbai, or Delhi asks ChatGPT "who is the best CA firm near me" or "top interior designer in Koramangala", the AI gives them a direct recommendation.

Most Indian businesses have not optimised for this. Their websites lack schema markup, their content is thin, and their business data is inconsistent across platforms. This creates a massive opportunity for businesses that act now — if you optimise for GEO before your competitors do, you will be the one the AI recommends.

5 Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your GEO

1. Add schema markup to your website. At minimum, add LocalBusiness or ProfessionalService schema with your business name, address, phone, services, and pricing. Use Google's Rich Results Test to validate it.
2. Write detailed FAQ sections. Add 5-10 real questions your customers ask, with thorough answers. AI engines pull directly from FAQ content.
3. Complete your Google Business Profile. Fill in every field — categories, services, hours, photos, description. Respond to every review. AI engines heavily rely on Google Business data.
4. Make your NAP data consistent. Check that your business name, address, and phone number are identical on your website, Google Business Profile, Justdial, Sulekha, IndiaMART, and any other directory where you are listed.
5. Get mentioned on other websites. Local business directories, industry associations, chamber of commerce listings, and partner websites all count as authoritative mentions that build AI trust.