How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and Google AI (GEO explained for owners)

To get your business recommended by ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers, those tools need to understand clearly what you do, where you do it and why you are a sound choice, and they need to find that information in places they trust. The work of making that happen is called GEO, short for generative engine optimisation. It builds on good search engine work but focuses on being named in AI answers, not just listed in search results.

What is GEO, and how is it different from SEO?

SEO, search engine optimisation, is about appearing in the list of links when someone searches on Google. GEO is about being mentioned when someone asks an AI tool a question, such as “Which events company in Germany handles international trade shows?” or “Who is a reliable accountant for small manufacturers near Munich?”

The difference matters because an AI answer often names only a few businesses. There is no second page. If you are not one of the names, the customer may never hear of you.

How do AI tools decide which businesses to recommend?

Nobody outside the AI companies knows every detail, and anyone who claims otherwise is guessing. But the broad picture is clear enough. AI tools draw on information they can read and check, and they favour businesses that are described consistently and clearly across the web.

In practice, that means:

• Your website explains plainly what you do, for whom and where, in words a stranger would understand.
• Your details are consistent everywhere: name, address, services and contact information match across your site, Google Maps and directories.
• Your Google Business Profile is complete and kept up to date, because it feeds Google’s own answers.
• Your pages answer real questions customers ask, in a structure that is easy to quote.
• Other sources mention you, such as industry directories, articles and reviews, so the AI is not relying on your word alone.

What does GEO work look like in a real business?

Two pieces of our own work show the range.

For a global agency, we updated the website so it ranks higher for specific target keywords in search and gets cited in AI answers. The changes were to the site itself: its structure, its wording and how clearly it answers the questions clients ask. See the agency AI search visibility case.

For an events company based in Germany and operating globally, we rebuilt the website, made the company easy for ChatGPT and Google to recommend, and reworked the Google Maps listing so enquiries come from search, maps and AI answers. See the events company case.

How do you know whether AI tools recommend you today?

The simplest check is to ask. Open ChatGPT or Google and ask the questions your customers would ask, in their words. Note who is named. Then try a few variations, by location and by service.

If you want a more structured view, our free AI visibility score checks how visible your business is to AI tools and shows where the gaps are. It takes a few minutes and gives you something concrete to discuss with your team or your web supplier.

How long does GEO take to work?

It is not instant. AI tools and search engines need time to read and trust changes, and some improvements depend on other websites mentioning you. Be wary of anyone promising a guaranteed position in ChatGPT by a certain date, because no one controls that. What you can control is making your business the clearest, most consistent and most useful answer available.

What can you do yourself this month?

Quite a lot, even before involving anyone else. Read your home page as if you were a stranger and check that it says plainly what you do and where. Make sure your Google Business Profile is complete and your opening hours are right. Ask happy clients to leave a review. And write down the ten questions customers ask most often, then check whether your website answers each one clearly.

Quick answers

What does GEO stand for? Generative engine optimisation: making your business easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers to understand and recommend.

Is GEO the same as SEO? They overlap. SEO aims for a place in search results, while GEO aims for a mention in AI answers. Good GEO usually improves SEO too.

Can I pay to be recommended by ChatGPT? No. Recommendations come from information the AI can find and trust, which is why clear, consistent content matters.

How do I check where I stand? Ask the tools your customers use, or run our free AI visibility score for a structured view.

If you would like help making your business the one AI tools recommend, book a 30-minute call. We will look at where you stand today and what would make the biggest difference, as we did for the events company.