· 2 min read
GEO: how to get your business named when people ask an AI
When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for "the best bakery near me", the answer comes from what those tools can read and trust. Seven things a local business can do so it is the one they name: plain facts on its site, real answers, the same details everywhere, reviews, mentions, and a monthly check.
The short answer: AI answer engines name the businesses they can read, understand and trust. Make your facts plain, the same everywhere, and backed up by other people, and you are in the running. That work has a name now: GEO, generative engine optimization.
What GEO is, in one breath
SEO got you on Google's list of links. GEO gets you into the answer itself, when someone asks ChatGPT, Google's AI answers, Perplexity, Gemini or Copilot "who is the best plumber in Decatur?" Same foundations, a new front door.
1. Say what you are, in words, on your home page
What you do, where, for whom, in one plain sentence near the top. As text, not baked into a picture: an AI cannot read your logo's fancy lettering.
2. Answer the questions your customers really ask
Prices, hours, how long it takes, whether you do weekends, gluten-free, parking. One question per heading, the answer in the first sentence under it. These are exactly the questions people type into an AI.
3. The same name, address and phone everywhere
Your site, your Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Yelp, Facebook, the directories. When the details disagree, the machines trust all of them less.
4. Reviews that say what you did
"Great!" helps a little. "Fixed our walk-in cooler on a Sunday night" helps a lot, because it is something an AI can repeat when someone asks for exactly that. Ask happy customers to say what you did.
5. Get mentioned by others
The local paper, the chamber of commerce, your suppliers, the event you sponsored. Being named on other trusted sites is how the machines learn you are real.
6. Make your site easy to read for machines
Fast, readable without waiting for scripts, with a title and a description on every page. A little structured data (schema.org markup for a local business) states your hours and address in a form they read directly.
7. Check once a month
Ask two or three AI tools the question your customers ask, the way they ask it, and write down who gets named. Then fix the gap you see. It moves slowly, then all at once.
Rather have this done for you? That is our GEO consulting: human work, and we ain't cheap. Most businesses do just fine following these lessons.
Questions, answered
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimization: making your business easy for AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Google's AI answers, Perplexity and others) to find, understand and recommend when someone asks for what you sell.
Is GEO different from SEO?
They share the foundations: clear pages, accurate facts, a fast site. GEO leans harder on plain answers to real questions, consistent details across the web, and being mentioned by others.
How do I check if ChatGPT knows my business?
Ask it the question your customers ask, like "best plumber in [your town]", and see whether you are named. Try two or three AI tools, and check again monthly.