What is Generative Engine Optimisation? A Guide for UK Businesses

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of optimising your business to appear in AI-generated answers from search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Claude. Rather than ranking in a list of links, you're optimised to be cited as the answer when someone asks an AI for a recommendation.

How AI Search Works

When someone types a query into ChatGPT or Perplexity, the AI generates a response based on patterns from its training data, plus live web search results (depending on the platform). It synthesises information from multiple sources and presents a direct answer — often recommending a specific business, product, or approach.

The factors that determine whether your business is recommended are different from traditional SEO factors. AI models assess: how well-structured and citable your content is, whether your business entity is clearly defined across the web, what other authoritative sources say about you, and how your content is formatted for AI extraction (direct answer paragraphs, FAQ structures, schema markup).

GEO vs SEO: What's the Difference?

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the practice of ranking in traditional search results — the list of links that Google shows. It focuses on keywords, backlinks, technical performance, and on-page content.

GEO goes further. It focuses on the signals AI models use to select and cite sources. A business can rank highly in Google while being almost invisible to AI recommendation engines — because AI citation signals are different.

The businesses that will win in AI search are the ones that start GEO work now, while the field is relatively open. AI search accounts for a growing share of total search volume — over 527% growth in AI-referred traffic year-on-year in some sectors — and it converts at 4.4 times the rate of standard organic traffic.

What GEO Work Actually Involves

GEO is not a single technique. It's a discipline covering:

Schema markup: Structured data that tells AI models precisely what your business is, what you do, where you're located, and what you're expert in. This includes Organisation, LocalBusiness, ProfessionalService, Person, and FAQPage schemas.

Entity building: Making sure your business entity is consistently described across the web — your NAP (name, address, phone), your founder information, your service categories. AI models aggregate signals from multiple sources.

Content structure: Rewriting pages to include direct answer paragraphs (40-60 words that answer the core intent of a query) and Q&A structures that are designed to be extracted and cited by AI.

Authority signals: Building presence on platforms that AI models trust — LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, industry directories, review platforms. The more high-authority sources confirm your existence and expertise, the more likely AI models are to recommend you.

llms.txt: A relatively new standard that lets you provide AI models with a structured, curated description of your business and content. Think of it as a sitemap for AI crawlers.

Is GEO Right for Your Business?

GEO is most valuable for businesses that compete on recommendation — professional services, hospitality, healthcare, trades, and specialist retailers. If your customers typically search "best [thing] in [place]" or "who to use for [service]", GEO is directly relevant.

For UK businesses, the opportunity is particularly strong right now. Adoption of AI search is growing rapidly, but most businesses are not yet investing in GEO. The first movers in each local market and sector will establish positions that are very difficult for later entrants to displace.

If you want to understand where your business currently stands with AI search engines, start with a free GEO audit.