What generative engine optimization is and what actually changes

Generative engine optimization, usually shortened to GEO, is the work of making your content likely to be found, used and cited by AI systems that write answers. That includes Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT search, Perplexity, Copilot and the assistants built into other products. You'll also see it called LLM SEO, AI SEO or answer engine optimization. The names differ. The goal is the same.

There's a lot of noise around the topic, much of it from people selling a new kind of service. Before spending money on it, it helps to read what the companies running these systems actually say. Their documentation is plainer than the sales pitches.

What Google says about AI Overviews and AI Mode

Google's Search Central documentation on AI features is direct about this. It says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special optimizations needed. To be eligible as a supporting link, a page has to be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. The same page says there's no special structured data to add and no new machine-readable file or AI text file to create. You can read it at developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features.

That should settle a few things. If someone tells you that you need a special file for AI crawlers before Google will cite you, Google's own page disagrees. If your pages aren't indexed, or you've blocked snippets with a nosnippet rule, they can't be used as a supporting link in those features no matter what else you do.

It also means the boring parts of SEO carry over. Pages need to be crawlable, indexed, fast enough, clearly written and useful to the person searching. Google's page says existing SEO fundamentals continue to be worthwhile.

What OpenAI says about ChatGPT search

OpenAI documents its crawlers at developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots. The one that matters for visibility is OAI-SearchBot, which OpenAI says it uses to surface websites in ChatGPT's search features. The same page says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though the same page notes they can still appear as plain links to the site.

This is an easy place to lose visibility without noticing. A bot-blocking rule in a firewall, CDN or security plugin can catch AI crawlers along with the scrapers it was meant for. A site can end up opted out of ChatGPT search without anyone on the marketing team knowing.

The same OpenAI page separates OAI-SearchBot from GPTBot. GPTBot relates to training data for OpenAI's models. Blocking it is a choice about training. Blocking OAI-SearchBot is a choice about showing up in answers. Treating them as one decision can produce an outcome nobody intended.

Why GEO still feels different

The technical requirements match search, yet the work feels new, and the reason is the output.

A classic results page shows a list of links and the user chooses. An AI answer reads several sources, writes a summary and cites a few of them. Ranking near the top used to earn a share of clicks. In an AI answer, a page that isn't cited earns nothing, and a page that is cited may still earn fewer clicks than a traditional result because the answer already covers the basics.

That changes what's worth writing. Content that only restates common knowledge is easy for a model to summarize without crediting anyone. Content that has a clear point of view, specific detail, original data or a well-structured explanation gives the model a reason to point to it.

What we'd actually do

Here's the order we'd work in on most sites.

First, check access. Confirm that Googlebot can crawl and index the pages that matter, that they aren't carrying nosnippet or noindex by accident, and that robots.txt and any firewall or CDN rules allow OAI-SearchBot and the other search crawlers you want to be found by. This is a short task and it's where the largest mistakes hide.

Second, make the pages answer the question. Each important page should state plainly what it's about near the top, in words a person would use. Long introductions before the point make a page harder for people and models alike.

Third, write things worth citing. Specific explanations, real comparisons, worked examples, definitions in your own words, and data you can stand behind. If a page could have been written by anyone, a model has little reason to credit you for it.

Fourth, make your entity clear. Your company name, what you do, where you operate and who runs it should be consistent across your site, your profiles and the places that write about you. AI systems pull from many sources, and inconsistent details make it harder for them to describe you accurately.

Fifth, measure what you can. AI referrals show up in analytics as visits from the AI products' domains, though not every visit is labelled cleanly. Track those referrals, track branded search, and run a regular set of prompts in the main assistants to see whether and how you're mentioned. Treat the prompt checks as a sample, since answers vary from one run to the next.

Our AI search visibility work follows this sequence, and it sits on top of ordinary SEO because the two can't be separated.

What we'd skip

Some tactics sold as GEO don't hold up. Stuffing pages with phrases you hope a model will repeat makes them worse for readers, and Google's documentation says no special optimizations are needed for its AI features. Creating special AI files because a vendor says they're required runs against what Google's own documentation says for its AI features. Rewriting every page into a list of questions and answers can help on some pages and hurt on others, so do it where it fits the content.

We'd also be careful with any tool that claims to report your exact "AI ranking." Answers change with the wording of a prompt, the user's location, the time and the model version. A tool can sample those answers. It can't give you a stable position the way a rank tracker does for a search result.

How to judge whether it's working

Set expectations honestly. AI answers are a newer surface, measurement is incomplete and the products change often. A sensible test is whether, over a few months, you see more AI referral traffic, more branded searches, more accurate descriptions of your company in assistant answers and more mentions in the topics you care about.

If none of that moves, look at access first, then at whether your content says anything a model couldn't get elsewhere.

Questions people ask

What is generative engine optimization?

It's the practice of making your content easy for AI answer systems to find, understand and cite. It covers technical access for their crawlers, clear and specific writing, and a consistent description of your business across the web.

Is LLM SEO different from regular SEO?

The foundations are the same. Google's documentation says there are no additional requirements for its AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. What changes is the payoff, since an AI answer cites a few sources instead of listing many links, which rewards content that is specific enough to be worth citing.

Should I block AI crawlers?

It depends on which one and why. OpenAI's documentation says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers, while GPTBot relates to model training. Decide on each crawler separately and check that your hosting or security setup isn't blocking ones you want.

Do I need an llms.txt file or special schema for AI search?

For Google's AI features, no. Google's AI features page says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special structured data to appear. Other products may treat such files differently, so check their own documentation before adding one.