GEO, short for Generative Engine Optimization, is the cousin of classic SEO for engines that answer with text: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google’s AI-generated answers. When a customer asks for “a good seafood restaurant in Brighton”, these tools write an answer from what they find on the web and name a few places.
What it changes for a local business
These assistants don’t “see” your shop: they read sources. They rely on public, consistent information (Google profile, website, directories, local press, reviews) and need plain sentences saying what you do, where and for whom. A business whose details are scarce, contradictory or locked inside images is less likely to be cited, or may be described wrongly.
A concrete example
A wine shop writes on its website: “Natural wine shop in Leeds city centre, tastings on Thursday evenings, local delivery.” An AI asked “where to buy natural wine in Leeds” finds a sentence that answers exactly. A website showing only a shopfront photo and a menu as an image gives it nothing to read.
Common mistakes
- thinking GEO replaces local SEO: it rests on the same basics (profile, reviews, website, consistency);
- publishing hours or menus only as images;
- leaving outdated details on old directories;
- looking for “tricks” to manipulate AI instead of being clear and up to date.
To check what AI tools say about your business, read how to find out whether ChatGPT recommends your business.
Go further
Related terms
Structured data (Schema.org)
Structured data is information added to a page’s code, using the Schema.org vocabulary, to tell search engines clearly what the page is about: a business, its address, opening hours, FAQs…
Local SEO
Local SEO covers what a business does to show up when people search for its type of business nearby on Google and Google Maps: profile, reviews, website and consistent details.
NAP (name, address, phone)
NAP (Name, Address, Phone) means a business’s name, address and phone number, which should be written the same way on its Google profile, website and directories.