Your Website Deserves Better Than Being Ignored by a Robot
There are few things in life more humbling than realizing your website—your digital baby—is being ignored by AI like an off-brand cereal on the top shelf. You’ve optimized. You’ve keyword-stuffed. You’ve sacrificed weekends and possibly your sanity tweaking meta descriptions no human will ever read. And yet, ChatGPT looks at your business like it’s a lukewarm cup of gas station coffee.
Enter: Generative Engine Optimization—or GEO, if you’re into acronyms and sounding impressive at parties. GEO is like traditional SEO’s cool, AI-savvy cousin who shows up late, knows all the trends, and somehow gets invited everywhere. It’s about making sure your content isn’t just visible to search engines, but to the AI tools people increasingly trust for answers, recommendations, and unsolicited opinions on mattress brands.
This isn’t optional anymore. GEO is the difference between being mentioned in AI-generated content… and being digitally ghosted.
So, if you’re ready to charm the bots, impress the algorithms, and maybe even feel smarter than your nephew who built a crypto portfolio at 12—this guide is for you.
How to Implement GEO: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bots
1. Begin by Asking AI If It Knows You (And Try Not to Take It Personally)
Step 1: Ask AI About Your Business
Open up ChatGPT, Perplexity, or whatever machine you trust with your secrets—and ask it to talk about your company. Not like therapy talk, but something more useful like:
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“Who are the best [insert your thing] companies?”
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“Compare [you] vs. [your much flashier competitor who probably does yoga].”
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“Tell me about [you]—and be honest, please.”
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Don’t just ask your company name like it’s a password at a speakeasy. Rephrase. Experiment. Be the AI whisperer you were born to be. Then, brace yourself. Write down what the AI says. Even if it hurts.
Step 2: Stalk Your Competitors (Like a Normal Marketer)
See which companies the AI does mention. Chances are they’re hogging the spotlight. Now go full digital detective and find where they’re being mentioned:
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Wikipedia (the sacred scrolls of the internet)
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News articles
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Industry rags
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Review sites written by keyboard warriors with too much time
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You’ll start to see a pattern: the AI likes what it can find easily. So if your company’s online presence is thinner than decaf coffee, it’s time to plump it up.
2. Speak Fluent Robot: Optimize for AI Readability
Step 1: Insert Quotables That Sound Like Someone Smarter Than You Said It
📈 +41% visibility improvement
Cite real people with real titles who say real things. Bonus points if they’re from Harvard and not your cousin with a blog.
Step 2: Add Stats That Would Impress a Calculus Teacher
📈 +37% visibility improvement
AI loves numbers. Give it charts, studies, data points, and maybe a cute little bullet list. Include the who, what, where, and “please don’t sue me” source link.
Step 3: Cite Sources Like You’re Being Watched (Because You Are)
📈 +30% visibility improvement
List your references like a good student who actually read the book. Preferably from this decade.
Step 4: Use Fancy Words, But Not Too Many
📈 +21% visibility improvement
Sprinkle in some technical terms. Not too much. Think “photosynthesis,” not “endoplasmic reticulum of brand engagement.”
Step 5: Explain Like You’re Talking to Your Mom
📈 +20% visibility improvement Use plain English.
Not “synergistic asset misallocation,” just “you owe more than you own.” Simple. Digestible. Like applesauce.
Step 6: Organize Like a Type-A Librarian
Use clear headings, neat bullet points, and lots of FAQs. If the AI can’t find your answer in 0.2 seconds, it’s going to someone who alphabetizes their spice rack.
Step 7: Write Like You’re Chatting at a Cookout
The robots learn from Reddit, forums, and help sites—not dusty white papers. So instead of “Top 10 Hair Products 2025,” try “What shampoo works best for dry hair?” AI loves a good question. And so do humans, come to think of it.
Step 8: Lead With The Answer Like You’re on Jeopardy
If someone asks “Is chocolate good for you?”, don’t bury the lead. Say: “Yes, dark chocolate is good for your health.” THEN talk about antioxidants and the rest of your cocoa-fueled dreams.
The rule: Answer like an AI would want to quote you on it. Short. Sharp. Factual. Like a robot Hemingway.
3. Learn Schema—The Secret Code Only Robots and Your Web Dev Understand
📈 +21% visibility improvement
Welcome to the part where we add JSON-LD schema markup, which sounds like a disease but is really just a way to tell the AI what the heck your site is about.
Think of it like whispering sweet nothings directly into the ear of the algorithm.
Use:
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FAQ schema (for your beautifully crafted questions)
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HowTo schema (for guides like this, you masochist)
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Product schema (tell them you sell soap, and yes, it smells like pine)
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Article schema (for your bloggy brilliance)
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SoftwareApplication schema (if you build tools, congrats—you’re now a SaaS company with leverage)
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For those cutthroat comparison pages (you vs. [insert sworn enemy here]):
Just make sure your schemas match your content. No one likes metadata lies.
Final Note: Treat GEO like you treat houseplants or your personal tax accountant. Nurture it. Speak clearly. Keep it updated. And don’t expect results overnight, unless you’re Beyoncé.
From Wallflower to AI Darling (With Only Minor Emotional Labor)
So there you have it: your roadmap to impressing robots, outshining competitors, and becoming a quotable AI darling. How to implement GEO isn’t just about traffic, rankings, or stroking your inner data nerd—it’s about relevance in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Because when someone asks Perplexity, “What’s the best [insert your niche] company?”, wouldn’t it be nice if the AI actually said your name—and not the one run by that smug guy from your networking group who once corrected your grammar unprompted?
GEO doesn’t require wizardry, just structure, clarity, and the occasional schema markup (which yes, sounds like something you need ointment for). But with the right tweaks, your business can go from “Who?” to “Obviously.”
And if that sounds like too much to tackle between espresso shots and existential dread—don’t worry. That’s what we’re here for. 👉 Explore Our Optimization Service — for brands ready to speak AI fluently… or at least fake it convincingly.
Written by: Andy Halko, CEO & Founder
I started Insivia in 2002 and for over 22 years I have had the chance to work directly with hundreds of companies and founders to redefine or reinvent their businesses.