Key Takeaways
- GEO is all about helping ChatGPT (and other AI tools) actually find and recommend your business.
- Businesses win when they keep content clear, locally relevant, and trustworthy.
- This isn’t a one-off task—check in regularly, update your info, and watch how people are finding you.
Globally, most digital and product marketing teams already “do SEO.” But search is shifting. People now ask AI answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini) direct questions and get answers with links to sources, without ever seeing the classic “10 blue links.” What that means is that if your content isn’t considered trustworthy or easy to use by these models, you won’t show up at all. What is this shift? What does it mean for businesses? How can marketing teams adapt their strategies?
Read More: 6 Misconceptions Nigerian Businesses Have About GEO
AI Search: Real Shift or Guesswork?
It’s normal to wonder if all the buzz around AI search means a real shift or if it’s all just guesswork. Research has a formal term for this shift, thought, and that is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This shows that content can be optimized specifically to increase visibility inside AI-generated answers (not just on Google). In fact, some early studies found GEO tactics can meaningfully improve a brand’s visibility in generative answers.
Meanwhile, AI search usage is growing, and it’s evident in how even the platforms themselves are evolving. ChatGPT added a full web search experience (with linked sources), Perplexity highlights citations by design, and Google now publishes guidance for how sites get considered inside its AI features. What this all means is that your content must be answer-ready, source-worthy, and technically clean.
How to Get Generative Engine Optimization Right
1) Be “answer-ready” (not just keyword-rich)
- Write clear, self-contained answers to the questions customers actually ask about pricing, availability in specific locations, delivery timelines, how to get support etc
- Add a brief summary or FAQ block on key pages, as AIs love compact Q&A structures that are easy to quote.
- Keep pages fresh with updated dates, stats, and policies. Generative engines synthesize concise explanations, which means that clarity and freshness are strong trust signals. If you have stale information, it is likely to be ignored by answer engines.
2) Build authority that the AI can verify
- Publish original insights such as industry benchmarks, pricing realities, and regulatory nuances versus generic listicles.
- Earn citations and get referenced by industry bodies, respected publishers, and credible local partners.
- Maintain consistent facts across your site and profiles, as AI surfaces sources it deems reliable, with consistent facts that are corroborated across the board.
3) Structure your content so models can parse it
- SEO principles around content structure remain useful. Use clean headings (H1–H3), bullet points, tables for specs, and schema markup (Organization, Product, FAQ).
- Keep the page experience fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to scan, especially for users with low-bandwidth internet. This is because Google’s AI features still lean on classical technical best practices around pages.
4) Cover the “who/what/where/how much”
- Be clear about your operations and coverage areas (e.g., “same-day delivery; 48–72 hours upcountry or 1 week for overseas orders”).
- Note payment options your target actually uses (transfers, cards, wallets etc), and support channels (WhatsApp, phone, email).
- Flag local constraints honestly so answers remain credible.
5) Create topic hubs that are “source-worthy”
- Build a topic hub for your niche (or instance, a bank could have “SME lending in Nigeria: rates, requirements, timelines”).
- Link out to credible references (CBN circulars, NCC rules, NITDA guidelines). Being a good “web citizen” helps AIs place you in the knowledge graph.
- Keep author bios with real names, roles, and (if applicable) LinkedIn, as these are all signals of expertise. AEO/GEO practitioners emphasize the depth of your topics, outbound citations, and clear authorship to earn inclusion.
6) Make it easy for engines to cite you
- Place concise, quotable snippets near the top of pages (“TL;DR” or a 3-line summary).
- Use canonical URLs and avoid splitting the same topic across many thin pages.
- Host supporting assets (charts, PDFs) on crawlable pages with captions and short context.
7) Track AI referrals like you track Google
- Add UTMs to shared links; watch for referrals labeled as ChatGPT/Perplexity in analytics (they’re showing up more often).
- Compare “answered” topics vs. “ignored” ones; double-down where you get cited.
- Keep a simple GEO log of question, page cited, tweaks made, next review date. Marketers are reporting measurable AI-driven referrals; treat them as a real acquisition channel.)
8) Don’t “set and forget” (audits matter)
- Re-audit quarterly to refresh facts, update FAQs, replace dead links, and remove outdated claims.
- Watch for model behavior shifts and security concerns (e.g., prompt-injection risks that can distort answers). AI search evolves quickly; both platform guidance and investigations show you need ongoing diligence, not one-off fixes.
9) Repurpose content with GEO in mind
- Turn webinars into short Q&A posts (one question per page can work well).
- Convert case studies into problem, approach and result summaries with concrete context.
- Clip podcasts into quote-ready snippets with timestamps and transcripts on page.
10) Stay current with platform moves
- ChatGPT’s search continues to evolve; it now surfaces answers with linked sources more like a traditional engine, so monitor how your pages appear.
- Perplexity emphasizes source transparency; ensure your pages load fast, are legible, and contain the exact answer a user expects to see.
- Keep an eye on Google’s AI features docs for technical signals that still influence inclusion.
Conclusion: Does GEO Equal Gaming ChatGPT?
GEO isn’t about gaming ChatGPT. It’s about earning the right to be included in AI search results by being the clearest, most useful, most trustworthy source on the question someone is asking, whether they’re in London, Singapore, or in Dubai searching for a Nigerian vendor. By treating AI answer engines like real distribution channels, you increase the chances that your brand will be cited in the answers people actually read.