You've spent years hearing about SEO. Getting your site onto Google. Writing pages around keywords. Trying to show up when buyers search.
But search behaviour is shifting.
More people are asking AI tools direct questions:
- "Who is the best provider for this problem?"
- "Which company can help me automate lead follow-up?"
- "Find a reliable clinic/accountant/consultant near me."
- "Compare options and tell me who looks most credible."
Google is also pushing AI Overviews into search results — AI-generated answers, not just blue links.
This is the new game. It's called GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation.
What GEO Actually Is
GEO is the practice of making your business visible, understandable, and recommendable to AI answer engines.
Not just Google. ChatGPT. Gemini. Perplexity. Claude. Microsoft Copilot. Google AI Overview.
These systems don't simply show a list of websites. They reason about who to recommend based on what they can verify about you.
The question is: when AI is asked who to trust, does it understand your business well enough to mention you?
How GEO Differs from SEO
SEO is about ranking in a list. GEO is about being recommended in an answer.
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank on search pages | Be recommended by AI |
| Platform | Google search | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overview, Perplexity |
| What matters | Keywords, backlinks, page speed | Entity data, structured content, trust signals |
| How you win | Appear in a list | Become the answer |
SEO is not dead. But it is no longer enough on its own.
What AI Answer Engines Look For
When an AI system decides who to recommend, it looks for:
1. Clear entity data
Does the AI know what your business is, what you offer, who you serve, and where you operate? This comes from structured data, consistent business information, and clear service pages.
2. Trust signals
Reviews. Mentions. Social profiles. Directory listings. A professional website. Consistent identity across the web.
3. Useful content
Not keyword-stuffed filler. Content that actually answers buyer questions, explains your services clearly, and gives AI something useful to cite.
4. Entity associations
Does the AI connect your business to the right concepts? For Tabtrickle, that means AI receptionists, CRM automation, database reactivation, speed-to-lead, AI visibility, lead capture, and follow-up systems.
Why This Matters Now
Most business websites are not set up for GEO.
They have thin service pages. No useful schema. Inconsistent business information. Generic copy. Weak proof. No clear explanation of who they help.
That gives AI very little to work with.
But here's the opportunity: this is still early.
The businesses that get their entity data and content right now will have a serious advantage as AI search keeps growing.
What You Can Do Today
You don't need a massive rebuild. Start with the basics.
1. Run a visibility audit
Find out where you show up and where you don't. The Tabtrickle free audit checks Google, Maps, AI answer engines, and your website.
2. Fix your structured data
Add JSON-LD schema to your site so search engines and AI systems can understand your business properly.
3. Make your business information consistent
Same name, same services, same social profiles, same core positioning everywhere. If the web gives conflicting signals, AI gets cautious.
4. Write content that answers real questions
Not "5 reasons to choose us." Useful, specific, buyer-aware content that helps a human and gives an AI something worth quoting.
The Bottom Line
GEO is not a replacement for SEO. It's the next layer.
SEO gets you found. GEO helps you get recommended.
And as more buyers ask AI tools for help choosing providers, being understood by those tools becomes a real commercial advantage.
Want to know where your business stands?
Get your free AI visibility audit →
Plain-English report. No jargon. No sales theatre.
Tabtrickle builds AI visibility, lead capture and follow-up systems for SMEs and service businesses.