BUSINESSGuides for startups & scale-ups
GEO: how to get ChatGPT, Perplexity & co. to name your startup.
The short answer
Generative engine optimization (GEO) means structuring content so AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google's AI Overviews cite and recommend your company in their answers. What matters: direct answers to real questions, verifiable numbers with sources, a clear description of who you are, and mentions on other trusted sites.
By Manfred “Luigi” Lugmayr – 30+ years in marketing, seven years as CMO at burgerme. · Updated: October 27, 2026
Why it matters in B2B
According to a G2 survey from March 2026 of more than 1,000 B2B software buyers, 51% now start their research in an AI chat more often than on Google. At the same time, TrustRadius found that 94% of buyers who use AI fact-check the results. If you show up in AI answers and convince with verifiable content on your own site, you make the shortlist.
The four levers
| Lever | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1. Retrievable | Pages technically accessible to AI crawlers (robots.txt), fast load times, sitemap, llms.txt |
| 2. Citable | Every page answers a question in its first paragraph; tables, lists, numbers with sources, FAQ |
| 3. Unambiguous | Clear information on company, person, services and region – also as structured data (Schema.org) |
| 4. Mentioned | Mentions in trade articles, podcasts, directories, review sites, LinkedIn and communities |
A widely cited study on GEO by researchers from Princeton and other institutions found that content with citations, quotations and statistics became markedly more visible in generative answers.
How to check your visibility
- Write down 10–20 questions your target customers would ask (“Which provider for … in the US?”).
- Ask them in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot – without your own history.
- Note: are you named? Who is named instead? Which sources are cited?
- Create content for the gaps – and check again monthly.
What doesn't work
- Mass AI-generated text without your own experience or data
- Bought mentions and fake reviews
- Keyword lists instead of real answers