GEO Fundamentals

Optimization for AI-powered search engines.

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1. What is GEO?

GEO = Generative Engine Optimization

| Goal | Platform | |------|----------| | Be cited in AI responses | ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini |

SEO vs GEO

| Aspect | SEO | GEO | |--------|-----|-----| | Goal | #1 ranking | AI citations | | Platform | Google | AI engines | | Metrics | Rankings, CTR | Citation rate | | Focus | Keywords | Entities, data |

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2. AI Engine Landscape

| Engine | Citation Style | Opportunity | |--------|----------------|-------------| | Perplexity | Numbered [1][2] | Highest citation rate | | ChatGPT | Inline/footnotes | Custom GPTs | | Claude | Contextual | Long-form content | | Gemini | Sources section | SEO crossover |

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3. RAG Retrieval Factors

How AI engines select content to cite:

| Factor | Weight | |--------|--------| | Semantic relevance | ~40% | | Keyword match | ~20% | | Authority signals | ~15% | | Freshness | ~10% | | Source diversity | ~15% |

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4. Content That Gets Cited

| Element | Why It Works | |---------|--------------| | Original statistics | Unique, citable data | | Expert quotes | Authority transfer | | Clear definitions | Easy to extract | | Step-by-step guides | Actionable value | | Comparison tables | Structured info | | FAQ sections | Direct answers |

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5. GEO Content Checklist

Content Elements

• [ ] Question-based titles
• [ ] Summary/TL;DR at top
• [ ] Original data with sources
• [ ] Expert quotes (name, title)
• [ ] FAQ section (3-5 Q&A)
• [ ] Clear definitions
• [ ] "Last updated" timestamp
• [ ] Author with credentials

Technical Elements

• [ ] Article schema with dates
• [ ] Person schema for author
• [ ] FAQPage schema
• [ ] Fast loading (< 2.5s)
• [ ] Clean HTML structure

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6. Entity Building

| Action | Purpose | |--------|---------| | Google Knowledge Panel | Entity recognition | | Wikipedia (if notable) | Authority source | | Consistent info across web | Entity consolidation | | Industry mentions | Authority signals |

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7. AI Crawler Access

Key AI User-Agents

| Crawler | Engine | |---------|--------| | GPTBot | ChatGPT/OpenAI | | Claude-Web | Claude | | PerplexityBot | Perplexity | | Googlebot | Gemini (shared) |

Access Decision

| Strategy | When | |----------|------| | Allow all | Want AI citations | | Block GPTBot | Don't want OpenAI training | | Selective | Allow some, block others |

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8. Measurement

| Metric | How to Track | |--------|--------------| | AI citations | Manual monitoring | | "According to [Brand]" mentions | Search in AI | | Competitor citations | Compare share | | AI-referred traffic | UTM parameters |

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9. Anti-Patterns

| ❌ Don't | ✅ Do | |----------|-------| | Publish without dates | Add timestamps | | Vague attributions | Name sources | | Skip author info | Show credentials | | Thin content | Comprehensive coverage |

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Remember: AI cites content that's clear, authoritative, and easy to extract. Be the best answer.

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Script

| Script | Purpose | Command | |--------|---------|---------| | scripts/geo_checker.py | GEO audit (AI citation readiness) | python scripts/geo_checker.py <project_path> |