What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and Does a Local Business Need It?

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of shaping web content so AI search tools are more likely to use and cite it in their answers. For Google, a local business does not need a separate GEO program: Google's guide to generative AI features on Google Search, last updated July 10, 2026, says optimizing for generative AI search is "still SEO," and it says Google Business Profiles can help a business show up in AI responses.

In the GEO paper published at KDD 2024 (arXiv 2311.09735), researchers from Princeton University and IIT Delhi had gpt3.5-turbo write answers from the top 5 Google results for each query, then tested nine ways of rewriting a source. Adding quotations raised a source's visibility score from the unoptimized baseline of 19.3 to 27.2 and adding statistics raised it to 25.2, while keyword stuffing scored 17.7, below the baseline. When every source in an answer was rewritten with the Cite Sources method at once, visibility rose 115.1% for sites ranked fifth in Google's results, while the top-ranked site's visibility fell 30.3% on average. Below: what GEO means, what the study can and cannot tell you, what Google, Microsoft and OpenAI say, and a checklist for a local business.

What is generative engine optimization?

GEO targets answers written by AI, such as Google's generative AI features in Search, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT search, instead of a list of blue links. The research paper titled "GEO: Generative Engine Optimization" was first posted to arXiv on November 16, 2023, and its abstract says GEO "can boost visibility by up to 40% in generative engine responses."

You will also see "answer engine optimization" and "AI search optimization." Google's guide treats the labels together: "'AEO' stands for 'answer engine optimization' and 'GEO' for 'generative engine optimization'." It also tells readers to put effective SEO strategies ahead of AEO and GEO hacks.

What did the GEO study test, and what are its limits?

The researchers built a benchmark of 10,000 queries across 25 domains. Each source was rewritten with each method, and the team measured how visible it was in the new answer. One score, Position-Adjusted Word Count, combines word count and position in the answer.

The nine methods were Authoritative, Statistics Addition, Keyword Stuffing, Cite Sources, Quotation Addition, Easy-to-Understand, Fluency Optimization, Unique Words and Technical Terms. The best methods beat the baseline by 41% on Position-Adjusted Word Count and 28% on a second score, Subjective Impression. Combining Fluency Optimization with Statistics Addition did better than any single method by more than 5.5%.

Results varied by topic. Quotation Addition worked best in "People & Society," "Explanation" and "History" queries, and Statistics Addition helped "Law & Government" and opinion questions. On Perplexity.ai, a live AI search engine, Quotation Addition gave a 22% gain over the baseline on Position-Adjusted Word Count.

Keep the scope in mind. The tests ran on 2023 and 2024 systems, not on Google's 2026 AI features, and the authors say methods may need to change as engines evolve. They also say they did not test how GEO methods affect search rankings.

Is GEO different from SEO, according to Google?

Google says no. Its guide states that "optimizing for generative AI search is optimizing for the search experience, and thus still SEO." Generative AI features in Google Search depend on Google's core ranking and spam systems, so the basics still apply: content must be crawlable, indexed and eligible to show with a snippet, and "a site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console."

The guide's content advice suits a business that knows its trade: "Create the content yourself based on what you know about the topic," and "Don't just recycle what others on the internet have already said." It also warns that "seeking inauthentic 'mentions' across the web isn't as helpful as it might seem."

On measurement, Google says no third-party tool has access to its internal ranking or AI systems. It points site owners to the Generative AI performance report in Search Console instead.

Do you need llms.txt, special schema or AI-only pages?

Not for Google. The guide says: "You don't need to create new machine readable files, AI text files, markup, or Markdown to appear in Google Search." It adds that doing so "will neither harm nor help your site's visibility or rankings in Google Search, as Google Search ignores them."

On llms.txt specifically, Google says "It's completely fine if you decide to create and maintain LLMS.txt files (or other similar files)," but its next steps list warns against "creating unnecessary AI text files (like llms.txt)," and Google Search ignores the file.

The same goes for structure and markup. Google says "There's no requirement to break your content into tiny pieces for AI to better understand it," and "Structured data isn't required for generative AI search, and there's no special schema.org markup you need to add." Google still calls structured data a good idea for overall SEO. For the basics, see this explainer on what schema markup is and which types suit local service businesses.

What do Microsoft and OpenAI say about AI answers?

Microsoft takes a more hands-on view. In an October 8, 2025 post on Microsoft's advertising blog, Bing's Krishna Madhavan wrote that assistants like Copilot "break content down, a process called parsing, into smaller, structured pieces," which are judged for authority and relevance and combined with other sources into an answer. Microsoft says "there's no secret sauce that guarantees selection in AI answers," but it recommends clear titles, an H1 that matches the title, H2 and H3 headings, direct question-and-answer sections, schema, lists and tables.

Microsoft also advises against hiding answers in tabs or expandable menus, relying on PDFs, writing walls of text and putting key information only in images. Its title and heading advice overlaps with these on-page SEO tips for small businesses, which cover title tags, headers and alt text.

OpenAI says ChatGPT search uses third-party search providers and that "Any website or publisher can choose to appear in ChatGPT search." OpenAI's crawler documentation says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, and that GPTBot, used for training, is a separate crawler. OpenAI's crawler page does not explain how ChatGPT search picks its sources.

What should a Pittsburgh service business change on its website?

Each item below comes from one of the sources in this post:

• Keep your Google Business Profile complete and current. Google's guide says Business Profiles and Merchant Center can help products and services appear in AI responses and other Search results.

• Put the work you do, where you do it and the questions customers ask in page text Google can crawl, not only in photos, PDFs or tabs (Google and Microsoft).

• Write from your own jobs instead of recycling other sites (Google).

• Where it fits, add a real statistic, a short quote or a citation to a credible source such as a manufacturer spec sheet or a government page, and skip keyword stuffing (GEO paper).

• Use question headings with short, direct answers (Microsoft; Google says no special writing style is required).

• Leave OAI-SearchBot unblocked if you want to appear in ChatGPT search, and keep your site included in Search Console's generative AI setting (OpenAI and Google).

• Skip llms.txt and AI-only markup for Google (Google).

For a furnace company in Monroeville or a roofer in Cranberry Township, that could mean a replacement page that lists the towns served, explains the job steps in text and cites the manufacturer's spec sheet. Crawlability and indexing come first, and this technical SEO checklist covers crawling, indexing, page speed and sitemaps. For deciding which pages to write, see this guide to planning content that supports your business goals.

FAQ

Is GEO the same as AEO?

They are closely related labels. Google's guide defines AEO as answer engine optimization and GEO as generative engine optimization in the same breath, and tells site owners to favor effective SEO over AEO and GEO hacks.

Does keyword stuffing help a page show up in AI answers?

Not in the GEO study. The authors wrote that "simple methods like Keyword Stuffing traditionally used in SEO don't perform well," and on Perplexity.ai keyword stuffing also did worse than the baseline.

Should I block AI crawlers on my website?

It depends on where you want to appear. OpenAI says a site that blocks OAI-SearchBot will not show in ChatGPT search answers, and that robots.txt changes take about 24 hours to take effect. GPTBot, OpenAI's training crawler, is controlled separately. For Google, a site has to stay included in the generative AI setting in Search Console to appear in those features.

Does a Google Business Profile matter for AI answers?

Yes, according to Google. Its July 2026 guide says AI responses can include local business information and that Business Profiles can help a business show up in both AI responses and regular Search results.

Can a tool show where my business ranks inside Google's AI answers?

Not from inside Google's systems, which Google's guide says no outside tool can access. Google's own measure is the Generative AI performance report in Search Console, which counts how often links to your site were shown, not a rank.

How old is the GEO research?

The paper was first posted in November 2023, revised in June 2024 and published in the KDD 2024 conference proceedings in August 2024. It tested gpt3.5-turbo and Perplexity.ai, so its numbers describe those systems, not the AI features Google runs in 2026.

Where Leacon Digital Fits In

Based in Irwin, PA, Leacon Digital is a Pittsburgh-area digital marketing agency. Its AI Optimization services cover AI search, AI receptionists and automation, and its SEO services cover local, on-page and technical SEO. Owners who want a second opinion on how their service pages read to AI search tools can book a free marketing consult.

Visit Leacon Digital or call 724-953-7685 today. Contact us for more information.

Related reading: On-Page SEO Tips Every Small Business Owner Should Know and Technical SEO Checklist for Better Search Rankings.