How to appear in Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT answers

More and more people ask an AI assistant instead of scrolling through search results: "Which accounting firm in Laval handles small businesses?" "Best web agency on the South Shore?" The answer names a few businesses, sometimes with a link, often without. Being one of those names is the goal of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

There is no secret trick. AI engines recommend businesses they can find, understand and trust. Here is how to work on each.

How AI answers are built

Most AI search experiences work in two steps. First they retrieve pages from a search index (Google's for AI Overviews, a mix of sources for ChatGPT search and Perplexity). Then a language model summarizes those pages into an answer and cites some of them.

Two practical consequences:

• If your page is not indexed or not retrieved, it cannot be cited. Classic SEO is the foundation of GEO, not its opposite.
• Among the retrieved pages, the model favours content that is clear, specific and easy to quote.

Google itself says there is no special markup required to appear in AI Overviews: pages need to be indexed and eligible to show a snippet, and the usual quality guidelines apply.

1. Let the crawlers in

Check your robots.txt. Blocking AI crawlers protects your content from training, but it also removes you from their answers. If visibility is your goal, allow at least:

• Googlebot (Google Search and AI Overviews)
• OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search)
• PerplexityBot (Perplexity)
• Bingbot (Bing and Copilot, also used by several assistants)

Also make sure important content is in the HTML, not only loaded by JavaScript after the page opens.

2. Make your business an unambiguous entity

AI models think in entities: a business with a name, a location, services and relationships. Help them get it right:

• Consistent name, address and phone everywhere (website, Google Business Profile, directories).
• Organization or LocalBusiness structured data on your site, with your services, area served and links to your social profiles.
• An About page that says plainly who you are, where you are and who runs the business.

3. Write content AI can quote

Models lift short, self-contained passages. Pages that answer one question clearly get cited more than pages that say a little about everything.

• Start with the answer. Put a one- or two-sentence definition or direct answer at the top of the page or section.
• Use real numbers and specifics: prices or price ranges, timelines, service areas, results with their source.
• Structure with questions: H2 and H3 headings phrased like the questions people ask, with an FAQ section marked up with FAQPage data.
• Show who wrote it: an author with real expertise and a link to their profile.

4. Earn mentions elsewhere

AI engines cross-check. A business mentioned on reputable third-party sites (local media, industry associations, partner websites, review platforms) looks more trustworthy than one that only talks about itself. Reviews on Google and sector platforms count too, both their number and what they say.

5. About llms.txt

llms.txt is a proposed file that summarizes your site for language models. It is cheap to add and some tools read it, but Google has said it does not use it. Treat it as a bonus, not a strategy.

6. Measure

GEO is harder to measure than SEO, but not impossible:

• Each month, ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google the 10 to 20 questions your clients would ask, and note whether you are named.
• In Google Analytics, watch referral traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and similar sources.
• In Search Console, watch impressions for question-style queries.

Where to start

Start with crawl access and entity clarity: they are quick to fix and everything else depends on them. Then rewrite your three most important service pages around direct answers.

Our GEO service includes an AI visibility test across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, entity mapping and structured data. Find out what AI says about you.