How to Get Your Brand Recommended by ChatGPT: A Practical Guide to Generative Engine Optimization
Short answer
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is making your content easy for AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews to find, trust and cite. AI assistants typically search the web, read top sources and summarise them, so the fundamentals are to be indexed (including by Bing, which ChatGPT search uses), answer questions clearly, include specific facts and sources, show real expertise and be mentioned by other trusted sites.
Key takeaways
- ✓AI tools cite pages that answer clearly and back claims with specifics.
- ✓ChatGPT search draws on Bing, so Bing indexing matters.
- ✓Mentions on other reputable sites build the authority AI relies on.
- ✓Structured pages with question headings are easier to quote.
How do AI assistants choose sources?
When you ask an AI assistant a question that needs current information, it usually rewrites your question into search queries, retrieves pages from a search index and composes an answer, often citing the pages it used. Pages that clearly and credibly answer the specific question are more likely to be chosen. Researchers at Princeton and partners, in the 2023 paper that coined the term GEO, found that adding statistics, quotations and citations could substantially improve a source's visibility in generative answers.
What is the 10-step GEO checklist?
- Allow AI crawlers in your robots.txt (for example OAI-SearchBot and PerplexityBot).
- Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Open every key page with a direct, quotable answer.
- Use question headings that match how people ask.
- Add specific numbers, dates and named sources.
- Publish first-hand results: case studies, data and examples only you have.
- Add an FAQ section and structured data where relevant.
- Keep your business facts consistent everywhere (name, services, locations).
- Earn mentions on reputable industry sites, directories and media.
- Update key pages regularly so information stays current.
What does not work?
- Stuffing pages with keywords or AI-written filler.
- Hidden text or instructions aimed at AI systems.
- Thin pages that repeat what everyone else says.
- Claims with no evidence.
Husbar's website is built for this: pre-rendered pages readable without JavaScript, an llms.txt guide for AI systems, open access for AI crawlers and articles that open with direct answers. It also pings IndexNow on every update so Bing, and with it ChatGPT search, sees changes fast. Ask us to audit your AI visibility.
Frequently asked questions
Is GEO different from SEO?+
It builds on SEO. Most of what makes a page rank and earn trust also makes it citable; GEO adds emphasis on clear answers, facts and sources.
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT answers?+
Not for organic answers. Visibility comes from being a credible, relevant source.
How do I check if AI tools mention my brand?+
Ask the tools the questions your customers ask, regularly, and note which sources they cite. Some SEO tools now track AI citations too.
What is llms.txt?+
A proposed plain-text file that gives AI systems a summary of your site and links to key pages. It is not an official standard but is easy to add.
Sources
- Aggarwal, P., et al. (2023). GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. arXiv:2311.09735.
- OpenAI. Overview of OpenAI crawlers.
- Microsoft Bing. IndexNow documentation.
- Google Search Central. Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.
Team Husbar
Husbar Editorial
Team Husbar is the strategy, psychology and research team at Husbar, a psychology-led growth agency headquartered in Dubai. Together we have worked with 100+ brands over 10+ years.
Want this applied to your brand?
We will find the psychology behind your lost sales and show you what to fix first.
Book a Growth Audit
