Getting cited by AI answers: the basic principles of GEO

More and more people ask an AI assistant a question instead of scrolling through Google results. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the set of practices that make a website easier for these systems to understand, and therefore to cite.

Nobody can guarantee you will be cited. But a few principles concretely raise the chances, and they have the advantage of improving traditional SEO too.

1. State clearly who you are and what you do

An ambiguous page is hard to cite. Write directly: who you are, what you do, who you work for, where. A clear definition in the first lines is worth more than well-written but vague text.

2. Structure your content

Headings that mirror real questions, short paragraphs with a single idea, lists where they help. A tidy page is easier to read for a person, and for a machine.

3. Use structured data

Structured data (schema.org) explicitly describes entities such as person, business, service, article. It is not a magic wand, but it removes ambiguity.

4. Build credibility outside your own site

Mentions, reviews, up-to-date listings, consistent profiles: generative systems tend to trust what they find confirmed in several places.

5. Measure

Ask AI assistants yourself the questions one of your customers would ask and note whether you appear, how and with what description. It is a simple check, to repeat over time.