Sources disagree
Your site Your current range
Reviews and directories A product you dropped
Media and forums A market you left
Video and social Last year’s prices
Described wrongly: a dropped product, in a market you left, at last year’s prices.
What it is
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
AI search optimization, or generative engine optimization (GEO), is the work of getting your company named and described correctly when buyers ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI who to hire. It works on your own site and on the other sites AI reads about you, and it builds on the same foundation as SEO.
A buyer asks AI: “Tell me about your company.” Four kinds of sources feed the answer:
Sources agree
Your site Your current range
Reviews and directories Your current range
Media and forums Your markets
Video and social Today’s prices
Described correctly: your current range, in your markets, at today’s prices.
Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the narrower part: being the direct answer to one question, in Google’s AI Overviews, featured snippets or a voice assistant. AI SEO is the umbrella term buyers use for both. How GEO, AEO and SEO differ ↓
When you need it
How do AI answers go wrong for a company?
In five ways. AI builds each answer from the sources it can find and trust, so every failure sits in a specific place in the answer and has a specific fix. Pick one to see why it happens and what we do about it.
01 You’re missing from the shortlist
Where it shows: the shortlist in the answer.
You’re missing from the shortlist
Breaks “Mentioned”- Why it happens
- Buyers ask for the best options in your category. The answer names three competitors and not you, usually because the sources AI trusts in your category don’t mention you yet.
- What we fix
- Find the sources answers cite for your category, earn a place in them, and publish pages that answer the same questions.
- How we measure it
- Mention rate, in the monthly panel.
Check it yourself. Ask three AI assistants for the best options in your category. Are you on the list?
02 You’re described wrongly
Where it shows: the facts about your offer.
You’re described wrongly
Breaks “Accurate”- Why it happens
- Old pricing, a discontinued product, the wrong market. AI repeats what it finds, including stale directory listings and years-old press.
- What we fix
- Confirm the facts once in a brand fact sheet, correct them on your site, then fix the listings and profiles AI cites.
- How we measure it
- Accuracy, in the monthly panel.
Check it yourself. Ask AI what you sell, where and at what price. Is every fact current?
03 You’re confused with another company
Where it shows: the description of your company.
You’re confused with another company
Breaks “Accurate”- Why it happens
- A shared or similar name blends two businesses into one description, with the other company’s facts under your name.
- What we fix
- Make the entity unambiguous: one form of the name, clear facts on your About page, Organization markup and profiles that point to each other.
- How we measure it
- Accuracy, in the monthly panel.
Check it yourself. Ask AI about your company by name. Does any fact belong to someone else?
04 A competitor frames the comparison
Where it shows: answers that compare you with a competitor.
A competitor frames the comparison
Breaks “Recommended”- Why it happens
- In “you vs. them” questions, answers lean on the comparison pages and reviews that exist. If only your competitor published one, theirs sets the terms.
- What we fix
- Publish your own comparison and alternatives pages, with specifics, honest trade-offs and proof.
- How we measure it
- Competitor share, in the monthly panel.
Check it yourself. Ask AI to compare you with your closest competitor. Whose page does it quote?
05 You’re mentioned, not recommended
Where it shows: the recommendation at the end of the answer.
You’re mentioned, not recommended
Breaks “Recommended”- Why it happens
- The answer lists you as an option, then recommends a competitor or turns an old forum complaint into the verdict.
- What we fix
- Answer the complaint where it lives, earn current reviews, and give AI newer evidence to cite.
- How we measure it
- Competitor and citation share, in the monthly panel.
Check it yourself. Ask AI which option it recommends, and why. What evidence does it give?
Each failure breaks one of three things buyers see in an answer: whether you’re Mentioned, whether the facts are Accurate, and whether you’re Recommended.
Three layers, one plan
GEO vs. AEO vs. SEO: what’s the difference, and is SEO included?
SEO is included. To appear in Google’s AI answers, a page has to be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet in Search (Google Search Central). So every GEO program we run includes the SEO it depends on, done once and billed once.
- GEOBe named and described correctly when buyers ask AI. In ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews: brand facts, third-party sources and a monthly AI answer panel.This page
- AEOBe the direct answer to a specific question. In Google AI Overviews, featured snippets and voice assistants: clear definitions, comparisons, FAQs and structured data.
- SEORank your pages and earn the click in Google and Bing: crawlable, fast pages, useful content, links and mentions.Only need this layer? SEO services →
Why SEO alone isn’t enough
- Buyers see a shortlist before they visit any site.
- Answers cite pages that don’t rank. A page outside the top 10 can still be the source an AI answer quotes.
- AI reads other sites about you: reviews, directories, media and forums. Their facts become your description.
Folklore we skip
- “Guaranteed ChatGPT placement.” No one controls what a model says.
- llms.txt or “AI schema” as a shortcut. Google says its AI features need no special files or markup.
- Pages chopped up for machines. We write for buyers and keep the facts clear for AI.
The Wonderflow Method
How does a GEO program run?
In four stages, each a complete piece of work with its own result. After each one, you decide whether to continue. First changes in AI answers usually show one to three months after the work goes live, and we judge the trend over six months.
Map, audit, strategy, monthly work
◆ You decide
Up to 2 days Free search potential map
One priority service in one market: buyer demand, who wins it today and why, whether your site is ready to compete, and an AI snapshot: 5 buyer questions on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity. A first look: the audit covers all 7 platforms.
◆ You choose what comes next: an SEO strategy, an SEO and GEO strategy, fix the site first, or come back later.
From you Your site, one priority service and the market.
Optional · 5 days AI visibility audit
For when you need the AI picture before strategy. 30 buyer questions on 7 platforms, 210 checks: mentions, accuracy, competitors, cited sources and errors, plus a 10-point technical check of your site. A 10 to 15 page report, the full table of checks and a walkthrough.
◆ Move to strategy with the fee credited within 14 days, fix the top errors yourself, or stop here.
From you The questions your buyers ask, and the competitors you lose deals to.
3–4 weeks GEO and SEO strategy
Search demand, site condition and the AI picture in one plan: pages to build or fix, sources to correct, content requirements and a six-month roadmap with three scenarios. The full audit, the brand fact sheet and the fixed question panel are included.
◆ You approve the plan, the fact sheet and the question panel.
From you Access to analytics and Search Console, and one person who confirms the facts about your company.
Monthly Monthly GEO program
Pages, content and source fixes delivered from a set monthly capacity, six months recommended. Every task is agreed with you before work starts.
◆ Each month you keep the pace, change it, or stop with 10 business days’ notice.
From you One owner for the site, and your experts’ check of the facts.
The map, the audit and the strategy stay with you, whether you implement with us, your own team or another agency.
What the program covers
- In the answers
- The AI visibility audit, then the same question panel re-run every month, each answer saved with its sources.
- Across the web
- One confirmed set of facts about your company, and the outside sources AI trusts in your category: we fix what’s wrong, earn places where you’re missing and answer old complaints.
- On your site
- Crawlers can reach and read your key pages. Service, comparison, pricing and FAQ pages built around the questions buyers ask, with markup and facts that match every profile.
- The SEO foundation
- Keyword research, technical SEO, content and on-page work in the same plan, because AI search runs on them.
Every month, without spending units
- The AI panel
- 30 questions on 7 platforms, checked against your fact sheet.
- Monitoring
- Technical health, rankings and inquiries by page group.
- Report and plan
- Plan, done and result, and a working meeting on the next month.
Build a month
What can a month of GEO deliver?
At Growth pace, about 2 service pages, 2 articles, 4 page improvements and 4 external profiles. The monthly program is a set capacity in units, split between your site and the sources AI reads. Pick a pace, then change the mix. Every task has a fixed size. The AI panel, monitoring, the report and the plan run every month without spending units.
| Pace | Units a month | Service pages | Articles | Page improvements | External profiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Growth | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Scale | 24 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
A turnkey service page takes 3 units, or 1 if your team designs and builds it. An article, a page improvement, a technical fix, a conversion review, an external profile and an external publication take 1 each. An active link building month takes 2, once a month.
The monthly panel
How do we measure AI visibility, and what do averages hide?
Ask AI the same question twice and you can get two different answers, so one screenshot proves nothing. We ask the same 30 buyer questions on 7 platforms every month and count how often you’re named. The questions come from your sales calls, search data and the competitors AI names. You approve the list before the first run, and it stays fixed so the months compare.
Question type
Our monthly panel format · made-up numbers for a sample company32%Mentioned in 60 of 186 answers received
75%Described accurately in 45 of 60 mentions
12–48%Range across platforms. The panel average of 32% hides it.
210 checks · 186 answers received · 12 with no answer · 12 failed checks, excluded and re-run
ChatGPT32%9 of 28
Google AI Overviews48%12 of 25
Google AI Mode48%14 of 29
Gemini19%5 of 26
Perplexity48%13 of 27
Claude12%3 of 26
Microsoft Copilot16%4 of 25
Select any square to see the question, what the answer said and where it came from.
Why platforms stay separate: one number would hide two different problems.
Mention rate
How often answers name you, by platform and question type.
Accuracy
Whether what AI says about your offer, prices, markets and people is right.
Competitor share
Who is named next to you, and whether you’re recommended or just listed.
Citation share
How often answers cite your pages, and which other sites carry your story.
AI referral traffic
Visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Claude.
Assisted inquiries
Inquiries with an AI visit in the path: the link to your pipeline.
How each number is counted
| Metric | Counted as | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mention rate | Answers that name you ÷ answers received | Question panel |
| Accuracy | Each claim: correct, inaccurate, false or not enough data | Your brand fact sheet |
| Competitor share | Who is named next to you, how often and how | Question panel |
| Citation share | Answers citing your pages ÷ answers citing sources | Saved citations |
| AI referral traffic | Sessions from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Claude. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode arrive as Google search | GA4 |
| Assisted inquiries | Inquiries with an AI referral in the path | GA4 and your CRM |
Every percentage shows what it was counted from. A failed check is excluded and re-run, never counted as a missing brand. Answers vary with account, location and time, so we record the conditions of every run and compare like with like. New questions are reported separately, so a bigger panel never looks like growth.
By business
What does AI search look like in your industry?
The method is the same everywhere. The questions buyers ask, and the sources AI trusts to answer them, are not. Pick your business.
B2B software
- A buyer asks AI
- “What’s the best SOC 2 compliance software for a 40-person startup?”
- Sources that shape the answer
- Software review platforms, comparison and alternatives articles, integration directories, your pricing and docs pages.
- What we fix first
- Comparison and alternatives pages, the same pricing and feature facts everywhere, and the review profiles buyers check.
The same comparison pages also compete in Google. SaaS SEO →
Real estate
- A buyer asks AI
- “Which new condo projects in Austin have two-bedroom units under $600k?”
- Sources that shape the answer
- Listing portals, developer and project pages, local news and forums, video tours.
- What we fix first
- Project pages with prices, availability and payment terms in plain text, and the same facts on the portals.
Travel
- A buyer asks AI
- “Which small-group tour operators are best for Japan in April?”
- Sources that shape the answer
- Travel review sites, itinerary and trip pages, travel media and forums, video.
- What we fix first
- Itinerary pages that say what’s included and what it costs, current reviews, and the same facts across listings.
Dental
- A buyer asks AI
- “Where can I get dental implants in Phoenix, and what do they cost?”
- Sources that shape the answer
- Business profiles and reviews, dental directories, practice and treatment pages, local forums.
- What we fix first
- Your business profile and treatment pages that answer questions on cost and process.
Claims about treatment are reviewed with your team before they go live. Dental marketing →
Fintech
- A buyer asks AI
- “Which business account has the lowest fees for international payments?”
- Sources that shape the answer
- Comparison sites, app store and review pages, financial media, your fees and security pages.
- What we fix first
- Fees, licensing and security facts stated the same way everywhere, approved by compliance before anything runs.
Team
Two founders, one strategy.
Every project has a founder on it and a team lead for each service. Our search team runs your program day to day, and a specialist approves every page and every fact before it goes anywhere AI can read it.
-
-
Every project has a founder on it and a team lead for each service.
- Search teamAn SEO and GEO specialist, a marketer, a copywriter and a project manager. A designer and a developer join for page tasks.
If the people on your program change, the plan, the fact sheet and our notes stay with the project, and so does a founder.
- 2015founded
- 100+client projects
- 15+projects for US companies
Most of our clients come through a recommendation. Meet the team →
Price
How much does AI SEO cost?
The map is free. The AI visibility audit is a fixed $X, the strategy starts at $X, and the monthly program starts at $X a month, set by the pace you choose. GEO is usually sold as a monthly retainer, often after a one-time audit.
Free search potential map
$0
Up to 2 business days
- One priority service in one market
- A first look on 3 AI platforms. The audit covers all 7
- A call with Mike or Alex
AI visibility audit
$X
Optional · 5 business days
- 30 questions on 7 platforms, 210 checks
- A 10 to 15 page report and a walkthrough
- Credited to strategy within 14 days
GEO and SEO strategy
From $X
One time · 3–4 weeks
- The full audit included
- A brand fact sheet and the question panel
- A six-month roadmap with three scenarios
Monthly GEO program
From $X a month
Starter, Growth or Scale pace
- 8, 16 or 24 units of work a month
- The AI panel, monitoring and the report without spending units
- Every task agreed with you before work starts
How the program works
- The pace sets the price. You can change it from the next month.
- Unused units move to the next month if the delay is ours.
- Link building has its own plan. Placement budgets and fees to outlets are agreed with you first and paid separately.
If you leave
Give us 10 business days’ notice. The fact sheet, the question panel, every page we built and every report stay with you.
- What moves the price
- For the monthly program, only the pace. For the audit and the strategy, the number of markets, languages or sites.
- Not included
- The link placement budget, paid placements, PR fees, photo and video, and new site builds. Each is quoted separately.
At six months we set the trend in AI answers against the forecast with you and agree on what to change.
Questions buyers ask
AI SEO FAQ
The short answer comes first. Open any question for the detail.
Can you guarantee that ChatGPT will recommend us?No. No one can.
We don’t promise a place in AI answers or a set number of leads. No one can: answers are generated fresh each time and depend on the model, the question and the sources it finds. We control what we change: your pages, your facts and the sources we can influence. Then we measure the effect on a fixed panel and report it, including what didn’t move.
How long does GEO take to work?First moves in 1–3 months. Judge at six.
Search systems and AI models need time to find changes and re-evaluate sources. First changes on individual questions usually show one to three months after publication. We judge the trend in mentions, accuracy and inquiries over six months, not by single answers.
Is GEO worth it, or is it SEO with a new name?Mostly SEO. The measurement is new.
Much of the work overlaps with good SEO, and we don’t bill it twice. What’s new is the measurement: whether AI answers name you, describe you correctly and cite you, by platform. If your buyers compare options before they call, that’s where the shortlist now forms. The free search potential map, with its AI snapshot, tells you whether it’s worth it for you now.
How do I check my AI visibility?Ten buyer questions, three platforms, fresh sessions.
Ask ten questions your buyers ask on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, each in a fresh session. Note whether you’re named, what’s said about you and which sources are cited. That gives you a snapshot, and our free map includes one on five questions. A baseline you can compare month to month needs the same questions, platforms and conditions every time, which is what our audit sets up.
What is a GEO audit report?What AI says about you, and where it got it.
It shows where AI answers name you, how accurately, next to which competitors and based on which sources. Ours covers 30 questions on 7 platforms, a brand fact check, every error with its platform and source, third-party profiles, a 10-point technical check and a prioritized checklist. Every number links back to the saved answers.
Do we need llms.txt or special schema for AI search?Not for Google.
Google’s guidance says AI Overviews and AI Mode need no special files or markup beyond normal SEO. Structured data still helps machines read facts, as long as it matches what the page shows. We treat llms.txt as optional and never sell it as a lever.
Can ChatGPT do GEO for us?It helps. It can’t earn trust or decide.
AI tools find the questions buyers ask, group them and draft pages faster than people. They can’t confirm facts about your company, earn a place in the sources AI answers cite, or decide what to fix first. AI helps. Behind every decision is a person you know by name: we use AI for research and first drafts, and a specialist checks every source and claim and approves every page before it goes live.
Who is AI search optimization for, and who isn’t it for?For buyers who compare first. Not for guarantees.
It fits when your buyers research and compare before they contact you, AI answers already discuss your category or your competitors, and you can confirm facts about your company and share access to your site and analytics. It’s the wrong choice if you need guaranteed mentions in ChatGPT, want volume content or prompt tricks, can’t change your site or approve facts, or need a verdict on the channel within a few weeks.
How is this different from ChatGPT ads?Ads buy a spot. GEO works on the answer.
Ads buy a labeled placement next to an answer. GEO works on what the answer itself says about you. They work on different things and are measured separately, so one isn’t a substitute for the other.
Insights
An article, research and a guide for AI search
AI search optimization: what to check, change and measure
An AI answer can leave out a company, describe its offer incorrectly or cite a source that explains the product poorly. Each observation calls for investigation. The practical work starts by recording the answer and checking the information behind it.Checked
Inside Whitewill: the marketing system behind 177 hostnames
A developer search, a project launch, an owner inquiry, a partner referral. Whitewill gives each a different entrance. Here is how those routes fit together and what other property businesses can learn.CheckedMQL vs SQL: what counts as a qualified lead
Marketing and sales often mean different things by “qualified.” Here is one deal followed through both marks, a one-page agreement to fill in, and a way to teach Google, Meta and LinkedIn from the second mark.Checked
Start here
Is AI search worth investing in for you now?
Within two business days you’ll know whether search and AI visibility are worth investing in now, what AI tells buyers about you and where to start. The map is free.
What happens next
- 01Tell us your site, one priority service and the market.
- 02Within two business days you get the map: demand, competitors, site readiness and an AI snapshot on five buyer questions.
- 03A 20-minute call with Mike or Alex and one direct recommendation.
Need the full AI picture now? Order an AI visibility audit: 30 buyer questions on 7 platforms, with every answer saved.