What is GEO (generative engine optimisation)? A guide for Maltese businesses

Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the practice of making your business and content easy for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews to find, understand, trust and cite in the answers they write. It builds on search engine optimisation (SEO) rather than replacing it. This guide explains how these tools choose their sources, how GEO differs from SEO, the main techniques, how to measure results and the myths worth ignoring.

What does generative engine optimisation mean?

GEO means optimising so that AI systems which generate answers will mention, cite or recommend your business. A “generative engine” is any tool that writes a response in its own words instead of simply returning a list of links.

The term was introduced in a 2023 academic research paper on how content can become more visible in AI-generated answers, and it has since been widely adopted by marketers. In practice, GEO has three goals:

• Inclusion: your business is named when someone asks a relevant question.
• Accuracy: what the AI says about you is correct and current.
• Citation: your website is one of the sources linked in the answer.

How do generative engines find and choose sources?

Most generative engines combine what the model learned during training with a live web search, then choose a small number of sources to summarise. Training data is a snapshot with a cut-off date, so for current, local or commercial questions the live search usually matters most.

Each tool searches in a slightly different way:

• ChatGPT uses its own search crawler, OAI-SearchBot, together with third-party search providers.
• Claude searches the web when a question needs current information, using Anthropic’s crawlers (Claude-SearchBot and Claude-User), and links the sources it uses.
• Gemini and Google AI Overviews draw on Google’s search index.
• Microsoft Copilot is grounded in Bing search results.
• Perplexity runs its own crawler and index and shows numbered citations in each answer.

Google has also described a technique called “query fan-out”, in which one question is split into several related searches and the results are combined. This means a page can be used to answer part of a question even if it does not rank for the original wording.

None of these providers publish their full selection rules, but the patterns are consistent. A source is more likely to be used when it is relevant to the question, offers a clear answer that is easy to extract, agrees with other sources and comes from someone the system already recognises as credible.

How is GEO different from SEO?

SEO aims to rank a page in a list of search results, while GEO aims to have your information used inside a written answer. The foundations are shared, but what counts as success is different.

• Pages versus passages: SEO ranks whole pages, while generative engines often lift a single paragraph, list or fact.
• Links versus mentions: backlinks remain important for SEO, while GEO also benefits from unlinked mentions of your brand in reviews, directories and the press.
• Rankings versus inclusion: SEO tracks positions, while GEO tracks whether you are named, cited and described accurately.
• Clicks versus influence: an AI answer can shape a decision even when the user never clicks through to your site.

GEO still depends on SEO. If your site cannot be crawled or indexed by Google and Bing, the tools that rely on those indexes are unlikely to find it. For a side-by-side comparison that also covers answer engine optimisation, see AEO vs SEO vs GEO.

What are the main GEO techniques?

The main GEO techniques are answer-first content, consistent business information, structured data, third-party corroboration, open crawler access and regular updates. None of them is a trick: each one makes your information easier to find and safer for an AI system to repeat.

Answer-first content

Start every page and section with a direct answer, then add detail. Use question-style headings, short paragraphs and lists, and include specific facts that can be checked, such as where you operate, how long you have been in business and what a service includes.

Consistent entity information

Keep your business name, address, phone number and description identical on your website, Google Business Profile, LinkedIn and directories. Inconsistencies make it harder for AI tools to be sure that different mentions refer to the same business.

Structured data

Use schema.org markup, such as Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, Article and FAQPage, to label your key facts in a machine-readable way, with sameAs links to your official profiles.

Third-party corroboration

Earn genuine reviews, complete directory listings and press coverage. AI tools are more willing to recommend a business when independent sources say the same things about it.

Crawler access

Check that your robots.txt file and any bot protection at your hosting or CDN provider do not block search crawlers such as Googlebot, Bingbot, OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot. Submit your sitemap to both Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Freshness

Keep facts current and publish useful content regularly. Outdated details on your website or listings can end up repeated in AI answers.

For a step-by-step version of these techniques aimed at local businesses, read how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT.

How do you measure GEO?

Measure GEO by tracking AI referral traffic, regularly testing the questions your customers ask and monitoring mentions of your brand. No single tool gives the full picture yet, so it is best to combine all three.

AI referral traffic

In Google Analytics 4, look at referrals from sources such as chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai, gemini.google.com and copilot.microsoft.com. Links from ChatGPT often carry a utm_source=chatgpt.com tag. Clicks from Google AI Overviews, however, are counted within normal Google search traffic in Search Console and are not reported separately.

Question testing

Write a list of 10 to 20 questions your customers genuinely ask, such as “Which accountant in Malta can help a small business with VAT?”. Each month, ask them in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity, and record whether you are named, whether your site is cited and whether the details are correct. Answers vary between sessions, so look for trends over several months rather than reacting to single results.

Mentions and enquiries

Keep track of new reviews, directory listings and press mentions, and watch branded searches in Google Search Console. When you ask new clients how they found you, add “an AI assistant such as ChatGPT” as one of the options.

What are the common myths about GEO?

The most common myths are that GEO replaces SEO, that a single file or trick can achieve it, and that results can be guaranteed.

• “SEO is dead.” AI tools rely heavily on search indexes, so SEO remains the foundation.
• “An llms.txt file is all you need.” llms.txt is a proposed standard that is cheap to add, but there is little public evidence that major assistants rely on it.
• “Write for machines, not people.” Content that is clear and useful for people is also what AI tools prefer to quote.
• “Mass-produced AI content will get you cited.” Thin, repetitive pages add nothing new and can weaken trust in your whole site.
• “Only big brands appear in AI answers.” For local questions, AI tools often draw on maps listings and reviews, where smaller businesses with strong, accurate profiles can appear.
• “Results can be guaranteed.” No one controls what an AI tool says, and answers change as models and sources are updated.

Why does GEO matter for Maltese businesses?

GEO matters in Malta because it is a small market, where a few clear and well-supported sources can shape what AI tools say about a whole category. When there is little detailed local content on a topic, a business with a well-structured website, complete listings and genuine reviews stands out more easily.

People researching services in Malta, including visitors, foreign residents and companies setting up on the island, may ask an AI assistant before they ask a friend or colleague. Because English is widely used in Maltese business, one clear set of English-language pages can serve both local and international customers.

How does M7Alpha help with GEO?

M7Alpha’s AEO, GEO and SEO consultancy helps Maltese businesses with content structure, structured data, consistent business information and the listings and mentions that AI tools rely on. Our own website is built AI-first, with answer-first content, complete schema.org structured data, an llms.txt file and consistent business details. To find out more, visit our AEO, GEO and SEO consultancy page.