6 Steps to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand

The brands showing up in AI search results didn’t crack an algorithm. They built a presence that AI systems can find, understand, and trust.

In other words, exactly what generative engine optimization (GEO) helps you do.

As large language models (LLMs) change how people discover information and make decisions, GEO is how you ensure your brand and content show up in AI-generated answers.

That’s a bigger deal than it sounds.

Search has moved well beyond Google in 2026. We’re in the “Search Everywhere” era, where users seek information across platforms.

Research from Semrush predicts that LLM traffic will overtake traditional Google search by the end of 2027.

Our own data suggests that’s likely to be true.

In just three months, we saw an 800% year-over-year increase in referrals from LLMs.

We’re seeing tens of millions of additional impressions in Google Search Console as AI Overviews reshape how Google displays answers.

The brands that adapt now will be in a much stronger position to stay visible as this shift continues.

In this guide, I’ll explain:

• What GEO is and how it’s different from SEO
• Why you shouldn’t throw away everything you’ve already learned
• The top techniques that will help you optimize your content for generative engines (and drive results for your business in the process)

Free resource: [Download our GEO Audit Checklist](/content/generative-engine-optimization-geo# "Quick subscribe before opening"/index.html) to work through every step I discuss in this guide.

What Is Generative Answer Optimization (GEO)?

Generative engine optimization is the practice of ensuring AI systems can find, understand, and reference your brand and content in their answers across platforms.

It’s a holistic approach that includes:

• Publishing content in the right places where AI platforms are most likely to discover it
• Earning positive brand mentions across the web, even without direct links
• Ensuring technical accessibility so AI crawlers can easily access and understand your content

Unlike traditional search, AI platforms go beyond returning a list of links. They pull relevant passages from across the web and use them to compose an answer. Your brand can show up in that answer as a mention, a citation, or both.

You’re no longer just optimizing to rank. You’re optimizing to become part of what AI platforms say when your audience asks questions.

For example, when I searched “best teleprompter 2026” in ChatGPT, BIGVU appeared directly in the answer, and its site was cited as a source.

Why GEO Matters Now

Traditional Google search still dominates.

It’ll likely continue to drive most of your traffic in the near term.

But the way people discover information is changing fast.

Success used to mean ranking at the top of the SERP. Looking forward, there may not even be a “top spot.”

Instead, you need to become the solution AI platforms include (and recommend) in their answers.

The data tells the story:

ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any app in history (at the time). As of April 2026, it now has more than 900 million weekly users.

Google’s AI Overviews now appear on billions of searches every month.

Semrush data from 2025 found they show for roughly 16% of all queries, up from just 6.49% at the start of the year.

Nearly a third of US consumers used chat-based AI tools for shopping-related tasks by late 2025. Among those under 45, that number jumps to 41%.

These numbers point to one thing: generative engines are influencing YOUR audience too. So it makes sense to start optimizing for them now.

How GEO and SEO Work Together

You might look at this guide and think, “Isn’t this just SEO with a different name?”

And honestly?

In many ways, it is. But there’s a reason everyone’s talking about it.

Terms like GEO, AEO (answer engine optimization), and AIO (AI optimization) have exploded in interest because they reflect a real shift.

And with all the acronyms flying around, it can be tough to know who to listen to.

Further reading: [SEO vs. GEO, AEO, LLMO: What Marketers Need to Know](/content/seo-vs-geo "SEO vs. GEO, AEO, LLMO: What Marketers Need to Know"/index.html)

I’m not saying GEO replaces SEO.

But it does help reframe how you think about discovery, which now happens across AI platforms and other surfaces beyond traditional search.

Put simply, the job of SEO now looks like this:

The good news is that if you’ve invested in good SEO, you’re already a lot of the way there.

GEO builds on the foundation of great SEO:

• Creating high-quality content for your specific audience
• Making it easy for search engines to access and understand
• Earning credible mentions across the web

These same elements help AI engines decide which brands to reference.

But here’s the difference:

AI systems don’t surface information the same way Google does.

So some of your tactics and what you track need to evolve.

Let’s walk through how to do that.

7-Step Generative Engine Optimization Action Plan

We’re still in the early days of understanding exactly how AI engines pull and prioritize content.

But one thing is clear:

You need to adapt or reprioritize some traditional SEO tactics for generative engine optimization.

The first three steps below cover overarching best practices for GEO.

Steps 4-7 cover optimizing content for generative engines specifically (and how to track your results).

Step 1. Nail the Basics of SEO

As I said earlier, good GEO is generally good SEO. But not everything in your broader SEO strategy matters equally for generative engines.

I won’t go through every SEO fundamental here. We cover that in [our guide to SEO basics](/content/seo-basics-for-beginners "SEO Basics: How to Rank in Google and LLMs"/index.html).

Let’s focus on what matters most.

Make Your Site Easy to Read (for Bots)

Before AI platforms can reference your content, they need to be able to access and interpret it.

So make sure your website is:

• Crawlable and indexable: If AI platforms can’t access your pages, they can’t reference them in answers
• Fast and mobile-friendly: Slow, clunky sites hurt UX — and your chances of getting cited
• Secure (HTTPS): This is now table stakes, and it builds trust with users and AI systems
• Server-side rendering: Some AI crawlers still struggle with JavaScript-heavy pages, so server-side rendering is often the safer option

Show You’re Worth Trusting

AI systems are more likely to reference sources that appear credible, identifiable, and well-supported.

You can look at this through the E-E-A-T lens:

• Experience: Share real results, personal use, or firsthand knowledge
• Expertise: Stick to topics you truly know — and go deep
• Authority: Get quoted, guest post, or contribute to well-known sites
• Trust: Use real author bios, cite sources, and include reviews or testimonials

Step 2. Build Mentions and Co-Citations

AI systems don’t just look at backlinks to understand your authority. They pay attention to every mention of your brand across the web, even when those mentions don’t include a clickable link.

That’s because AI systems are built to understand entities, not just content.

They try to determine who’s behind the information and whether that entity shows up consistently across the web with clear connections to relevant people, brands, and topics.

So your brand needs to exist as a [clearly defined entity](/content/entity-seo "Entity SEO: How to Build Digital Brand Visibility in AI Search"/index.html), with consistent signals across your website, social profiles, and third-party mentions. The more coherent that picture is, the easier it is for AI systems to trust and reference you.

Backlinks are still important. But this changes how you should think about building your wider online presence.

Audit Your Current Mentions

Start by auditing where you’re currently mentioned. Search for your brand name, product names, and key team members across Google, social media, and industry forums.

Take note of what people are saying and where those conversations are happening.

Also run your brand name and related terms through the AI platforms themselves.

• Does Google’s AI Mode cite your brand as a source for relevant terms?
• Does ChatGPT know who your team members are?
• What kind of sentiment do the answers have when you ask those platforms about your brand?

For a more in-depth sentiment analysis, use Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit.

Keep Building Quality Backlinks

Just because mentions are more important than before with GEO, it doesn’t mean you should abandon traditional link building. Backlinks still matter for SEO, and they often lead to the kind of authoritative mentions that AI systems value.

Aim to Build Co-Citations and Co-Occurrences

The first important way to think of co-citations/co-occurrences is simply the mention of one thing alongside another.

In the case of GEO, we’re usually talking about your brand or website being mentioned alongside a different website or topic/concept on another website.

To sum it up:

• If two (or more) brands or websites are often mentioned alongside each other, AI systems are more likely to treat them as related (i.e., competitors)
• If a brand is often mentioned in the context of a particular topic, concept, or industry, AI systems are more likely to associate that brand with those things (i.e., what you offer)
• If lots of different websites mention a particular brand, AI systems are more likely to see that brand as worth referencing (i.e., probably trustworthy)

Step 3. Go Multi-Platform

Going beyond Google is something top SEOs have been telling us to do for a long time. But AI has made this an absolute must.

Platforms like Reddit, YouTube, and other user-generated content sites appear frequently in AI outputs.

In fact, according to Semrush data from January 2026, Reddit and LinkedIn are the two most cited domains across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode.

Step 4. Find Out What AI Platforms Are Citing for Your Niche

One of the fastest ways to understand what content to create is to study what AI platforms are already citing in your niche.

Step 5. Answer Your Audience’s Questions

The way people search with AI platforms is often more conversational than traditional Google search.

Step 6. Structure Your Content for Generative Engines

AI systems process information differently than humans do. They break content into chunks and analyze how those pieces relate to each other.

Step 7. Track Your Visibility in LLMs

AI visibility isn’t a metric you check once.

Why Talk to Your Boss (or Clients) About GEO?

You’ve seen the steps. Now you need a story.

You Need to Start Now to Stay Visible

This space is evolving fast. New capabilities are rolling out monthly.