AI search. Reviewed October 29, 2026
Generative engine optimization
Also called: GEO, AI SEO, LLM optimization
Generative engine optimization is the work of getting a business named or cited in answers written by AI assistants, through clear facts on its own site, structured data, and mentions on sites the assistants trust.
In practice
It overlaps most of local SEO: the Business Profile, reviews, a fast site with real content. What it adds is writing that answers the question in the first sentence, an llms.txt file, schema on every page and published prices. Then it means getting listed on the directories and roundups the assistants quote.
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Related terms
- Answer engine optimizationAnswer engine optimization means writing pages so that a direct question gets a direct, quotable answer in the first sentence, which is what AI assistants and featured snippets lift.
- AI searchAI search is any search where an assistant such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Google's AI Mode writes the answer and names a few businesses or sources, instead of returning ten links.
- Schema markupSchema markup is code added to a web page that labels facts such as business name, services, prices, reviews and questions in a format search engines and AI assistants read directly.
- llms.txtllms.txt is a plain text file at the root of a website, like robots.txt, that gives AI crawlers a summary of the business and a list of its important pages with one-line descriptions.
- AI mention rateAI mention rate is the share of AI assistant answers to a set of buyer questions that name a specific business, measured by asking the same questions repeatedly over time.
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