Be the Answer AI Gives
When customers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews for a recommendation, your brand is the one named and cited. Webspires runs GEO grounded in real SEO and a topical-authority method, tracks your citations across every major AI engine, works your whole footprint rather than your website alone, and prices it transparently. UK businesses get found and recommended at the exact moment a buyer asks an AI which option to choose.
- ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews
- Real citation tracking
- SEO-grounded GEO
- Own your data
Answer
Your brand
recommended source
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- Claude
- Copilot
- Google AI Mode
What Generative Engine Optimisation Is
Generative engine optimisation is the work that makes a brand the cited, recommended answer when people search with AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. The work shapes how AI systems understand, trust, and quote a business, so the brand appears inside the answer rather than a link buried beneath it.
GEO
Generative engine optimisation: being cited and recommended inside AI-generated answers.
AEO
Answer engine optimisation: the same shift, framed around answering the question directly.
AI search
The umbrella term for discovery happening inside AI assistants and AI Overviews.
Through 2026, AI Overviews appear across a large share of Google searches and a growing share of buyers ask AI assistants for recommendations, so discovery increasingly happens inside the answer rather than the list of links beneath it.
Why Search Is Moving to AI, and Why It Matters Now
Search behaviour is shifting. AI Overviews now sit above the classic results on a large share of queries and answer the question before a user clicks, and a growing number of buyers open ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of a results page. A brand absent from those answers loses the recommendation before the customer ever reaches its site.
Above the results
AI Overviews now answer many queries before the first click
Ask, not scroll
Buyers increasingly ask AI assistants for a recommendation
Cited sources win
A handful of trusted sources shape each AI answer
Claim the position early
AI engines favour the sources they already trust. Brands cited today build a lead that later entrants struggle to displace.
Capture high-intent AI traffic
People who ask an AI for a recommendation sit close to a decision. Being the named answer puts you in front of demand at its sharpest.
Build authority that compounds
Entity clarity and trusted citations strengthen over time. The work done now keeps paying back as AI search grows.
Framing reflects documented shifts in AI search. Figures are added only when sourced.
Our GEO Services
AI visibility audit
We test how ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and AI Overviews answer the questions in your market and where your brand stands today. You see where you are cited, where you are missing, and who wins instead.
↳ a clear GEO baseline and priority list.
Entity and authority building
We define your brand as a recognised entity across your site and the wider web, using the topical-authority method so AI engines understand and trust it. Consistent, connected facts replace a thin or muddled footprint.
↳ accurate, confident citations.
Citation-optimised content
We build fact-dense, answer-led content structured for direct quotation, not keyword-stuffed blog posts. Each page answers a real buyer question cleanly and completely.
↳ content AI engines quote and recommend.
Structured data and schema
We add FAQ, organisation, and entity schema so the machine-readable layer matches the human one. Clean data feeds models the right facts about your business.
↳ a brand AI systems read correctly.
Whole-footprint optimisation
We work the sources AI engines actually pull from: Reddit, G2, Capterra, comparison pages, third-party mentions, and YouTube, not your website alone. Influence the inputs and you influence the answer.
↳ presence across the sources that shape AI responses.
AEO for local and near-me
We optimise for the local and "near me" recommendations buyers now ask AI assistants for, tied to your Google Business Profile and local entity signals. Local intent meets the AI answer.
↳ recommendations when nearby buyers ask AI who to choose.
How We Measure AI Visibility
Real GEO lives or dies on measurement. We track a defined set of your core buyer queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Overviews, then report whether your brand is cited and, more importantly, recommended, because a citation is not a recommendation. We never pass off Search Console impressions as AI visibility. You see before-and-after on AI mentions, which queries moved, and where the next gain sits. Some of this is firmly measurable today and some is still emerging, and we tell you which is which.
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Gemini
- Claude
- Google AI Overviews
- AI Mode
- best [service] in [your city]Recommended
- top [category] companies ukCited
- who should i use for [need]Recommended
- alternatives to [competitor]Tracking
GEO vs SEO vs AEO, Explained
Buyers ask about all three, so here is the plain version. SEO is visibility in classic search results. GEO and AEO are visibility and recommendation inside AI answers, with AEO framed around answering the question directly. The three share a technical foundation, which is why GEO works best grounded in strong SEO.
SEO
Wins rankings, clicks, and organic traffic on the classic results page. SEO remains the foundation of being found on Google.
GEO and AEO
Win citations and recommendations inside AI answers, where a growing share of questions now end. GEO captures the visibility SEO alone leaves on the table.
Most businesses need both. Our model is SEO-grounded, not a pure-play GEO shop that launched last year, so the entity, content, and authority work feeds your rankings and your AI citations at once. Explore our SEO service.
Our GEO Process, Step by Step
Five phases take your brand from invisible in AI search to cited and recommended across the engines. The method is built on real SEO and the topical-authority approach, AI-accelerated where it speeds the work, with a person making the calls that shape how models see you.
- 01
AI visibility audit
We test how the engines answer your market and map where you appear, where you do not, and who wins instead. You leave with a clear baseline and the biggest gaps named.
- 02
Authority and entity foundation
We define your brand as a recognised entity and build topical authority across your core subjects. The foundation makes everything downstream faster and more durable.
- 03
Citation content and technical execution
We produce answer-led, fact-dense content and add the schema and structured data AI engines read. Your site becomes quotable by machines and useful to people.
- 04
Whole-footprint and third-party work
We earn mentions and correct facts across Reddit, review sites, comparison pages, and the sources AI engines trust. The inputs to the answer start to favour you.
- 05
Measurement and acceleration
We track citations and recommendations across the engines and double down on what moves. AI visibility becomes a channel you watch and grow, not a guess.
Is GEO Right for Your Business
GEO suits businesses whose customers research with AI and where being recommended drives real growth. Here is the honest part most agencies skip: GEO and AEO are not only for enterprise SaaS. UK SMEs and local businesses win too, because customers now ask AI for the best option near them and the best provider in their town, and almost no one optimises for it yet.
SaaS and B2B
Inclusion in AI answers during research and vendor comparison, where long buying journeys now begin.
ExploreEcommerce
Product and category visibility when buyers ask AI what to buy and which brand to trust.
ExploreProfessional services
Authority-led citations that name expert firms when buyers ask AI who to trust.
ExploreLocal and SME businesses
Recommendations when nearby buyers ask AI for the best option near them, tied to local entity signals.
ExploreServing a local area? See our Local SEO service, where AEO for “near me” sits alongside the map pack.
GEO Pricing in the UK
Honest first: cheap GEO is usually repackaged content with a new label, and credible GEO is an ongoing system that builds over months. The tiers below are indicative, set finally after a free AI visibility audit, and GEO runs standalone or bundles with your SEO.
Foundation / AEO
from £600/mo
AI visibility audit, entity and schema foundation, and answer-led content on your core queries. Right for brands starting GEO.
Growth
from £1,200/mo
Ongoing citation content, whole-footprint work, and tracking across the major engines. The popular choice for businesses competing for AI answers.
Authority
from £2,500/mo
Competitive markets, the full footprint, digital PR for AI citations, and fast iteration with senior strategy.
Bands are indicative and confirmed after a free AI visibility audit. Retainers run rolling monthly with no long contracts, GEO bundles with SEO when it makes sense, and the audit findings are yours to keep either way.
Get a free auditPricing is indicative and confirmed after a free AI visibility audit.
Why Businesses Choose Webspires for GEO
SEO-grounded, not rebranded
Our GEO sits on real SEO and content foundations, not a pure-play shop that appeared last year and not an old SEO checklist with a new name.
Koray topical-authority method
We build your brand as a recognised entity with genuine topical authority, the signal AI engines lean on when they choose what to cite.
Real citation tracking
We track a defined query set across every major AI engine and report cited versus recommended, never Search Console impressions dressed up as AI visibility.
Whole-footprint authority
We work Reddit, review sites, comparison pages, and the third-party sources the engines pull from, not your website alone.
Recommended, not just mentioned
We optimise for being named as the answer, because a passing mention is not the same as the recommendation a buyer acts on.
Transparent pricing, you own your data
Clear retainers, no long contracts, and content and data that stay yours. You always know what you pay for.
One team across SEO, content, and CRO
The same team runs your AI search, organic search, and conversion work, so visibility turns into enquiries instead of stopping at a citation.
GEO made accessible to SMEs
We bring AI search within reach of UK SMEs and local businesses, not just enterprise budgets.
Real GEO Results
Problem
Our own brand sat outside the AI conversation. Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity about our services and other agencies surfaced, while our facts across the web were thin, scattered, and sometimes wrong.
Solution
We ran our own GEO programme: a clear entity definition, topical-authority content, schema across the site, citations earned from trusted third-party sources, and tracking across the major engines.
Outcome
The engines began naming us for relevant questions, the facts they repeated turned accurate, and enquiries that started inside an AI answer arrived as a visible, growing channel.
↳ verified internallyWe publish results we stand behind. As client GEO programmes mature and the metrics gain approval, we add them here with named citation and enquiry figures.
Get a Free AI Visibility Audit
Book a free AI visibility audit and the Webspires team shows where your brand is and is not cited across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and AI Overviews today, the queries you are missing, and the quickest wins. No obligation, and the findings are yours to keep.
- Where you are cited today
- Queries you are missing
- Competitor comparison
- Quick wins
GEO FAQs
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?
Generative engine optimisation is the work of getting your brand cited and recommended inside AI-generated answers from engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Rather than ranking a link, GEO makes your business the source the AI quotes when a buyer asks a question.
What is the difference between GEO, AEO, and SEO?
SEO earns rankings and clicks on the classic results page. GEO and AEO earn citations and recommendations inside AI answers, with AEO framed around answering the question directly. They share a technical foundation, which is why GEO works best grounded in strong SEO rather than bolted on.
Will GEO replace SEO?
No. AI answers and classic results sit side by side, and most businesses need both. Strong SEO foundations make GEO faster and more durable, while GEO extends your reach into the AI surfaces where a growing share of questions now end. We run them together.
How do you measure AI visibility?
We track a defined set of your core buyer queries across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Overviews, then report whether your brand is cited and whether it is recommended. A citation is not a recommendation, so we measure both, and we never pass off Search Console impressions as AI visibility.
How do you check if my brand appears in ChatGPT or Perplexity?
We run your real buyer questions through each engine, record whether your brand is named and how accurately, and benchmark against competitors. That becomes a tracked query set we monitor over time, so you see movement rather than a one-off snapshot.
How long does GEO take to work?
Early wins like corrected facts and schema inclusion often land within weeks, while stronger citation and recommendation presence builds over a few months. In 2026 the engines update constantly, so GEO is an ongoing discipline rather than a one-off fix, much like SEO.
Is GEO worth it for a small or local business?
Yes, and most agencies miss this. Customers now ask AI for the best option near them and the best provider in their town, and almost no one optimises for it. A focused GEO and AEO programme suits SMEs that want to be found where buyers increasingly ask, without an enterprise budget.
How much does GEO cost in the UK?
UK GEO retainers typically run from around £600 per month for a foundation programme to £2,500 and above for competitive markets and full-footprint work. Price depends on your starting visibility, your market, and the depth of content and authority work. We confirm scope after a free audit, on rolling monthly terms.