Why Businesses Need to Optimise for AI
7 mins read
Published Feb 14, 2024
For the past two decades, SEO has been about ranking on Google. But with AI search assistants, like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and even Amazon’s AI, users are no longer typing queries into a search bar. They’re asking conversational questions… and expecting instant, personalised answers.
That shift has quietly created a new layer of search, called GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). It’s the evolution of SEO in a world where AI does the searching for users.
So what does this mean for businesses?
AI Doesn’t “Browse” the Web Like Humans, It Chooses Winners Automatically
When a user asks ChatGPT for:
“Best interior designers in Brisbane”
“Top plumbing services near me”
“What’s the best place for laser hair removal in Sydney?”
…the AI model doesn’t show 10 blue links.
It selects 1–3 names.
That means visibility becomes winner-takes-all.
And businesses who don’t optimise for GEO risk becoming invisible, even if they’ve done SEO for years.
AI Models Need High-Quality, Structured, Current Information
AI engines aren’t just scanning websites. They are:
indexing data,
reading structured content,
analyzing authority signals,
pulling from PDFs, blogs, FAQs, reviews, schema, citations, and knowledge graphs.
If your information isn’t formatted in a way AI engines understand, they skip you.
This is why GEO is so powerful:
It ensures your business becomes a trusted source AI confidently cites in its answers.
GEO Makes Small Businesses Competitive Again
Google often favours:
the biggest brands,
the most backlinks,
the highest budgets.
AI engines favour:
clarity,
accuracy,
relevance,
topical authority.
A small business with strong GEO strategy can outperform a large competitor with weak AI visibility.
We’re already seeing it happen.
