AEO/GEO: how to get cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity

AEO, GEO: what are we talking about?

Classic SEO optimizes for Google's ten blue links. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimize for answers generated by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Gemini — answers that cite a handful of sources and ignore all the others.

The stakes are concrete: when a prospect asks "which plumber for an emergency in Nantes" or "which AI agency for an SMB", the assistant doesn't return ten results. It recommends two or three. Being on that shortlist is a direct competitive advantage.

Why assistants cite certain businesses

Generative engines cross-reference several signals: a site readable by their crawlers, consistent information across your site, your Google profile and your socials, numerous and recent customer reviews, and content that explicitly answers questions users actually ask.

In other words: no trick, no hack. The businesses that get cited are those whose information is structured, consistent and useful.

The technical foundations

A few technical bricks, all accessible without being a developer:

• A llms.txt file at your site root, describing your business to AI assistants' crawlers — the equivalent of robots.txt for LLMs.
• schema.org structured data (LocalBusiness, Service, FAQ) so engines understand who you are and what you do.
• FAQ pages that answer your prospects' questions word for word.
• A fast, clean site whose main content isn't hidden behind complex JavaScript.

Content that gets cited

Assistants readily cite pages that answer a precise question precisely, with figures and a clear structure. A "How much does an AI agent cost" page with explicit ranges is far more likely to be cited than a generic home page.

So work on your industry pages and in-depth content: real customer questions, direct answers, sourced figures. It's exactly the same discipline as good SEO — applied to a reader that reads everything and forgives nothing.

Measure your citability

The basic test is free: ask your ten most frequent customer questions to ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, and note who gets cited — you or your competitors. That's exactly what our AI visibility audit (€247, delivered in 48 hours) does systematically, with a score and a prioritized action plan.