AI search shows a composed answer instead of a list of links. Getting your brand cited accurately inside that answer is the job of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). The key is to supply sentences an AI can quote without misunderstanding.
How is GEO different from traditional SEO?
Where SEO aims to win clicks in search results, GEO aims to be cited as fact inside an AI answer. Citation matters more than ranking, and clear factual sentences matter more than keywords.
How should you structure content to be citable?
The most effective pattern is a question-style heading followed by a direct answer. Put the question a user would actually ask in the heading, then state the conclusion in one or two sentences right after.
- Use question-style headings that mirror search intent.
- Put the conclusion in the first sentence (inverted pyramid).
- State facts — names, numbers, definitions — as plain text.
- Provide FAQs and structured data (FAQPage, Article).
Do you need an llms.txt file?
It is not mandatory but recommended. An llms.txt that summarizes your site, official sources, and any name disambiguation gives AI crawlers a cleaner basis to understand and cite your organization.
AI cites not the flashiest page, but the sentence it can excerpt with the least room for misunderstanding.