GEO, LLM and AI SEO

GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is the practice of optimising a website / brand in such a way that it appears in AI powered search platforms like Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity.  

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) focuses on ranking web pages for relevant keywords in traditional search engines like Google and Bing.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) focuses on growing your brand’s visibility in AI powered platforms like Chat GPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews, where responses are created using Large Language Models (LLMs).

The level of impact can vary market to market, but our general observations are: 

Growth in impressions - Google AI overviews have created opportunity for our clients to gain extra page 1 visibility alongside “traditional” organic listings, in turn leading to significant increases in impressions in many cases. 

Decreases in CTR - Whilst impressions have generally increased, as users are now sometimes able to gain the information they need directly from the SERP or LLM answer, in many cases we are seeing click through rates decline, a phenomenon further exaggerated when considered alongside the growth in impressions seen in many markets. 

Decreases in clicks - Again, this has varied client to client but with users gaining information direct from the Google or AI results, clicks in some cases have seen declines – or at least have not grown in line with impressions. This has been particularly prevalent for informational searches where AI overviews are shown more regularly, and user search behaviour has shifted towards LLMs. 

Increases in CVR - Whilst some clients have seen click and CTR declines, conversely, many have seen increases in conversion rate. This is because traffic arriving on their sites is more informed, better qualified and “in market” / ready to make purchases. 

Increases in conversions – The net effect for many clients has been an overall increase in conversions and / or revenue, with improved CVR and quality of traffic often offsetting the decline in overall clicks.  

Yes. While LLM usage is growing rapidly, Google still owns the vast majority of total search demand.  

Independent third-party studies and our own client data shows this can vary between industries and international markets but is typically around 85 – 95% of traffic and revenue as of April 2026. 

GEO and SEO also share some core fundamentals, including: 

Creating unique, highquality, authoritative content 

Building strong technical foundations (such as crawlability, site architecture, site speed and usability) 

Developing a trusted, authoritative brand  

Conveying your company’s expertise, authority and trust  

This means that brands that address these factors can benefit from traditional SEO in the short term, whilst positioning their brand for AI engines in the medium to long term. 

Whilst there is no guaranteed way to rank in Google’s AI Overviews, brands can significantly increase their chances by following proven GEO and AIreadiness best practices. 

Technical Optimisation for AI Overviews

To be eligible for Google’s AIOs, content must be easily accessible and understandable by Google. We assess crawlability, navigation, schema usage, page speed and emerging standards such as LLMS.txt to support consistent AI visibility, including: 

Crawlability and indexability 

Site architecture, navigation and internal linking 

Google Page Experience Signals (including Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile friendliness) 

Schema and structured data implementation 

Accurate Google Merchant Centre and Google My Business Listing data (where relevant) 

Optimising content for AI Overviews

AI Overviews favour content that clearly and concisely answer real user questions. IDHL’s internal process prioritises: 

Optimising pages for relevant keywords 

High‑quality, informative content written to solve user queries 

FAQ‑led and Q&A formats (supported by FAQ schema) 

Clear structure, concise language, headings, bullet points, tables and charts 

Supporting EEAT signals such as reviews, expert quotes and accreditations 

Brands can give themselves a better opportunity of ranking in ChatGPT and other LLMs by adopting the following approach: 

Technical optimisation for LLMs

Websites must be accessible to LLM bots and focus on developing strong structured data governance, clear site architecture, and fast loading pages. These foundations help AI systems reliably discover, interpret and surface your brand’s content. 

Write LLM optimised content  

LLMs prioritise clear, well‑structured content that directly answers user questions. This includes strong internal linking, clear headings, short paragraphs, FAQs, tables, and EEAT signals so content can be easily understood, “digested” and cited by LLMs.  

Strengthen brand authority and third‑party citations

LLMs source information from authoritative third‑party sources as well as from your site and your competitors. Increasing positive sentiment mentions of your brand across trusted media, blogs, social platforms, affiliates and review sites strengthens trust signals and can help improves the likelihood of your brand appearing in relevant LLM answers. 

Whilst every business’ circumstance are different, some common advantages of utilising an agency to manage your GEO campaign include: 

GEO channel experts - Our team is made up of specialists across individual disciplines within the GEO channel: comprising of technical, content and off-site GEO experts. This allows us to develop deeper expertise in each pillar, rather than taking a “generalist” approach - supporting your business where it’s most needed. 

Support in house resource - Many inhouse marketing teams face capacity constraints or gaps in their GEO knowledge and experience. IDHL’s role is to complement and support your internal team, working alongside them to grow your brand’s GEO visibility. 

Make your new site AI search ready – If you’re going through a website redesign or replatform, now is the time to ensure your new site will be optimised for AI engines. Our GEO migration services aim to do just that - and can be delivered alongside IDHL’s web design and UX and web technology services if required. 

We’re a full-service generative engine optimisation agency, providing delivery across our core technical, content and off-site pillars. Our core GEO services include: 

GEO audits  

GEO competitor market analysis and insights 

GEO strategy development 

Commercial, technical, content and off-site GEO specialists 

Content writing and strategy tailored for AI engines 

Off-site GEO tactics and authority building 

GEO reporting 

Whilst we do offer a standalone GEO audit and strategy service, as with traditional SEO, GEO should be seen as a long-term focus. 

Our ongoing GEO services incorporate ongoing technical, content, and off-site GEO tactics alongside AI SEO reporting.   

We aim to tailor our GEO reporting around your wider business aims and objectives, but typical GEO campaign KPIs may include: 

Brand visibility in AI engines - tracked daily and measurable at a prompt, topic, AI engine or overall level. 

Brand citations in AI engines - where your content is cited/linked to within LLM responses but not directly mentioned. 

GEO traffic - we build dedicated dashboards to track traffic from LLMs such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot and Gemini 

GEO leads/revenue - key commercial conversions driven through LLMs can also be tracked via our dashboards. 

Brand uplift - alongside measuring traffic and leads directly attributable to AI engines, we can also monitor the “halo impact” on your brand searches, impressions and clicks. 

We optimise for search anywhere, not just Google

IDHL’s Search Anywhere approach goes beyond traditional SEO and PPC services to help brands increase their visibility across next generation AI powered search platforms like AI Overviews, LLMs (such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini) as well as on social platforms. 

Dedicated GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) expertise

IDHL offers tailored GEO campaigns delivered through a team of channel specific experts. We believe allowing our team members to specialise in one pillar within the GEO channel allows them to offer specialist rather than generalist skillsets for your campaigns. 

Proprietary tools and AI-assisted insight

Through IDHL Labs, we build and use AI supported SEO tools and competitor analysis platforms that help us understand: 

How brands currently perform in AI engines

Where visibility gaps and opportunities exist versus competitors 

Which content and authority focuses are required to drive performance 

All our AI tool outputs are reviewed by human experts, providing efficiencies, whilst ensuring we remain in overall control of your overall GEO campaign strategy. 

Traditional SEO foundations aligned with AI based SEO services

Our integrated approach to GEO is built on best‑practice technical SEO, content, and off-site SEO foundations - meaning historic investments into your SEO channel can still benefit your brand’s GEO going forwards.