More and more customers ask an assistant “which estate agent would you recommend in Escaldes?” before they open Google. OpenAI announced in February 2026 that ChatGPT has 900 million weekly users, and Google's AI Overviews had passed 2 billion monthly users by July 2025. Here is what you can do this quarter to appear in those answers, separating what Google, OpenAI or published studies document from what is simply our view.
What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is the work of getting AI assistants to mention and link to you when someone asks about what you sell. The term comes from an academic study presented at KDD 2024.
In SEO you compete for a spot in a list of results; in GEO, to be one of the few sources the assistant uses to write its answer. And there are fewer clicks to go round: according to Pew Research (March 2025 data), when an AI summary appears users click a result on 8% of visits, against 15% when there is none.
GEO doesn't replace SEO; it builds on it. Google says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, beyond the page being indexed and eligible to show with a snippet.
| SEO | GEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Rank high in the results | Get the assistant to cite or recommend you |
| Where | Google and Bing | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews and AI Mode |
| What you measure | Rankings, clicks and traffic | Mentions, citations and how the AI describes you |
| Common ground | Crawlable site, useful content, authority | The same, plus mentions of your brand beyond your own site |
Where do ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google get their information?
When a question calls for it, they search the web there and then and write from what they find. This is what each one documents:
- ChatGPT: sends searches to third-party providers “such as Bing” and won't show your site if you block its crawler, OAI-SearchBot. Its visits arrive tagged utm_source=chatgpt.com.
- Perplexity: uses its own crawler, PerplexityBot, and asks you to allow it in robots.txt.
- AI Overviews and AI Mode: use Google's index and run several related searches at once (query fan-out), so they cite pages that aren't always in the top 10. AI Mode is available in Andorra and in Catalan.
- Gemini app: is grounded in Google Search. The Google-Extended token decides whether your content is used to train Gemini and ground its answers; it doesn't affect your Google rankings.
- Copilot and Bing: since February 2026, Bing Webmaster Tools shows how often Copilot and Bing's AI summaries cite you.
If Google and Bing can't find your site, neither can AI. Adding it to Bing Webmaster Tools is free and often forgotten.
What makes an AI cite your business rather than the one next door?
Nobody outside these companies knows the algorithm. There is official documentation, a few serious studies and a lot of opinion; the table shows where each recommendation comes from.
Two findings. The GEO study found that adding cited sources, statistics and quotable lines raised a text's visibility by up to 40%, while keyword stuffing made it worse. And Ahrefs analysed 75,000 brands in 2025: the factor most correlated with appearing in AI Overviews was brand mentions on other websites (0.664), well ahead of backlinks (0.218). That is correlation, not cause, but it makes sense: AI recommends the businesses other people talk about.
| Factor | What to do | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Answers to specific questions | One page per key question (typical prices, timescales, requirements) with the answer up front | Google and the GEO study |
| Your own data and sources | Figures from your business, real examples, linked sources | GEO study |
| Google Business Profile and reviews | Complete, up-to-date profile; ask for reviews and reply to them | Google (AI features and local ranking) |
| Mentions in Andorra | Diari d'Andorra, Bondia, Altaveu, Pàgines Grogues, the Chamber of Commerce, Visit Andorra if you're in tourism, trade associations | Ahrefs study (correlation) |
| Same name, address and phone | Identical on your site, Google, Bing Places, social media and directories | Bing asks you to keep them current; consistency is good practice |
| Schema | LocalBusiness, consistent with what's visible | Google: useful, not required |
| Pages per service and language | One URL per service, in Catalan, Spanish, French and English, with hreflang | Google documents hreflang; the rest is our view |
Robots.txt, AI bots and a site machines can read
It's the silliest mistake and one of the most common: a security plugin, your host's firewall or your CDN blocks AI bots and nobody knows. Cloudflare, for instance, started blocking them by default on the sites it serves in July 2025.
Important information must be in text (not images or scanned PDFs) and the site must load quickly on mobile. What about llms.txt? Google says you don't need any special AI file or specific schema: it does no harm, but it isn't a priority. If your site is slow or dated, start with a fast, well-built website.
What each bot does:
- OAI-SearchBot: ChatGPT search. Allow it; changes take around 24 hours to apply.
- GPTBot: only trains OpenAI's models. You can block it without disappearing from ChatGPT: the settings are independent.
- PerplexityBot: allow it to appear in Perplexity.
- Googlebot and Bingbot: essential for AI Overviews and Copilot.
- Google-Extended: blocking it won't remove you from Google, but may keep you out of the Gemini app.
Open yourdomain.ad/robots.txt and look for “Disallow” under OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot or “User-agent: *”. Then ask your host to confirm in writing that they aren't blocking these bots.
How can you check today whether AI mentions your business?
Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google (with AI Mode or the AI summary) in a private window or logged out. Ask the way your customer would, in your customers' languages, and repeat each question a couple of times: the answers vary. Note whether you appear, which sources are cited, who appears instead of you and whether anything is wrong.
To measure: in Google Analytics 4, filter visits from chatgpt.com or perplexity.ai; in Search Console, AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic is included in the “Web” search type; Bing Webmaster Tools has its AI performance report.
Test questions (swap in your sector and parish):
- “Which estate agent would you recommend for buying a flat in Escaldes-Engordany?”
- “Mountain-cuisine restaurant in Canillo that's good for children”
- “I want to set up a company in Andorra: which firm would you recommend?”
- “English-speaking dental clinic in Andorra la Vella”
- “What do you think of [your business]? Is it trustworthy?”
- “[Your business] or [your competitor]? Which would you recommend and why?”
Common mistakes that keep you out of AI answers
Before creating new content, rule these out:
- Blocking AI bots without realising.
- Key information in images, PDFs or only on Instagram.
- A single “Services” page with everything lumped together.
- A site in one language, or machine-translated without hreflang.
- Keyword-stuffed copy: the GEO study found it reduces visibility.
- Hiring anyone who promises “the top spot in ChatGPT”. Neither Google nor OpenAI publishes how they choose whom to cite: nobody can guarantee it.
A 30/60/90-day plan to show up in ChatGPT and Google
A realistic plan for a small business, with no ranking promises. Do it yourself or hand it to our SEO + GEO service. If you're bringing in outside help, check the Andorra digitalisation grants first.
| Timeframe | What to do | What you should have |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1-30 | Question test. Check robots.txt, CDN and bots. Add your site to Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Complete your Google Business Profile and Bing Places. Make name, address and phone consistent. | A measured starting point, no blockers |
| Days 31-60 | One page per service and language. Answer the 10 questions customers ask most, with your own data. LocalBusiness schema. Speed. A routine for asking for reviews. | Content AI can cite |
| Days 61-90 | Mentions in local press, directories and associations. Correct what the AI gets wrong. Repeat the test. | A first honest comparison |
Technical fixes show sooner than reputation work. Repeat the test monthly with the same questions: it's the honest way to know whether you're making progress.
GEO checklist for your Andorra business
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay to appear in ChatGPT's answers?
No. OpenAI began testing ads in 2026, first in the US and, since August, on the free plans in 31 European markets (Andorra isn't one of them). The ads are kept separate and labelled, and OpenAI says they don't influence answers. Nor can you pay to improve your local ranking on Google.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
It isn't essential: Google says you don't need any special file for its AI features. Robots.txt, content and reviews come first.
If I block GPTBot, will I disappear from ChatGPT?
No. GPTBot is for training models; ChatGPT search uses OAI-SearchBot. You can block the first and allow the second.
How long does it take to show up?
It depends on your sector and starting point, and nobody can guarantee it. Unblocking robots.txt takes effect within hours or days; content and mentions usually take months.
Does GEO replace SEO?
No. Google, ChatGPT (via Bing) and Perplexity start from pages they can crawl and index. SEO is the foundation; GEO adds mentions, specific answers and watching how AI describes you.
Free AI visibility check
We ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google the questions your customers would ask and email you, within 3 working days, what they see, who appears instead of you and 3 priority improvements. A real person on our team does it, with no obligation.
- Up to 10 real questions from your sector, in your customers' languages.
- What they say about you and which competitors appear in your place.
- 3 priority improvements, ranked by impact and effort.
Founder of Visualtec (2005). AI, automation and SEO consultant with 20+ years in digital marketing.
Sources (19)
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central Blog: Top ways to ensure your content performs well in Google's AI experiences on Search (May 2025)
- Google Search Help: AI Mode availability by country and language
- Google Search Central: Google's common crawlers (Google-Extended)
- Google Business Profile Help: how to improve your local ranking
- Google Search Central: localised versions of your page (hreflang)
- Google Search Central: LocalBusiness structured data
- OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI Crawlers
- OpenAI Help Center: Publishers and Developers FAQ
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT search
- OpenAI: Our approach to advertising and expanding access (January 2026)
- Perplexity: Perplexity Crawlers
- Bing Webmaster Blog: Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools (February 2026)
- Aggarwal et al.: GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (KDD 2024)
- Ahrefs: An Analysis of AI Overview Brand Visibility Factors (75K Brands Studied)
- Pew Research Center: Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears (July 2025)
- TechCrunch: ChatGPT reaches 900M weekly active users (February 2026)
- Digiday: Google's AI Overviews reach over 2 billion monthly users (July 2025)
- MIT Technology Review: Cloudflare will now, by default, block AI bots (July 2025)
