Consultancy

GEO - get cited by AI engines

By Miguel Maio · Published July 2026

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing a brand's presence inside AI-generated answers - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google's AI Overviews. The goal is not just to rank: it is to be cited and recommended by the models.

What's included

• Baseline of mentions and citations per AI platform
• Entity optimization and Bing presence (critical for Perplexity/Copilot)
• AI-friendly content structure (TL;DR, FAQ, tables, definitions)
• llms.txt and AI crawler access
• Monitoring and correction of inaccurate information

How I work

1. Diagnosis with a multi-platform prompt protocol
2. Entity and content gap analysis
3. Citation plan (on-site and off-site)
4. Implementation and citable content rewriting
5. Measurement and iteration

Who it's for

Brands that want to exist inside AI answers - where a growing share of search ends without a click - not only in the blue links.

How a GEO engagement actually runs

GEO isn't a one-off tweak; it's a loop. I start with a baseline - a fixed set of prompts in your domain, run across each platform, logging where you're mentioned, ignored, or described wrongly. That baseline is the only honest way to know whether anything is working. From there, the work splits between your entity (how the web understands who you are) and your content (how extractable and citable it is).

The platforms don't all source information the same way, which is why "just do SEO" isn't enough:

The takeaway for most international brands: Bing is chronically neglected and quietly decides half your AI visibility.

The problem I solve

In 2026, fewer than one in three Google searches still sends a click (SparkToro): answers increasingly happen inside ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and AI Overviews. If your brand isn't cited there, it's disappearing from a growing slice of demand - even if you rank well organically.

GEO fixes this by making your brand a source the AI recognizes, trusts and cites. I use my own CITAR method - Clarity of entity, Citable information, Trust (E-E-A-T), All-engine reach and Results tracking - to work each front systematically and measurably.

Why me, and who it isn't for

I've worked search visibility since 2007 (and digital since 1998) and teach GEO at business schools. I don't promise "guaranteed citations" - that's smoke. I promise to raise the probability systematically and measure it with a prompt baseline and AI referral traffic in GA4. Not for anyone chasing a magic shortcut; for teams investing in durable visibility. Remote, in English and Portuguese, very limited number of clients.

Delivered by Miguel Maio - in digital since 1998, SEO and SEA since 2007. See also the consultancy and the articles.

Frequently asked questions