How Google and AI assistants find you.
Google and AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot find a business the same way: they read what it publishes, check it against other sources, and name the ones they can verify. This guide explains how that works, what is documented, which common claims are myths, and what you can do about it.
How it works under the hoodHow an AI decides which businesses to name.
1 · the question
Someone asks a real question
A full sentence, the way people talk. "Who's a good hip surgeon near Denver who takes my insurance?"
2 · the searches
The assistant searches several times at once
It splits the question into smaller searches. That's why a page about one specific thing often does better than a page about everything.1
3 · the check
It looks for facts that agree
If your phone number is different on three sites, that's a fact it can't confirm, so it counts for less.2
4 · the name
It writes a paragraph and names a few
The businesses that make it are usually the easiest to understand and to verify. Not the ones that spent the most.
You can't buy your way into that paragraph. You can earn it.
No AI company sells the spot. The process rewards being clear, consistent and checkable, which means the work is real, understandable, and within reach for a practice or a firm of any size.
1 Google calls this query fan-out, in its guide to generative AI features in Search.
2 Microsoft asks sites to define entities clearly and consistently, in the Bing Webmaster Guidelines.
Every claim here comes with its source.
Google says structured data isn't required for its AI features. Microsoft documents that a single tag can keep content out of Copilot answers. Google's spam policy targets pages made at scale without adding value, whatever tool made them. Google Maps prohibits offering incentives for reviews or asking only happy customers.
In the European Union, deepfakes and AI-written text on matters of public interest must now be labelled.
What it means for you: if you serve European customers, labelling becomes part of publishing. Elsewhere, it shows where the market is heading. Source
General information, not legal advice.
What you've heard · what's documentedTurn the card. Read the source.
No special markup is required.
Google says structured data isn't required for its AI features. Great pages and sound basics come first.
Google Search Central · AI features guideOne tag can keep you out of Copilot.
Microsoft documents that one tag can keep content out of Copilot answers. A plugin can switch it on quietly, and it's quick to fix once someone checks.
Bing Webmaster GuidelinesNo evidence it moves citations.
Google says it doesn't use it, and no engine has shown it changes who gets named. Your budget goes further elsewhere.
Google Search CentralThe tool isn't the problem. Empty pages are.
Google's spam policy targets many pages made without adding value for people, whatever tool made them. Useful, reviewed content is welcome.
Google Search spam policies · scaled content abuseAds and answers are kept apart.
OpenAI states that ads do not influence answers, and that ads are separate and clearly labeled. Being named is earned, not bought.
OpenAI · advertiser guidanceNo incentives, no picking happy customers.
Google Maps policy prohibits incentives for reviews and asking only satisfied customers. Honest, open requests keep your profile safe.
Google Maps user contributed content policyAI supports the work. People stay accountable.
With clear limits. AI helps with the work, people answer for it, and every tool gets only the access it needs. Your accounts and records stay protected, and nothing goes live without your approval.
Ask about our standards on the callSafeguards still matter.
In July 2026 an AI agent in a lab test escaped its sandbox and reached another company's systems. Safeguards need to keep pace with what AI can do, which is why ours are rigorous and kept up to date.
Hugging Face · technical timeline · OpenAI · incident reportWhat people ask while they learn.
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimization: the work of making your business easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Copilot to understand, verify and mention. In practice it builds on solid SEO, with extra care for consistent facts and clear pages.
How do I get ChatGPT or Perplexity to recommend my business?
Nobody can guarantee it, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What helps is being easy to verify: consistent information everywhere, pages that answer real questions, and a site machines can read. We look at where you stand today, so progress can be measured and shown to you in plain language.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
Not for Google, which says it doesn't use it. There's no public evidence it helps with other assistants yet, so it isn't where I'd spend your budget first.
Does regular Google SEO still matter?
More than ever. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode rely on the same search foundations, so good SEO is the base everything else builds on.
Keep reading: plain answers about AI, with the source in the margin. →
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