AI Optimization: how GEO and LLMO Work

What is GEO, AEO, LLMO? GEO Strategy Overview

AI visibility is a completely new field in marketing. It’s about when and how companies are mentioned in AI systems like ChatGPT, Copilot, AI Mode, and other platforms. At their core, AI systems function similarly. They are language models (LLMs). However, there are many differences in detail, for example, in “grounding,” meaning when and how extensively the internet is used for AI responses.

AI systems are currently integrating into all platforms and devices. Billions of users worldwide already use AI systems to inform themselves about topics, products, and services relevant to them. ChatGPT alone, as the market leader, has over 900 million active users.

The terms for optimizing AI visibility are diverse: GEO, AEO, LLMO, ChatGPT SEO, AI Search – all these terms are currently used in the industry. Which term will prevail is still unclear.

First, a language model cannot be easily manipulated. Companies face the task of proving their relevance in a specific topic area. Then they will also be mentioned and recommended by the AI. What companies need is a GEO strategy.

For this purpose, we have developed our GEO Academy. There you will receive access to AI analysis tools and live workshops. Plus recordings from past workshops. We are building a bridge from SEO to GEO.

GEO KPIs: New AI Goals in Marketing

Those who want to work on their AI visibility need clear goals. Traditional SEO metrics are becoming increasingly less relevant here. Instead, we, Fabian Jaeckert and Benjamin O’Daniel, propose new GEO/LLMO KPIs based on our work as GEO experts:

• Brand Mentions: Which brands are recommended in a prompt set?
• Product Mentions: Which products are recommended?
• Industry Ranking: How often is one recommended compared to the competition?
• Sources: In which sources is our company mentioned?

In our view, meaningful metrics and KPIs are the foundation for a successful GEO strategy. In our AI Visibility Tool, you can analyze precisely these KPIs and review them regularly if needed. You can use this tool as an Academy member.

Here we delve deeper into the topic:

GEO Analysis & Monitoring Tools

There are now numerous AI Visibility Tools on the market. These include Profound, Peec AI, Rankscale, Mentions, Finseo. We have also developed our own AI Analytics Tool – which, however, functions differently.

Because the tools on the market typically query prompts daily and create ongoing monitoring from them. Our AI Visibility Tool J.O.E., on the other hand, performs a deep analysis once – and creates a GEO analysis for you. On this basis, you already have deep insights. Afterwards, you can flexibly query additional prompts. This makes you more flexible.

Many Academy members also use several tools in parallel. As always, this is a question of budget and professional focus.

It is important that you can analyze your AI visibility at the prompt level. If you lack visibility for the most important prompts, it is often due to missing content on the website. You can identify precisely such content gaps with AI analysis tools. You can see if and how often the brand name appears.

Another important report is the sources. Frequently mentioned domains such as manufacturer websites, comparison portals, or editorial contributions show which content is currently considered trustworthy. Companies can use this to specifically deduce where they need to be present with their content to be considered by AI. A tool thus provides not only visibility data but also concrete approaches for content strategy and GEO optimization – for example, by targeted building of mentions on domains that serve as sources for generative responses.

Technical GEO: Keeping an Eye on AI Crawlers

To understand the AI visibility of websites, it is no longer sufficient to use classic metrics like organic traffic or rankings. Logfile analyses are gaining importance instead: they show which AI bots (e.g., ChatGPT crawlers) access which pages how often and which content is actually processed in the AI. Only with this direct access to bot interactions can conclusions be drawn about which content is perceived and prioritized by AIs – an indispensable lever for effective GEO/LLMO.

Based on this, the KPI framework must be expanded. In addition to traditional traffic figures, specific AI metrics are needed: for example, an AI Citation Score, which measures how often one’s content appears in AI responses. Together with logfile insights (bot hits, crawl patterns), this creates comprehensive monitoring that directly shows if and how one is present in generative AI systems – and where technical or content-related adjustments for GEO optimization need to be made.

GEO Measure: Digital Relations

Our analyses show that AI systems often access websites to obtain current information. Specialist websites (portals, blogs, affiliates) play a central role here. They discuss brands and products. AI systems, in turn, process this content for their AI responses. In addition to classic websites, user-generated platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit also play a role.

For marketing teams, it is therefore an essential task to identify these external sources with the help of tools and analyses and to initiate appropriate measures. This ranges from classic PR to affiliate collaborations to social media marketing. In our consulting, we often see that interdisciplinary teams are formed for this purpose.

Current Analyses, Developments, and Strategies for GEO, LLMO, and AI Optimization