Small business owners are seeing a shift in how people find information online. A growing number of searches now end without a click to any website, as AI models like ChatGPT generate answers directly. If your brand is not part of those AI responses, you are missing out on a growing traffic source. The good news is that you can take practical steps to increase the chances that AI tools will recommend your brand. This guide explains what works and how to get started.
Why AI Recommendations Matter for Your Brand
Traffic from AI tools such as ChatGPT is increasing, according to research from Semrush. At the same time, around 60 percent of Google searches resulted in zero clicks as of May 2024, based on data from SparkToro and Datos. This means many potential customers get their answers without ever visiting a website. If your brand is not cited in those AI responses, you lose that visibility.
Attracting visitors from search has become the biggest and fastest-growing challenge for content marketers in 2025, as reported by Orbit Media’s own survey. AI recommendations offer a new path to reach your audience. Getting your brand mentioned by an AI can drive qualified traffic back to your site when the AI decides a user needs more detail or wants to take action.
Understanding Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO, is the practice of creating content that AI models can easily comprehend, retain, and retrieve. It is different from traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search results. GEO focuses on appearing in AI-generated answers and recommendations.
| SEO | GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) |
|---|---|
| Optimizes for search engine ranking | Optimizes for AI model comprehension and retrieval |
| Relies on keywords and backlinks | Relies on clear structure, explicit context, and verifiable information |
| Targets users typing short queries | Targets AI prompts that are often 5x longer and more conversational |
| Success measured by organic click-through rate | Success measured by mention in AI-generated responses |
Prompts to AI models are typically longer than traditional search queries. According to Semrush, they can be five times longer and include more context about the user’s problem and goals. This shift means your content needs to answer whole questions naturally, not just match keywords.
Use Your Own Website as the Primary Source
Your brand’s own website is the first and most important source of AI training data for that brand, as noted by content strategist Andy Crestodina. AI models learn about your business from your site before they look anywhere else. If your website lacks clear, structured, and authoritative information, AI will have a harder time recommending you.
Make sure your site includes:
- Clear descriptions of your products or services
- Your company’s history, mission, and contact information
- Customer testimonials and case studies
- Detailed pages that answer common questions your customers ask
Since AI bots do not see images the way humans do, place text-based trust signals near your images. For example, include an alt text description of a product photo and a nearby paragraph that explains its benefits. This helps AI understand the context.
Structure Content for Easy AI Comprehension
AI models favor content with clear structure, explicit context, and verifiable information, according to research from Evertune. To make your content more digestible for AI:
- Use descriptive headings and subheadings that summarize the section’s content.
- Write in short paragraphs and break up lists with bullets or numbers.
- Define terms and acronyms the first time you use them.
- Include a clear “who, what, why, and how” near the top of important pages.
Evertune’s content analytics also shows that content linking to credible external sources appears more frequently in AI responses. When you cite reputable third-party data or studies, you increase the likelihood that an AI will trust and reference your content. Be careful to link only to authoritative domains relevant to your topic.
Focus on Topics AI Is Likely to Answer
AI models tend to produce overviews for informational queries, but Zapier’s study from July 2024 found that commercial intent keyphrases in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories are less likely to show AI Overviews. This means if you target purchase-intent keywords exclusively, you may get fewer AI mentions. Instead, create content that answers common questions your audience asks early in their decision process.
For example, a local bakery might publish “How to choose a wedding cake flavor” or “What to look for in a custom cake bakery.” These types of practical guides align with the longer, conversational prompts real users give to AI tools.
AI is also better than humans at gap analysis of websites, according to Moz. Use free tools or audits like the one offered by AEO FTW to identify missing content on your site that AI might otherwise fill with a competitor’s answer.
Adapt to the Three Disruptions from AI in Search
Orbit Media outlines three major disruptions AI has caused in search marketing, along with recommended adaptations:
- AI Overviews reduce organic click-through rates. Adaptation: Focus on visit-website-intent keyphrases, queries where a user clearly wants to go to a site (e.g., “best accounting software for freelancers”).
- A flood of AI-generated content overwhelms users and algorithms. Adaptation: Create content AI cannot easily produce, original research, personal stories, video tutorials, or tools.
- AI chatbots become an alternative to search engines. Adaptation: Train AI to recommend your brand by following the GEO practices described here.
These adaptations do not replace traditional SEO; they complement it. A strong SEO foundation still matters, but you need to layer GEO tactics on top to capture AI recommendations.
Set Realistic Expectations for Results
GEO performance typically shows meaningful improvement after three to six months as AI models incorporate updated content, based on Evertune’s observations. This timeline aligns with how often major AI models retrain or update their knowledge bases. Be patient and consistent. Publishing high-quality, well-structured content over several months will gradually increase your brand’s presence in AI responses.
Do not expect a single blog post to trigger instant recommendations. Focus on building a library of thorough, credible content that AI can reference across multiple related topics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to stop doing SEO to focus on GEO?
No. GEO adds to your SEO efforts rather than replacing them. Traditional search still drives significant traffic, and many GEO tactics also improve your site’s overall user experience and readability, which can help your search rankings. Continue your existing SEO work while layering on the content structure and external citations that AI models prefer.
How long does it take for AI to start recommending my brand?
Most brands see meaningful results within three to six months after implementing GEO practices. AI models do not update in real time, so your content needs time to be crawled, understood, and integrated into the model’s knowledge base. Consistent publishing over this period is more effective than a one-time optimization push.
Will AI bots see images on my website?
AI bots do not see images the way search engines or humans do. They rely on text-based context. To help AI understand what an image contains, write descriptive alt text and include a nearby paragraph that explains the image’s relevance. This text acts as a trust signal that AI can read and associate with your brand.
What should I do if a smaller competitor is already getting AI mentions?
Use a content gap analysis tool, or request a free AEO website audit, to identify the topics and phrases that competitor is covering. Then create more thorough, authoritative content on those same topics. Link to credible external sources and structure your pages for easy comprehension. AI models compare multiple sources, so a well-organized page with verifiable facts can overtake a less structured competitor.
By making your website the clear, structured, and trustworthy source of information about your brand, you give AI models a strong reason to recommend you. The process takes time and consistent effort, but the payoff is a new channel for reaching customers who may never click a search result.