A Dorset client pulled me aside not long ago and asked, “Why does Copilot keep recommending my competitor when I outrank them on Google?” I knew exactly what they meant — and I also knew the answer wasn’t simple.
We’re in a different game now. Ranking first on Google doesn’t guarantee you’ll show up in AI-generated answers. That’s where GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) comes in. GEO isn’t here to replace SEO, but it’s the new layer sitting on top. If you want to be seen in the places customers actually get their answers, you need both.
When rankings don’t carry through to AI
Here’s what I see again and again across Bournemouth and the UK:
- Google still rewards your optimised page with rankings.
- But AI assistants pull from content that looks cleaner, more structured, and more “entity-based.”
- Thin guides, buried proof, or vague claims? They get ignored.
I’ll be blunt — SEO gets you found, GEO gets you quoted. And what is quoted is what gets you chosen.
How I check if a client’s site is “AI-ready”
I don’t run a shiny AI audit tool (though plenty will sell you one). I look for five things that make the difference between being cited and being skipped:
- Entity strength – Is your business recognised across the web? Schema, Google Business Profile, and even Wikidata matter more than most admit.
- Proof on the page – Stats, case data, external citations. If it looks like fluff, AI bins it.
- Format clarity – Q&A, bullet steps, comparison tables. If it’s buried in waffle, AI can’t lift it cleanly.
- Freshness – A competitor can beat you with worse content if it’s more recent. I’ve seen it.
- Hygiene – Thin or duplicate pages drag your whole domain down. This is where Google Penalty Recovery still earns its keep.
If three or more of those are missing, you’re almost certainly invisible in AI answers.
| Factor | Why it matters | SEO vs GEO (what’s different) | One-sitting fix | Metric & timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entity strength | AI trusts recognisable entities/brands. | SEO: links/mentions. GEO: Org/Service schema, sameAs, GBP/Wikidata alignment. |
Add/verify Org schema with sameAs (GBP, socials, Wikidata/Wikipedia if applicable). |
AI citations in SGE/Copilot/Perplexity · 30–45 days. |
| Evidence & citations | LLMs prefer verifiable sources; thin claims get skipped. | SEO: benefit claims. GEO: stats, external references, mini case proof. | Add 2 external citations + 1 real case stat to a key page. | “Quoted by”/AI citation rate · 30–45 days. |
| Formatting for extraction | AI lifts clean blocks (Q&A, steps, tables). | SEO: long paragraphs. GEO: concise definitions, FAQ schema, comparison blocks. | Add 5 real FAQs that remove objections. | Featured snippets/FAQ impressions (GSC) · ~21 days. |
| Freshness cadence | Recent pages often win AI pulls over older “better” guides. | SEO: ad-hoc updates. GEO: scheduled updates with change log. | Update date + add a new section with 2025 info. | AI answer visibility trend · 30–60 days. |
| Source hygiene | Thin/duplicate pages reduce trust and waste crawl. | SEO: lots of low-value posts. GEO: consolidate, canonicalise, noindex weak pages. | Merge/remove 3 thin posts; add canonicals. | Index coverage; impressions per page · ~30 days. |
| Conversational coverage | AI rewards natural questions (“how/why/should”). | SEO: head terms. GEO: headings mirroring questions; conversational copy. | Add “People ask” block to your top page. | Question-query clicks (GSC) · ~30 days. |
| Visual/media metadata | Images can be cited/previewed; speed impacts UX. | SEO: heavy, unlabeled media. GEO: descriptive filenames/ALT; ImageObject schema. |
Compress hero; rename with descriptive ALT/filename. | Image impressions; LCP improvement · 14–21 days. |
| Local entity signals | Local AI answers need strong NAP/GBP proof. | SEO: generic service page. GEO: GBP categories, NAP consistency, local reviews. | Embed GBP link; surface a recent review snippet. | Local pack clicks; local AI mentions · ~30 days. |
A few Dorset stories that stuck with me
- Bournemouth law firm – They had a solid employment law guide, but it was just long paragraphs. We broke it into Q&As with links to sources. Within weeks, they started surfacing in Copilot. Nothing else changed.
- Poole retailer – Their “best paddleboards” guide never got cited in Perplexity. Why? No entity signals. Once we added structured data, GBP, and a few local reviews, they started appearing.
- Dorset SaaS company – They were baffled that their rival kept showing up in SGE. Same content, same queries. The rival just updated theirs monthly. That was it. Freshness trumped everything.
The pattern? AI isn’t looking for who shouts the loudest. It’s looking for the cleanest, clearest answer with the most obvious proof.
Ready to earn citations, not just rankings?
Our SEO consultants in Bournemouth, Poole, and Dorset help businesses move from SEO to GEO — making sure your brand appears inside AI answers, not just the SERP.
Book Your Free GEO AuditIf you’ve only got an hour this week…
- Pick one high-traffic page and add a Q&A section at the bottom.
- Update a stat or add a recent case reference.
- Check that your business details are consistent everywhere (e.g., GBP, schema, citations).
- Run a search in Copilot or Perplexity for your service, and see if you appear.
This isn’t busywork. It’s how you start to future-proof your visibility.
Questions I keep hearing from clients
Do I need GEO if I already rank?
Yes. Rankings = clicks. GEO = mentions, both matter.
Metric: watch citations in AI tools alongside traffic.
What kind of proof works best?
Numbers, case data, references. “We’re the best” means nothing.
Metric: count how often those pages get cited in AI snippets.
How often should I refresh content?
Quarterly, if you can. Monthly in fast-changing industries.
Metric: whether your competitor starts overtaking you in AI answers.
Can AI misquote me?
Absolutely. If your content is vague, it’ll be poorly paraphrased.
Metric: how your brand is phrased in tools like Copilot.
Isn’t this just SEO by another name?
No — GEO’s about shaping how AI digests your content, not just whether Google indexes it.
Where growth is headed
I’ve been in SEO long enough to know every shift brings panic. This isn’t one of those “panic moments.” It’s just the next frontier. If you’re still only measuring “rankings,” you’re already behind.
Visibility now means two things:
- Being there in the SERP,
- Being cited in the AI answer.
You don’t need more links, more hype, or more pages. You need entities, proof, clarity, and freshness. That’s the recipe.
👉 Book your free GEO audit or explore our wider SEO services, and let’s make sure your business isn’t invisible in the AI age.
