AI Search
The process of using artificial intelligence and large language models to search for and retrieve information. Unlike traditional search engines that return a list of links, AI search platforms provide direct answers, summaries, and conversational responses. Examples include ChatGPT with web browsing, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews.
Brand Visibility Score
A metric that measures how frequently a brand is mentioned in AI-generated responses across various queries and platforms. Higher brand visibility indicates that AI models recognize and reference your brand more often when users ask relevant questions. This is a core KPI for GEO success.
Citation Rate
The frequency with which AI platforms cite your content as a source in their responses. High citation rates indicate that AI models consider your content authoritative and trustworthy. Citations typically include links to your website, driving referral traffic.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
The practice of optimizing digital content and online presence to increase visibility in AI-generated responses from large language models and AI search platforms. GEO is the AI-era evolution of SEO, focusing on how AI models discover, understand, and cite content.
LLM (Large Language Model)
An artificial intelligence model trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. Examples include GPT-4 (powers ChatGPT), Gemini, Claude, and others. LLMs are the technology behind most AI search platforms.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
A technique used by AI systems where they first retrieve relevant information from external sources (like the web) and then generate a response based on that retrieved information. This is how platforms like ChatGPT with web browsing and Perplexity work. RAG ensures responses are based on current, real-world data rather than just the model's training data.
Share of Voice
The percentage of AI mentions your brand receives compared to competitors within your industry or category. For example, if AI platforms mention your brand 30 times and competitors 70 times for relevant queries, your share of voice is 30%. This metric helps benchmark your AI visibility against the competition.
Prompt
A question or instruction given to an AI model by a user. In GEO, understanding common prompts in your industry helps you optimize content to appear in AI responses. For example, "What are the best running shoes for marathons?" is a prompt that running shoe brands want to rank for.
AI Overviews
Google's AI-powered feature (formerly called SGE - Search Generative Experience) that appears at the top of search results. AI Overviews provide an AI-generated summary of the topic with cited sources, representing Google's integration of generative AI into traditional search.
Source Visibility
How often your website or content is cited as a source by AI platforms, distinct from brand mentions. Source visibility drives referral traffic and builds domain authority. A brand might be mentioned without being cited as a source, or cited as a source with or without explicit brand mention.
Sentiment Analysis
Evaluating whether AI platforms describe your brand in positive, negative, or neutral terms. For example, "Brand X offers innovative solutions" (positive) vs. "Brand X has received customer complaints" (negative). Monitoring sentiment helps you understand and manage your AI-mediated brand reputation.
Zero-Click Search
When a user gets their answer directly from an AI platform without clicking through to any website. This is increasingly common with AI search and represents both a challenge (reduced click-through traffic) and opportunity (brand visibility without requiring clicks).
Entity Recognition
The ability of AI models to identify and understand specific entities (brands, people, places, products) within content. Strong entity recognition helps AI models accurately associate your brand with relevant topics and queries, improving citation chances.
Topical Authority
The perceived expertise a brand or website has on a specific topic, as recognized by AI models. Building topical authority through comprehensive, high-quality content increases the likelihood of being cited by AI platforms as a trusted source.
AI Crawlability
How easily AI crawlers and bots can access and parse your website content. Unlike traditional SEO crawlability, AI crawlability also considers whether content is structured in a way that AI models can understand and extract key information from.
Training Data
The text, images, and other information used to initially train an LLM. For most models, training data has a cutoff date (e.g., "trained on data up to October 2023"). Content in training data may be referenced even without real-time web access, though platforms increasingly use RAG for current information.
Answer Engine
A search system designed to provide direct answers rather than lists of links. AI search platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT function as answer engines. The shift from search engines to answer engines represents the core challenge that GEO addresses.
Query Intent
The underlying goal or purpose behind a user's search prompt. Understanding query intent helps create content that AI models will cite. For example, "best CRM software" has comparison intent, while "how to use Salesforce" has informational intent.
Structured Data
Markup code (usually Schema.org) added to web pages to help AI systems and search engines understand content structure and meaning. Structured data is increasingly important for GEO as it helps AI models accurately parse and cite information.
Hallucination
When an AI model generates false or inaccurate information presented as fact. Hallucinations are a challenge in AI search. Strong GEO practices, like being cited as an authoritative source, help AI models provide accurate information about your brand.
Content Freshness
How recent or up-to-date content is. AI models with web access heavily favor fresh content when generating responses. Regular content updates are more critical for GEO than traditional SEO because AI systems explicitly check publication and modification dates.
Competitive Set
The group of brands that AI platforms mention alongside yours for relevant queries. Understanding your competitive set in AI search helps identify gaps and opportunities. Your traditional market competitors may differ from your AI search competitive set.