Hub · Generative Engine Optimisation

Generative Engine Optimisation Guides

Thirty-six plain-English guides to generative engine optimisation, covering how AI search works, why it matters, how to get recommended by ChatGPT and AI Overviews, what it costs and how to choose an agency. Browse by topic or jump straight to your question.

Updated: May 2026
Written by: Andrew Odgers, MD
Guides in series: 36
What this is

This is the complete guide to generative engine optimisation, organised into seven topic groups and thirty-six focused articles. From what GEO is to how to get recommended by ChatGPT, every question is answered in plain language and without hype.

It is written for business owners and marketers, not just specialists. Use it to understand how AI search works, decide whether GEO is worth it for your business or get ready to hire and oversee an agency.

About this guide

AI search, explained plainly

Written for business owners

Generative engine optimisation is full of jargon and bold claims. This guide cuts through both. It explains how AI search actually works and what it means for your business, in language you do not need a technical background to follow.

That is the whole aim. Every article is short, practical and focused on a decision you might have to make, not a theoretical tour of the technology.

From basics to choosing an agency

The guide moves from foundations to advanced topics: what GEO is, how AI engines find and recommend businesses, why it matters now, the practical work that gets you recommended, how to measure it, what it costs and how to choose an agency.

You do not need to read it in order. Jump to the article that answers your current question or work through a topic group when you want to go deeper.

Honest about a new field

AI search is new and changing fast, with nobody controlling how the engines choose what to say. So this guide avoids the guarantees and hype that surround the subject.

You get straight answers instead. Where something is uncertain or still evolving, the guide says so, so you can plan with realistic expectations rather than false promises.

Map of the guide

Seven topic groups, thirty-six guides

The guide is organised into seven topic groups, each covering one area of generative engine optimisation. The directory below lists every article within each group.

0106 articles

GEO Basics

Start here. What generative engine optimisation is, how it works and how it differs from SEO.

0205 articles

How AI Search Works

How AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity find, rank and recommend businesses.

0307 articles

Why It Matters Now

Why AI search visibility matters, who it affects and how it is changing the way customers find businesses.

0407 articles

Getting Recommended

The practical work that gets a business found and recommended inside AI answers.

0503 articles

Measuring and Results

What results to expect from GEO, how long it takes and how to measure performance.

0603 articles

Cost and Worth

What GEO costs, whether it is worth it and how it compares with traditional SEO as an investment.

0705 articles

Choosing an Agency

What a GEO agency does, how to choose one, what to ask and what a proper service should include.

The full directory

Every guide, grouped by topic

Every article in the guide, listed by topic group with its full title. Click any article to read it.

06 articles

GEO Basics

Start here. What generative engine optimisation is, how it works and how it differs from SEO.

05 articles

How AI Search Works

How AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity find, rank and recommend businesses.

03 articles

Measuring and Results

What results to expect from GEO, how long it takes and how to measure performance.

03 articles

Cost and Worth

What GEO costs, whether it is worth it and how it compares with traditional SEO as an investment.

05 articles

Choosing an Agency

What a GEO agency does, how to choose one, what to ask and what a proper service should include.

When you are ready to act

Want to get found in AI search?

This guide explains how generative engine optimisation works; our Generative Engine Optimisation Agency service is how we deliver it. Audit, strategy, authority, content and measurement, done honestly and tied to your visibility in AI answers. We start with a free AI visibility audit. No long tie-in.

The point of a guide this thorough is that you go in informed. If you decide you would rather have it done for you, our Generative Engine Optimisation Agency service builds the authority, citations, structured data and content that get a business recommended in AI answers, with honest measurement and no guarantees nobody can keep.

Pick your entry point

Where to start, depending on where you are

Short of time? Pick the situation closest to yours and jump straight to the article that answers it.

Recommended starting points
New to the subject. Want a clear, plain explanation before anything else.
Wondering how it differs from SEO. Not sure where GEO fits alongside your current search efforts.
Weighing if it is worth it. Want to understand the value before committing.
Ready to act. Want the practical work that gets you recommended.
Comparing agencies. Ready to evaluate providers and want to know what good looks like.
About this guide

Frequently asked

What does this guide cover?
Everything a business needs to understand about generative engine optimisation, in thirty-six focused articles. The guide moves from the basics, what GEO is, how it works and how it differs from SEO, through how AI engines like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity find and recommend businesses, into why AI search visibility matters now, then the practical work that gets you recommended, how to measure results, what it costs and finally how to choose an agency. It is organised into seven topic groups so you can read straight through or jump to the question in front of you. Every article is short, practical and written for business owners rather than specialists.
Who is the guide for?
Business owners and marketers who want to understand generative engine optimisation well enough to make good decisions about it. It is written in plain language rather than jargon, so you do not need a technical background to follow it. The guide is equally useful whether you are simply curious about AI search, trying to work out if GEO is worth it for your business or getting ready to hire an agency and wanting to know what good looks like. Anyone who needs to grasp how AI search works and what it means for their visibility will find what they need here.
Where should I start?
It depends on what you need. If you are new to the subject, begin with the basics: what generative engine optimisation is, how it works and how it differs from SEO. If you want to know whether it is worth it, jump to the cost and worth articles. If you are ready to act, head to the getting recommended group, which covers the practical work. If you are comparing providers, go to the choosing an agency group. The where-to-start panel further down this page picks a recommended starting article for several common situations, so you can go straight to what matters to you.
Is GEO different from SEO?
Yes, though they are closely related and work best together. Traditional SEO is about ranking your pages in a list of search results. GEO is about getting your business found, cited and recommended inside the answers that AI tools generate, where there may be no list to click at all. The signals overlap, since authority, useful content and structured data help with both, though the target is different. Several guides in this series explain the relationship in detail, including a direct comparison of SEO and GEO and an honest look at which to invest in first. The short version is that strong SEO supports GEO, while GEO captures the searches that now end inside an AI answer.
Does following this guide replace hiring an agency?
It can help a confident business owner make real progress, since it explains what GEO involves in genuine detail. For most businesses, though, the guide is more useful as a way to understand the subject well enough to hire and oversee an agency with confidence, rather than to do all the work in-house. AI search is new, technical in places and changing quickly, so keeping pace takes ongoing effort. The articles on what a GEO agency does, how to choose one and what to ask cover that decision honestly, so you can decide whether to do it yourself or bring in help.