GEO stands for generative engine optimisation (or SEO for generative search engines). It’s about getting your Singapore business mentioned, in the best possible light, when people ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot or Google’s AI Overviews a question. It’s a close cousin of answer engine optimisation (AEO) for Singapore businesses.
Note: GEO here has nothing to do with geography, geolocation or geo-targeted ads.
Many people now ask a chat tool instead of scrolling through Google, and act on whatever it says. Could that answer recommend your firm?
What Is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
A normal search engine gives you a list of links. A generative engine, such as ChatGPT or the AI Overviews at the top of Google, reads the sources for you and writes one answer, with a few citations underneath. Whether you end up in that answer or not is what GEO is about.
Picture someone in a Toa Payoh coffeeshop searching for an aircon servicing company. They’ll read the first few lines of the AI’s summary and call whichever company it names.
Where the Term GEO Comes From
Credit goes to a 2023 research paper, GEO: Generative Engine Optimisation, by Pranjal Aggarwal and colleagues, later accepted to KDD 2024. Their core gripe was that website owners “have little to no control over when and how their content is displayed.”
So they tested it.
First, they took a set of source pages and rewrote them in numerous ways. Then they checked how often each rewritten version showed up in the AI-generated answers. What worked, interestingly enough, were very basic strategies: add links to reputable sources, quote people properly and turn vague language into concrete numbers. Keyword stuffing, in contrast, had almost no effect. That makes sense, and it’s somewhat of a relief, because it means the old keyword tricks don’t carry over.
Their headline finding is that GEO “can boost visibility by up to 40% in generative engine responses.” Results varied a lot by topic, though.
Lab studies always come with caveats, so a promise it is not. But there’s one line I’d draw to the attention of small businesses, like a single office in Ubi or a two-person outlet in Kallang: “lower-ranked websites, which typically struggle for visibility, benefit significantly more from GEO.”
GEO vs SEO: What’s Different for Singapore Businesses?
You read a lot of hype about GEO, but Google already explains it as being much the same as SEO. Google’s guide to optimising for generative AI search says this work “is optimising for the search experience, and thus still SEO.” So when you’re buying AI SEO that covers both SEO and GEO, it should be one job from one team.
Traditionally, you’d focus on getting the highest ranking and as many click-throughs as possible. Today, as well as ranking highly for a given term, it matters a lot whether you’re mentioned in the AI-generated answers, and not just on Google but on other AI tools as well.
How Generative Engines Find and Cite Web Content
No one has released the full methodology behind their engine, but generally, web content goes through four main stages before a generative engine cites it.
1. Discovery
When a generative engine retrieves content, it first has to find the web page. It might use an index of web pages that it updates periodically, or crawl the web to look for new content. If a page is blocked by your server’s configuration or hidden behind forms or scripts, it may never be found. So make sure all your pages are in your sitemap and can be crawled. Google says a page has to be “indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet” to appear in its AI features, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. Each of the main AI-powered search engines handles discovery a little differently.
2. Understanding
Next, it tries to figure out what services you offer. Try reading just the headings on your service page and guessing what you offer from those alone. If that’s hard for a human, it’s likely just as hard for a machine.
3. Evaluation
Then, does it believe you?
I’d imagine the AI evaluates content much like we’d read another person’s blog post. It could check whether you referenced other useful content, whether you have numbers to support your points, and whether the author appears to know what they’re talking about.
4. Referencing
The AI can then write an answer based on what it read on your page, and it can choose to cite (mention) the original work. For that to happen with your page, though, there has to be at least one good sentence on it for the AI to use. And remember: same question, different answer, sometimes overnight.
How to Optimise Content for GEO
It really all starts with good content. Google’s guide to generative AI search says content people find “unique, compelling, and useful” will likely shape your presence in generative AI search “in the long run more than any of the other suggestions in this guide.”
Answer the question first. Say someone searches “how long does GST registration take”. Don’t open with a long, drawn-out history of your company. People asking an AI won’t read all that, and the AI is unlikely to use most of it in its answer either.
Link to official sources where relevant, quote people word for word, and only use numbers you can back up, especially in content that carries your brand name. It would be awful to see a chatbot repeat a made-up number with your name next to it.
Many Singapore websites miss one crucial part of GEO. Google’s guide notes that “a first-hand review provides a unique perspective based on personal experience, whereas a summary of existing content simply restates information already available elsewhere.” So write from your own first-hand experience, not a summary of what’s already online. Answer the exact questions your clients ask you.
An AI content gap analysis for SMEs is relatively easy to run and can be very useful for finding the follow-up questions your clients are really asking. It’s the same kind of thinking behind most good AI SEO strategies.
GEO in Singapore: How to Localise Your Approach
Say someone asks an AI to find a dentist “in Singapore”, and the AI has to choose between a local dentist’s website and a big global health site with similar content. The local detail would likely tip it.
Use the Words Singaporeans Use
Write the way your customers actually talk. Someone in Sengkang is more likely to type “hdb reno contractor sengkang can do in 6 weeks?” than “public housing renovation services”. Your page should sound like the first one.
Show Singapore Proof
Mention where you’re based and where you work. That could be Jurong West, Punggol or anywhere else in Singapore. If you cite any rules or regulations, link to the relevant government page so that both people and AI can check the information quickly.
Keep Your Business Details Consistent
AI tools piece your business together from your website, your Google Business Profile, directories, reviews and old news mentions. If your details differ from one place to the next, the answer gets muddled. Google notes that “Google Business Profiles can help your products and services to be visible in both AI responses and other Google Search results.” Making sure your details are accurate and up to date everywhere takes some time, but it’s worth it in the long run.
Earn Genuine Mentions
What others say about you will probably carry more weight than what you say about yourself. That could be reviews or a mention in the local press. Chasing inauthentic mentions, though, “isn’t as helpful as it might seem”, according to Google’s guide.
How to Measure GEO Performance
There isn’t one single metric to track GEO. For the most part, you’ll end up combining a few different reports.
Start in Search Console. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode are “included in the overall search traffic in Search Console”, and its guide mentions a Generative AI performance report for its AI features. Then go through your analytics to see where visitors who come from AI assistants end up on your website.
The only real way to spot errors is to test it yourself every so often. Open ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini and ask questions about your business in natural language, the way your customers would. Keep a log of what comes back and any errors you find.
Also note that getting cited doesn’t necessarily bring in more business. Check whether enquiries actually go up as a result of your GEO efforts.
Common GEO Mistakes and Myths
Treating GEO as a replacement for SEO. We’ve covered that already, so I won’t repeat it here.
Thinking you need special files. Google says you don’t need new machine-readable files, AI text files, markup or Markdown to appear in Google Search, and it doesn’t treat LLMS.txt files in any special way. Some other services might use them, but Google won’t reward them.
Adding special schema “for AI”. Google’s page on AI features and your website says: “There’s also no special schema.org structured data that you need to add.” Normal schema that matches the page is still fine.
Writing heaps of low-quality content in the hope that AI will cite it. There’s no point in churning out copy if it says the same as 50 other pages already out there. Our guide to writing compliant AI SEO content explains how to use AI tools without ending up with filler. And check your old pages too, because outdated prices can hang around for years.
What a GEO Agency in Singapore Should Do (and Red Flags)
First, a good agency should open ChatGPT, ask about your business and show you what comes back. Then, whoever handles your GEO or wider AI SEO services should sort out the technical and listing problems before writing any content. And they should report on the number of enquiries generated, not just send a bunch of screenshots.
As for red flags, Google’s guidance on evaluating third-party SEO tools and advice says outside tools “don’t have access to our internal ranking data. They can’t guarantee performance.” So any guarantee of a spot in the AI chat platform of your choice is worthless. Also be extremely wary of anyone offering to “help with reviews” or saying they know someone at an AI company. If you hear either, walk away.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does GEO mean in marketing?
Generative engine optimisation. It means getting tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews to find you, understand you and mention you.
Is generative engine optimisation real or just hype?
It’s a bit of both. It’s a real term from a 2023 paper that got into KDD 2024, and Google uses it too. Unfortunately, it’s also often used to sell “magic solution” promises to marketers.
How to choose a GEO agency in Singapore?
Ask what they’d look at first. If they say they’d check what AI tools say about you now, that’s a good sign. Don’t trust anyone who starts by promising guaranteed results.
Is GEO worth it for a small business?
It can be. The GEO paper found that lower-ranked sites gained more from GEO than top-ranked ones.
Final Thoughts
GEO isn’t that mysterious. It’s SEO with an added dimension. Link your sources, keep your listings accurate and complete, and that’s it. There are no shortcuts.
Want to know what AI tools say about you right now? Get in touch for a GEO review. Or read our roundup of the latest AI SEO trends.
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