GEO, short for generative engine optimisation, is the new label on a lot of agency pitches. The promise is that the agency will get your practice named by ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI answers. Some of that work is useful. Some of it is old SEO with a new name, and some of it is guesswork sold with confidence.

What the evidence says so far

In August 2026, UK content consultant Ben Locker published the results of a study he had planned to turn into a sales white paper, in an article called Generative engine optimisation: ask for the evidence. He looked at the homepages of the 100 firms in the Accountancy Age Top 50+50 and collected 540 answers to 36 buyer questions from Claude, Perplexity and OpenAI.

His findings were not what he hoped to sell:

  • Larger firms appeared far more often. Clearer, more specific homepage titles made no detectable difference.
  • He found no evidence of a structured data advantage. 71 per cent of firms with JSON-LD schema appeared at least once, against 76 per cent of firms without it, though he notes the second group was small and skewed towards larger firms.
  • The assistants disagreed. On an average question, only 17 per cent of the firms named by any assistant appeared on all three.
  • Being named did not always mean being recommended. Some firms appeared in passages explaining why the buyer might not need them.

His advice to buyers was simple: if someone wants to charge extra for schema or on page changes because they will make an AI recommend your firm, ask to see the evidence.

Google says something similar from its side. Its guide to AI features in Search states that there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, that you don't need new machine readable files, AI text files or markup, and that there is no special schema.org structured data you need to add.

Six questions to ask before you pay

1. What evidence do you have that this works? Ask for something more than a screenshot of one answer. AI answers change from one question to the next, so a single good result proves little. Good evidence uses the same questions, asked several times, before and after the work.

2. Which assistants and which questions will you track? ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers often name different firms. Agree a fixed list of questions your clients would really ask, such as "Who is a good accountant for landlords in Stockport?", and which tools will be checked.

3. Does your advice line up with Google's guidance? Google's own advice on hiring an SEO now asks this directly: if an agency offers AEO or GEO advice, is it aligned with Google Search's official guidance on generative AI features? Ask them to point to the documentation behind each recommendation.

4. What exactly will you change, and why? If the plan is mostly schema, llms.txt files or "AI ready" markup, ask how that squares with Google saying none of it is required. Useful work usually looks familiar: clear service pages, a complete Google Business Profile and content that answers real client questions.

5. How will you tell being named from being recommended? A report that counts mentions can look good while the assistant is steering people elsewhere. Ask to see the full answers, not just a score.

6. What can you not promise? A straight answer here is a good sign. Nobody controls what an AI assistant says, and Google states plainly that no one can secure a top ranking in its results. An agency that admits the limits is easier to trust with the rest.

If you are comparing agencies more broadly, our guide on how to choose an SEO agency for your accountancy practice covers the wider interview questions and red flags.

Check where you stand before you spend

You don't need to pay anyone to find out what AI says about your practice today. Ask ChatGPT and Gemini the questions a new client would ask and note who gets named. Our free AI visibility checker asks Gemini about your firm and town and emails you the answer with a short scorecard.

That gives you a starting point to hold any agency to, including us. Our SEO service focuses on the foundations Google and the evidence both point to, explained in plain English.

Want a second opinion on a GEO proposal?

Run the free checker, then get in touch with the proposal you have been sent. We will tell you plainly which parts look useful and which need evidence.

Common questions

Is GEO different from SEO?

Partly. GEO focuses on AI answers rather than the list of links, but Google says the same SEO best practices apply to its AI features. Most useful GEO work overlaps heavily with good local SEO.