GEO is commonly used for work on visibility in AI answers. For Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, Google describes this as part of SEO: its AI features use the Search index and core ranking systems. Other assistants have their own retrieval and presentation choices. The practical task is to improve useful website information and measure each experience on its own terms.
What stays the same?
Useful original content, accessible navigation, appropriate technical access and a good page experience remain sound priorities. Business facts should be accurate and any structured data should describe the visible content. Markup can support eligible Google search features; it is not a requirement for AI inclusion or proof that a model has correctly understood the business.
Review existing work against the needs of visitors and the available evidence. A new label is not a reason to rebuild useful pages or add a separate layer of markup.
What changes: the answer you inspect
An assistant may explain a topic, compare services, name businesses or ask a follow-up question. Those outputs require different checks. Record what was named, what was recommended, which source links appeared and whether the facts were correct. Review both the relevant pages and business information; neither a page-only nor an entity-only model explains every answer.
What changes: where the sources come from
Search rankings and AI citations overlap without being identical. Ahrefs’ March 2026 analysis examined around four million AI Overview source URLs across 863,000 keyword results pages. In its organic-results comparison, 37.1% of cited URLs appeared in the first ten organic results for the same query; 36.7% were outside the top 100. This describes that dataset and Google feature. It does not establish how ChatGPT selects businesses or show that SEO is unnecessary.
37.1%
of AI Overview source URLs in this sample also appeared in the first ten organic results for the same query. This is a dated study of Google AI Overviews, not a universal ranking rule.
Source: Ahrefs, 2026 - analysis of four million AI Overview citations
What changes: more than an ordered list
An individual captured answer either names the business or does not, which is useful to record. Across questions, products and repeat runs, visibility is more nuanced: source links, prominence, factual accuracy and recommendations can differ. We measure those separately and treat the test panel as a sample, not as a complete account of what every customer sees.
What changes: the pace
Both search results and AI answers can change. A different answer after a website edit does not by itself prove the edit caused it: product updates, retrieval changes and ordinary variation can also contribute. Repeated tests under recorded conditions help assess whether a change persists. We set a review cadence around the business’s needs rather than promise a result within a number of weeks.
Where should the effort go now?
The carry-over map
- Keep what serves visitors: accessible pages, useful original content, clear navigation and accurate business information.
- Check the actual gaps: technical access, inaccurate details and markup that conflicts with the visible page.
- Add a repeatable answer test: agreed questions and conditions, with mentions, source links, accuracy and missing observations recorded separately.
- Connect the evidence to business decisions: compare native platform reports and identifiable visits with qualified enquiries and sales, without treating them as the same measure.
Do I still need SEO at all?
Yes. Google’s AI features are part of Search, and a good search position alone does not establish inclusion in a particular answer. Use the available native reports alongside direct tests: Search Console reports Google generative-AI visibility, while Bing AI Performance reports citations across its supported experiences. GA4 classifies visits separately: AI Assistant excludes Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, which remain in Organic Search. Record each report’s definitions and limits. The Visibility Audit adds a scoped investigation of captured answers and website evidence; the free check provides a first look at one question.
What this means for a professional practice
Start with the service you want enquiries for. Our guides to AI visibility for solicitors and accountants connect the search foundations to the pages, professional information and buyer questions worth checking.