Question 1

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

Accepted Answer

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), sometimes referred to as AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) or LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization), is the set of techniques aimed at optimizing an organization's visibility within responses generated by AI engines such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), Copilot (Microsoft), and Perplexity. Unlike traditional SEO, which optimizes for search engine ranking algorithms, GEO optimizes for large language models (LLMs) that generate natural language answers. These models don't just return a list of links—they formulate a direct answer and sometimes cite their sources. GEO aims to ensure that your organization is recognized as an authoritative source and explicitly cited in these answers.

Question 2

How does ChatGPT decide to cite a company or a source?

Accepted Answer

Large Language Models (LLMs) don't work like Google search. They do not index web pages in real-time natively (though some versions now feature web browsing capabilities). Their behavior depends on two main factors. First, their training data: LLMs learn from massive text corpora scraped from the internet. The more your organization is mentioned positively, consistently, and authoritatively across online sources (your site, articles, directories, media), the more the LLMs "know" you and are likely to mention you. Second, for versions with web navigation (e.g., ChatGPT with Bing, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews), the LLMs actively seek structured, factual, and comprehensive content. Content marked up with Schema.org, featuring well-written FAQs, crisp definitions, and verifiable data, is vastly more likely to be extracted and cited.

Question 3

Does GEO replace traditional SEO?

Accepted Answer

No. GEO complements SEO—it does not replace it. In 2025, the vast majority of searches are still conducted on Google, Bing, and other classic search engines. SEO remains essential to capture this traffic. However, the proportion of searches conducted directly within AI interfaces (ChatGPT, Perplexity) is growing rapidly, particularly for informational queries, B2B vendor comparisons, and complex questions. The good news: content that is highly optimized for GEO (structured, factual, comprehensive, Schema-marked) also performs exceptionally well for traditional SEO. ABCnumérique systematically treats SEO and GEO as synergistic disciplines and optimizes them simultaneously.

Question 4

Can you measure the impact of GEO on a business?

Accepted Answer

Yes, though the metrics differ from traditional SEO. For classic SEO, we measure keyword rankings and organic traffic using Google Search Console. For GEO, we measure: citation rate (are your brand or services mentioned in AI responses for your target queries?), citation quality (are you presented positively, as a top reference, or just as one option among many?), the growth of referral traffic from AI sources (Perplexity, SearchGPT, etc.), and inbound leads explicitly stating they found you via an AI prompt. ABCnumérique provides a monthly AI citation report tracking 20 to 30 target queries, allowing you to monitor the evolution of your AI footprint over time.

Question 5

What is Schema.org markup and why is it crucial for GEO?

Accepted Answer

Schema.org is a standardized markup vocabulary (co-developed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Yandex) that adds semantic meaning to web page content—not just for human readers, but for machines. Practically, a "FAQPage" Schema tag tells search engines and LLMs: "This block of text is a question, and the following text is its exact answer." A "Service" tag tells them: "This page describes a service offered by this organization, in this geographic area, at this price." When LLMs crawl the web to generate real-time answers, they leverage these tags to quickly identify the most relevant and structured content available. A site lacking Schema.org is like a textbook without a table of contents: readable, but much harder for an AI to seamlessly parse and extract from.

Question 6

Does GEO work for English-speaking businesses in Canada/Quebec?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely—and it's often highly competitive because AI models are predominantly trained on English content. While this means there is more competition for generic English terms globally, local GEO (e.g., "best IT support in Montreal", "Quebec data privacy consultants") is vastly under-optimized. Many local competitors haven't adapted their content for LLMs yet. By establishing authoritative, structured English content that speaks directly to Canadian/Quebec regulations and regional nuances, you can secure valuable AI citations before your competitors even realize GEO exists.

GEO - Be visible in ChatGPT and Generative AI answers

Your competitors appear in ChatGPT. You don't.

Structure your content so the AI chooses you.

AI Visibility Audit (Week 1)

Content Structuring (Weeks 2–4)

Rich Schema.org Markup (Week 3)

Monitoring & Iterating (Monthly)

What you receive

Audit and Strategy

Content Optimization

Technical Markup

Monthly Monitoring

Questions fréquentes

This service naturally combines with

SEO & Organic Visibility

Website Creation & Redesign

Data Readiness for AI

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