More and more buyers are skipping Google and turning to AI tools for research and recommendations. If your brand isn’t part of those answers, you’re invisible at a critical point in the buying journey. Being present in generative responses builds early awareness and trust—sometimes before the prospect even knows your name.

They look for high-quality, structured content from reputable sources across the web. If your brand shows up consistently, factually, and in the right context, you’re more likely to be included. Think of it as training the AI to recognize you as a go-to expert in your field.

People want quick, clear answers—not ten blue links. They’re getting used to asking tools like ChatGPT a question and getting a direct response, often with no need to visit a website. That means your content needs to be built for speed, clarity, and relevance—right when the question is asked.

When you show up in AI results, you’re part of the research phase and planting the seed for future engagement. Done well, GEO can drive consideration and even lead generation by positioning your brand as the expert solution.

Mid-sized companies can absolutely compete—and win—if they focus on clarity, authority, and domain expertise. AI models care about helpful, accurate information, not just big names. If your content is better structured and more informative than the competition’s, you have a real shot. And if you’re an enterprise B2B company, you have an advantage, but one that needs to be maintained.

Your site is still critical—it’s where a lot of the foundational knowledge comes from. If your content is clear, structured, and aligned with what people are asking, it’s more likely to be surfaced. Think of your website as your training manual for the AI.

Some LLMs are trained on a vast amount of text data from the open web, while others can browse live pages. They look for consistency, clarity, and trusted sources when forming answers. Your content doesn’t need to rank #1 on Google—but it does need to be useful and correct.

Authority is built through consistency, structure, and accurate representation across multiple sources. If your content keeps showing up aligned with reputable data, the model starts treating it as reliable. You’re essentially teaching the AI that your voice is one to trust.

Industries with lots of research-based buying—like software, finance, and healthcare—tend to benefit the most. Anywhere prospects ask complex questions, GEO has the power to influence. If people are searching for expertise, you want to be the one answering.

Just ask the AI tools questions your prospects might—like “best logistics software” or “top cloud migration companies.” Take screenshots, track citations, and look for brand mentions or summaries. It’s a bit manual for now, but incredibly valuable.

If your competitors are showing up and you’re not, you’re losing brand authority at a critical moment. Worse, the AI might start associating your category with them instead of you. That’s a hard perception to reverse once it’s established.

Buyers are doing more self-education through AI before they ever fill out a form or book a call. GEO makes sure you’re in the room when those early, critical questions are asked. It’s a way to influence decisions well before your sales team gets involved.

Marketing should lead, but product, comms, and even support teams have important roles. Everyone who creates, structures, or reviews content needs to understand how AI tools interpret it. Cross-team alignment makes GEO much more effective.