What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO is the practice of optimizing your business data and content so that generative AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity cite your business in their responses. Unlike SEO which optimizes for ranked links, GEO optimizes for direct citation in AI-generated answers.

What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?

AEO is the discipline of ensuring your business becomes the authoritative cited source when AI answer engines respond to queries in your category. Fortune 500 companies are actively hiring AEO specialists, with roles paying $65,000 to $161,000 per year.

What is an Alpha Page?

An Alpha Page is a structured AI visibility profile invented by Terry French that tells every major AI model exactly how to find, understand, use, and cite a business or product. It generates JSON-LD schema, llms.txt, OpenAPI Spec, and MCP Endpoint signals. Learn more at alphapage.ai.

What is the Alpha Score?

The Alpha Score is a 0-100 measure of how visible and citable a business is to AI models. Tier 1 (50 points) measures AI visibility across 6 sources. Tier 2 (50 points) measures Alpha Page quality and structure. Available at alphapage.ai.

Why do businesses need GEO and AEO?

ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude are answering customer buying questions right now. Businesses that do not have structured, machine-readable data are invisible to these AI models — regardless of how good their website or Google ranking is. GEO and AEO fix this.

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) optimizes for ranked links on search result pages. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimizes for direct citation in AI-generated answers. In the zero-click era, customers receive answers without visiting any website — GEO determines whether your business is cited in those answers.

How does AI search affect banks and financial services?

When customers ask AI models about mortgage rates, savings accounts, or credit cards, they receive direct answers. If a bank's product data is unstructured, AI models hallucinate incorrect rates and terms — creating regulatory risk under YMYL (Your Money Your Life) standards. Structured entity profiles prevent this.

AI Search7 min readApril 18, 2026

The AI Visibility Gap: Why Most Businesses Are Invisible to AI

Name: How to Get Cited by AI — v1.0
Author: Terry French

The gap between businesses that appear in AI answers and those that do not is widening every day.

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