AI SEO services (GEO) and AI ads: when buyers ask ChatGPT, be part of the answer.

What are AI SEO services, and what do they cover?

AI SEO services, also called generative engine optimization (GEO), help your brand get cited in AI answers. That means ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Claude. The term spread through a 2023 paper, “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization”, presented at KDD 2024. Classic SEO aims for a high position in a list of links. AI SEO, by contrast, aims for your name, data and link inside the answer itself.

The same work goes by several names: GEO (generative engine optimization), AEO (answer engine optimization), LLMO (large language model optimization), AIO and simply “ChatGPT SEO”. The names differ, but the goal does not: to be cited or recommended inside AI answers.

Our service has five parts. We run all of them under one plan.

• Technical access: we confirm that AI crawlers reach your pages. We also check that your firewall lets legitimate bots through.
• Entity clarity: we align structured data and company pages, so your name, services and profiles tell one story.
• Citable content: we build pages that answer your buyers’ real questions clearly, with evidence and current facts.
• Third-party sources: we run digital PR to earn genuine mentions in trade media, comparisons and review platforms.
• Measurement and AI ads: we track AI traffic separately. Where it helps, we also run ChatGPT, Google and Microsoft ads.

Classic organic rankings sit with our SEO consulting service; this page focuses on AI surfaces. For the basics, read what is generative engine optimization. Then compare the terms in SEO vs GEO vs AEO.

How do ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity decide which brands to cite?

For a current question, these systems usually search the web first. They then read the pages they find and build the answer from them. Google explains in its official documentation that AI Overviews and AI Mode may split a question into subtopics. They then run several related searches at once; Google calls this query fan-out. ChatGPT search relies on OpenAI’s own crawler and on third-party search providers. Copilot, for its part, builds answers by summarizing Bing web results. Each engine therefore finds you by a different route.

In practice, a brand meets one of three outcomes.

• Cited: the answer links to your site and takes the information from you.
• Mentioned: the answer names you without a link. Often the information comes from someone else’s list.
• Absent: the engine cannot find you, or its trusted sources say nothing about you.

No official formula decides which pages make the cut. Still, a common pattern shows up. Engines favor facts that answer directly, stay current and match other sources. For “which is best” questions in particular, comparison articles, review sites and trade media weigh heavily. For examples, see which brands AI search engines recommend. You can also read how your brand shows up in ChatGPT and Gemini.

Technical access: what do AI crawlers, robots.txt and llms.txt really do?

AI SEO starts with the technical layer. If an engine cannot reach your page, content quality does not matter. The most common mix-up treats training bots and search bots as one. According to OpenAI’s crawler documentation, OAI-SearchBot surfaces websites in ChatGPT search. GPTBot, however, crawls for model training, and the two work independently.

• OpenAI: OAI-SearchBot handles search and GPTBot handles training. ChatGPT-User opens pages on a user’s request; in that case, robots.txt rules may not apply.
• Perplexity: PerplexityBot powers search results. It does not crawl for foundation model training, the company says.
• Anthropic: ClaudeBot serves training, Claude-SearchBot search quality, and Claude-User individual user requests.
• Google: AI Overviews and AI Mode need no separate bot; Googlebot covers them. A new Search Console control also lets sites leave these features. It reached all websites on 31 August 2026.

Robots.txt is only one layer. OpenAI warns advertisers that Cloudflare, bot rules and CAPTCHAs can block legitimate crawlers by mistake. We therefore read your server logs and check, page by page, which bot hits a 403 error. You can also review your rules with our free robots.txt generator.

The llms.txt file, on the other hand, is a proposal from Jeremy Howard in September 2024. It is not an official standard. Google says plainly that its AI features need no new machine readable files or AI text files. We therefore treat llms.txt as a low-cost extra, not the main job. If you are curious, our llms.txt generator creates a first draft.

How do AI SEO services prepare content for AI answers?

Citable content answers a question in its first sentence. It backs the answer with evidence and offers something you cannot find elsewhere. Google’s guide on generative AI features, updated in July 2026, is refreshingly direct. You do not need tiny chunks, AI rewrites or special schema. In Google’s words, optimizing for generative AI search is still SEO. What stands out instead is a unique view, first-hand experience, good images and a solid page experience.

That is why we work on clarity, not tricks:

• Question map: we collect buyers’ questions from your sales notes, support tickets and search data.
• Decision facts: we spell out price drivers, comparisons, the process and who you fit best.
• Evidence: we bring your own data, cases and expert views onto the page. We never invent statistics.
• Freshness: we update pages when pricing or scope changes, and show the date.

AI features do not require structured data. That said, Organization and Service markup describe you consistently to every engine. Draft it with our schema generator. For writing tips, see how to write content for AI Overviews.

How do digital PR and third-party sources shape AI recommendations?

Take a question like “which companies are best in this field?” Here, AI engines often look beyond your website to what others write about you. Comparison articles, directories, review sites, forums and news sites feed these answers. What you publish matters. However, what others publish about you often decides whether you make the list.

That is why digital PR is part of our AI SEO work.

• First, we find the comparison articles your brand belongs in and pitch publishers with real data.
• Next, your Google Business Profile, platforms and directories get the same facts as your site.
• Then, together with you, we set up a process that asks real customers for reviews within each platform’s rules and applicable e-marketing consent law.
• Finally, topic ideas bring your expert view into trade media and interviews.

Our line is clear: no fake list articles, bought reviews, covert forum posts or manufactured mentions. Google writes that chasing inauthentic mentions helps less than it seems. Its spam systems also block them. Consumer protection rules in many markets also prohibit hidden ads and fake reviews. Read about link quality in what backlinks are. We can also pair this work with brand identity, so your voice stays consistent.

How do you measure visibility in AI search?

AI answers change with the person, location and session, so a single screenshot is not a measurement. We combine four sources and tie them to leads.

• Prompt set tracking: we run a fixed list of real buyer questions at regular intervals across the major engines. For each question, we record whether your brand is a source, a mention or missing.
• Google Search Console: Google announced its Generative AI performance report in June 2026 and, as of 31 August 2026, rolled it out to all websites worldwide. It shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with a separate report for Discover, once a site has enough impressions in these features.
• Bing Webmaster Tools: the AI Performance report shows which pages Copilot and Bing cite, plus the grounding queries.
• Google Analytics 4: the AI Assistant channel separates visits from assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot; Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode fall outside this channel. ChatGPT also adds utm_source=chatgpt.com to its referral links.
• Leads and sales: we report key events from the AI Assistant channel, such as forms, WhatsApp, calls and purchases, separately in GA4. If you use a CRM, we add a first-touch source to every lead, so mention, citation, visit and lead sit in one table.

We add server logs on top; they show which AI bot visits which page, so we catch technical problems early. The point is not a prettier report but seeing where competitors pull ahead and what to fix next. Tag campaign links with the UTM builder. You can then check your site with the SEO checker.

How do ChatGPT ads work, and who can advertise?

ChatGPT ads run on OpenAI’s own advertising platform. According to OpenAI’s help article on ads, ads appear below a response with a sponsored label. Each unit shows the advertiser name, logo, headline, description, image and landing page. Testing began in the United States on 9 February 2026. Ads can appear for Free and Go users and in logged-out use. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu stay ad free, as do accounts identified as under 18 and Temporary Chats. No ads appear near sensitive chats about personal health, mental health or politics either.

OpenAI stresses two points: ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers, and advertisers never see conversations. Matching looks at the current chat, the ad copy, the landing page and the advertiser’s context hints. These hints are not exact match keywords. On the buying side, campaigns can optimize for views, clicks or conversions; billing runs per impression or valid click, not per conversion.

Self-serve availability is expanding quickly. By late September 2026, OpenAI’s list included the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan and Türkiye, among others. The legal entity that advertises and is billed must be based in a listed country, so we confirm eligibility while setting up the account in your company’s name. Personalized ads are also not initially available in the EEA or Switzerland.

We handle setup end to end, starting with a landing page that OAI-AdsBot can reach. We then write ad groups and context hints and install the OpenAI Pixel (oaiq) or the Conversions API.

Because the Pixel keeps the oppref click reference in a first-party cookie, we set up consent so that it loads only after opt-in, in line with ePrivacy rules (for example PECR in the UK or § 25 TDDDG in Germany) and GDPR consent standards. We also keep oppref intact through redirects; the legal review stays with your counsel or the lawyers we work with. To compare results, try our conversion rate calculator.

Can you run ads in Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot?

Google has no separate “AI ad” campaign type. Existing campaigns can instead reach these surfaces with the right settings. According to Google Ads Help on ads and AI Overviews, ads can appear above and below AI Overviews. Inside the overview, ads from Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can appear. For now, that placement runs only in English and in a few countries, such as the US and Canada. You cannot target or exclude it directly. Google also requires broad match or AI Max for Search, and it offers no separate report.

Ads in AI Mode are still in testing. According to Google, Performance Max, Shopping and broad match Search campaigns qualify, including AI Max. On the Microsoft side, Copilot ads come automatically from your Microsoft Advertising assets. Eligible campaigns join by default, and there is no opt out. Search ads also need a logo to show in Copilot.

Our job is to prepare the account for these surfaces. First, we strengthen conversion tracking. We then balance broad match or AI Max with negative keywords and brand controls. We also build image and video assets for Performance Max and Demand Gen, which runs on YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network. Classic search campaigns stay with our Google Ads management service. For budget scenarios, try the Google Ads budget calculator.

How to choose AI SEO services or a GEO agency: what should you ask?

GEO is a young field, and promises are plentiful. Google advises caution with tools that promise ranking success or claim internal Google metrics. It even states that no third-party tool can access its ranking or AI systems. It is therefore worth asking these questions about any proposal.

• Does it guarantee a place in AI answers or a “number one spot”? If so, question the method.
• Which prompt set, which engines and which frequency does the measurement use?
• Who implements the technical fixes, a team or nobody?
• Does the digital PR plan rest on real publications, or on paid list articles?
• Do AI ads and organic visibility share one measurement framework?

What we commit to is method. That means a measurable baseline, fixes that go live, evidence-based content and genuine mentions. Every month, you also get a report against the same prompt set. Talha Aslan sets the strategy and an experienced team delivers it, with every task in our CRM. We work fully remotely, wherever you are based, in English and German. Building a new site? Then set this structure up during web design. See live work in our references, or write to us to talk about your site.