AI answer features such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT search write a summary and link to the pages they drew from. GEO (generative engine optimization) and AEO (answer engine optimization) are names for making your pages easy for those systems to find, understand and cite. Both Google and Bing say the foundation is the same as ordinary SEO: crawlable, accurate, clearly structured pages written for people, ideally with first-hand knowledge that an AI tool cannot invent.
What GEO and AEO mean
- SEO: helping search engines crawl, index and rank your pages.
- AEO: structuring pages so a direct question gets a direct, quotable answer (featured snippets, voice answers, AI summaries).
- GEO: being eligible to be used and cited in AI-generated answers. Bing's Webmaster Guidelines use this term and describe it as "content eligibility for grounding and reference in AI responses."
These overlap heavily.
What the search engines actually say
Google: To appear as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. Google says there are "no additional requirements" and no special optimizations, and that you don't need new machine-readable files, "AI text files," or special schema to appear.
Bing: Its guidelines now cover Bing search, Copilot and grounding API results together. They say SEO fundamentals "still apply," and recommend IndexNow and accurate sitemaps for freshness, one topic per URL, key information near the top, facts stated explicitly so a page "stands on its own," and consistent names for people, products and places. They also warn that prompt injection aimed at AI systems can lead to reduced visibility or removal.
ChatGPT search: OpenAI says sites that block its OAI-SearchBot crawler will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers. That setting is separate from GPTBot, which relates to training.
Benefits for small businesses
- A clear, specific answer can be cited even if your site is not a big brand.
- Bing notes that content may surface as impressions or citations without a click, so a drop in clicks doesn't always mean lost visibility.
Drawbacks
- Fewer clicks for simple facts that the answer already shows.
- AI answers can get your details wrong if your own pages, listings and profiles disagree with each other.
Where human-written, first-hand content still matters
Google's helpful-content guidance describes E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) and asks "Who, How, and Why" about content: is it clear who wrote it, how it was made, and that it was made to help people? Bing asks for content that is "original and authoritative," and treats lightly rewritten copies as scraping.
An AI tool can summarize what is already online. It can't supply:
- Your actual prices, service area, hours and policies
- Photos and descriptions of your own jobs
- What customers really ask you, in their words
- Your judgment ("we don't recommend this for older homes, because…")
- Your name and credentials on the byline
Those are the parts that make a page worth citing. Use AI for outlines and edits, if you like, but write or verify those parts yourself and fact-check the rest, as Google's generative AI guidance asks.
Myth vs fact
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| "You need an llms.txt file to show up in AI answers." | Google says you don't need new machine-readable files, "AI text files," or special schema for AI Overviews or AI Mode. llms.txt is a proposal (llmstxt.org); we found no major search engine documenting it as a ranking or citation requirement. |
| "GEO replaces SEO." | Bing says SEO fundamentals still apply to Copilot and grounding, and Google says the same best practices apply to its AI features. |
| "Blocking AI crawlers removes you from Google." | Google says Google-Extended does not affect inclusion or ranking in Search. To leave AI Overviews and AI Mode while staying in regular results, Google offers a separate Search Console setting (Settings > Search generative AI). |
| "GEO can guarantee citations." | Bing: "GEO does not guarantee grounding or citations." |
Practical steps
- Check you can be crawled. In robots.txt, don't block Googlebot or Bingbot. Decide separately about AI crawlers: Google says
Google-Extendedcontrols Gemini training use and does not affect Search inclusion or ranking; OpenAI'sOAI-SearchBotcontrols ChatGPT search. - Answer first. Put a question as the heading and the answer in the first two or three sentences.
- One topic per page, with a clear title and logical headings.
- State facts explicitly: name, address, phone, service area, prices or price ranges.
- Keep details consistent across your site, Google Business Profile and Bing Places.
- Use structured data that matches the visible page. Both engines say it must reflect what visitors see, and that it doesn't guarantee a feature.
- Submit a sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and use IndexNow for Bing.
- Add a byline and an updated date, and update pages when facts change.
- Watch impressions, not just clicks, in both tools. Search Console's Search generative AI help page also points to a Generative AI performance report.
- Know your opt-outs. Bing says
NOARCHIVEkeeps content out of Copilot responses and grounding; Google's Search generative AI control excludes a site from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover. Both cost you visibility there, so decide deliberately.
Your host matters for AI crawlers too
Google lists "ensuring that crawling is allowed in robots.txt, and by any CDN or hosting infrastructure" among its basics. Firewalls sometimes block crawlers that send many requests. If you think a search or AI crawler is being blocked on your account, open a ticket and our team can check the logs.
Get help
Open a ticket at parsonshosting.com/submitticket.php. Support is ticket-first, 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific, 7 days a week. See the FAQ.
Sources
- Google Search Central, "AI features and your website": https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
- Google Search Central, "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content": https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content
- Google Search Central, guidance on using generative AI content: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/using-gen-ai-content
- Google Search Central, Google common crawlers (Google-Extended): https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/google-common-crawlers
- Bing Webmaster Guidelines: https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a
- Google Search Console Help, "Search generative AI control": https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024
- llms.txt proposal: https://llmstxt.org/
- OpenAI, Overview of OpenAI crawlers: https://platform.openai.com/docs/bots
Related guides: What are AI text watermarks, and do they affect my website or SEO? and Why does website content matter for Google and AI assistants?.
Written by Chris Parsons, ParsonsHosting. Last updated: November 2026.
