If you have searched for a recommendation on Google recently, you have probably noticed something different: instead of a list of links, you see a generated answer at the top of the page, written in plain language, citing a handful of sources. The links are still there, but many people never scroll past the AI-generated summary. The same shift is happening on ChatGPT, on Perplexity, and on a growing number of other AI-powered search and assistant platforms.
This change has a name: Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO. It is the practice of ensuring that when AI systems generate answers about your industry, your services, or the questions your customers are asking, your business is the one being cited, recommended, and described accurately.
How AI search is different from traditional Google results
Traditional search engine optimisation was built around one core mechanic: getting your page to rank in the list of results that a search engine shows. The user sees the list, evaluates the options, and clicks through to the one they choose. Your goal was to be near the top of that list so you had the best chance of the click.
AI search works differently. The AI system reads the web, synthesises the information it finds, and generates a direct answer. The user often does not see a list at all. They see an answer. The sources that the AI cites, typically shown as small footnotes or references, are the equivalent of the links that used to appear in search results. If your business is cited, you are in the answer. If you are not cited, you do not exist in that response, regardless of how well you rank on traditional search.
The implications for businesses are significant. A South African tradesperson whose business ranks third on Google might still get a click from someone who scrolls past the top result. A business not cited in a ChatGPT or Google AI Overview response about their service category gets no exposure at all from that query, even if they are technically the best option in their area.
What determines whether an AI system cites your business
AI systems retrieve information from the web and from their training data. Several factors influence whether your business gets cited.
Clarity about what you do is the most fundamental. If your website, your Google Business Profile, and your presence across the web clearly and specifically describe your business's expertise, location, and services in language that matches how people ask questions about your category, AI systems can accurately categorise and describe you. Vague or generic website content makes accurate citation difficult.
Structured data, the machine-readable markup that describes your content to search engines and AI systems, significantly improves the likelihood that AI systems can correctly interpret and cite your content. Schema markup for your business type, your services, your location, and your content is one of the most specific technical investments that pays dividends in AI citation.
Authority signals matter. AI systems weight sources that have been cited elsewhere, that have clear authorship and expertise attribution, and that are associated with credible external references. A business mentioned positively in multiple credible online sources is more likely to be cited than one that exists only on its own website.
Content format plays a role. AI systems respond well to content that directly and clearly answers specific questions, in a format that allows them to extract the relevant information without having to interpret heavily formatted or ambiguous text. Content written as direct answers to the questions your customers actually ask is more citable than content written primarily for traditional SEO or for marketing effect.
Why South African businesses should care about this now
The adoption of AI-powered search in South Africa is following a similar trajectory to global markets, with higher-income and business-focused demographics adopting these tools fastest. The proportion of searches that result in a traditional click-through to a website has been declining as AI-generated answers capture more of the response function. The trajectory is clear even if the current proportion is still modest.
The businesses that invest in GEO now are doing so in a less competitive environment than will exist in two or three years. Traditional SEO took years to become as competitive as it is today. GEO is at an earlier stage, and the businesses that establish strong citation patterns now, building the authority signals and content quality that AI systems weight, will be harder to displace once the practice becomes standard.
What GEO is not
GEO is not a replacement for traditional SEO. The two practices are complementary, and a business without a solid traditional search foundation will find GEO difficult. The underlying requirements, quality content, clear topical expertise, credible external references, and technical site health, largely overlap.
GEO is also not primarily a paid advertising play. Unlike search ads, where visibility is directly purchased, AI citation is earned through the quality and credibility of your content and presence. Money can accelerate the content and technical work, but it cannot buy a citation in an AI response the way it can buy a position in a paid search result.
What to do first
The most practical starting point for most South African businesses is an honest audit of their current presence through the lens of an AI system. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview what it says when asked about businesses in your category and location. What comes up? Who is being cited? Is your business mentioned? If not, what the system does cite gives you a direct view of what you need to build: the kind of content, the kind of authority signals, and the kind of structured presence that AI systems are already drawing from in your category.
From there, the specific interventions depend on what the audit reveals. For most businesses, the first priorities are ensuring the website clearly and specifically describes the business's expertise, that structured data markup is implemented correctly, and that the business's Google Business Profile is accurate, comprehensive, and actively maintained.
CodeLab One offers AI Visibility Optimisation as a dedicated service, covering schema, entity optimisation, and citation monitoring across the AI platforms your customers are using. Our AI Visibility Assessment is a structured starting point. You can also read about what AI visibility optimisation costs in South Africa before committing to anything.
