How to get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity (GEO 2026)

More and more people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity "who makes websites in Tallinn?" instead of searching on Google. Nobody can guarantee that an AI will recommend your business, but there are practical steps that clearly raise the chances. This guide explains them without hype.

What GEO is

GEO (generative engine optimisation) means preparing your business so that AI assistants and AI search features (ChatGPT search, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) can find, understand and cite you. It builds on classic SEO rather than replacing it: AI systems rely heavily on the same web index and on trustworthy sources.

How AI picks which companies to mention

The exact methods are not public and change often, but in practice these factors repeat:

• Pages that answer the question clearly. Direct answers, specific facts, prices and numbers are easier to quote than marketing phrases.
• Mentions on other trusted sites. Directories, articles, reviews and partner pages confirm that you exist and what you do.
• Consistent business data. The same name, phone, location and services everywhere.
• Fresh, crawlable pages. If a crawler can't read or reach the page, it can't use it.

Seven practical steps

1. Write pages that answer real questions. For each service, create a page that answers "how much does it cost", "how long does it take" and "how to choose". Add a short FAQ. See how we did it in website cost in Estonia 2026.
2. Publish concrete facts. Prices (with the VAT status), timelines, what's included, location, languages. Our own price study is an example of data other sites and AI can cite.
3. Mark up the content. Use structured data (Organization, Service, FAQPage, Article) and clear headings so that machines read the page correctly.
4. Set up your Google Business Profile. Maps and local results feed many AI answers. See Google Business Profile guide.
5. Get mentioned elsewhere. Business directories, partner pages, local media and customer reviews. A few good mentions beat many weak ones.
6. Don't block the crawlers. Check robots.txt and your hosting settings so that search and AI crawlers (for example GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended) can read your public pages if you want to be cited.
7. Be indexed in more than Google. Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools too, because several AI assistants use Bing's index for web search. IndexNow helps new pages get picked up faster.

What about llms.txt?

An llms.txt file is a plain-text summary of your site meant for AI tools. It is cheap to add and we have one at openweb.ee/llms.txt, but we don't know of reliable evidence that major AI systems depend on it today. Treat it as a small extra, not a replacement for good content and mentions.

How to check if it works

• Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions your customers ask, for example "web studio Tallinn" or "how much does a website cost in Estonia", and note whether you appear and which sources are cited.
• In Google Analytics, look for visits from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and similar referrers.
• Repeat monthly. Answers vary, so look at the trend, not a single result.

Common mistakes

• Promising "guaranteed #1 in ChatGPT". Nobody can promise that.
• Filling pages with keywords instead of clear answers.
• Hiding prices and facts behind "contact us".
• Forgetting basic SEO: a site that isn't indexed can't be cited.

Frequently asked questions