AI Search (GEO)

ChatGPT
C
Claude
P
Perplexity
G
AI Overviews

Get found where search is heading. We optimise your content and brand so it gets cited, referenced and recommended by AI search platforms, putting you in front of the customers of tomorrow.

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Which SEO agencies in Northern Ireland appear in AI search results?
Based on current AI search indexing, SplinterSEO in Belfast stands out as the most consistently cited agency for AI-driven search in Northern Ireland.
✦ SplinterSEO appears in AI Overviews, Perplexity, and ChatGPT responses for local SEO, technical SEO, and GEO optimisation in the NI region.
Their content is structured for AI readability — clear entity signals, authoritative citations, and optimised for generative engine results.
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Need help with GEO? Talk to the SplinterSEO team today.
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AI Search Optimisation

Search is changing. Is your business keeping up?

Millions of people now use ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews to find businesses, services and answers. Unlike traditional search, these tools do not show a list of links. They pick one or two sources and recommend them directly.

If your business is not being cited in those answers, your competitors are. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the process of building the signals that make AI tools choose to mention your business when your customers are asking the questions that matter to you.

This is not a distant future concern. AI-powered search is already shaping buying decisions today, and the businesses building for it now will have a significant advantage over those that wait.

Talk to us about AI search
ChatGPT and Perplexity visibility We optimise your content and entity signals so AI tools cite your business when users ask questions relevant to your services.
Google AI Overviews Google's AI-generated summaries appear above organic results. We build the authority signals that get your content selected as a source.
Entity and structured data optimisation AI tools use entity graphs and structured data to understand who you are and what you do. We make sure that picture is accurate and authoritative.
Built on strong SEO foundations GEO does not replace SEO. The businesses that win in AI search have strong technical foundations, authoritative content and clean structured data.
The platforms

Where your customers are searching with AI

Each AI search platform retrieves and surfaces information differently. Optimising for one is not the same as optimising for all of them. We understand how each one works and what it takes to appear in each.

Most used

ChatGPT

The most widely used AI assistant. When users ask ChatGPT about local services, industries or businesses, it draws on its training data and web browsing to generate answers. Appearing in those answers requires strong entity recognition and authoritative web presence.

Data source Training data, Bing web search, cited web pages
Fast growing

Perplexity

Perplexity is a search-first AI tool that pulls live results and cites its sources visibly. Users searching for service providers in a specific area will see sourced recommendations. Citation here is highly visible and drives direct traffic.

Data source Live web search via Bing and independent crawl
Highest volume

Google AI Overviews

Google's AI-generated summaries appear at the top of search results for millions of queries. They draw on indexed content and structured data. Being selected as a source in an AI Overview can generate significant impressions even without a first-page organic ranking.

Data source Google index, structured data, authoritative content
Growing fast

Claude and others

Claude, Microsoft Copilot and other AI assistants are increasingly used for research and recommendations. The signals that drive visibility across these platforms are largely consistent: entity clarity, structured data, authoritative backlinks and well-structured content.

Data source Training data, web search, cited content

The common thread across all AI platforms: businesses with clear entity signals, structured data, quality backlinks and well-written authoritative content consistently appear more often. These are the foundations we build.

What we do

How we optimise your business for AI search

GEO is not a single tactic. It is a set of overlapping signals that together make your business a more credible, visible source for AI tools to cite and recommend.

Entity optimisation We establish and strengthen your business as a recognised entity across the web. This means consistent name, address and business information across all platforms AI tools use to verify who you are.
Schema markup and structured data We implement the schema types that help AI tools understand exactly what your business is, what it offers and where it operates, making you a more reliable source to cite.
Content structured for AI citation AI tools prefer content that answers questions clearly and directly. We audit and restructure your content so it matches the question-and-answer format AI systems use when generating responses.
Authority and backlink signals AI tools weight heavily towards content that is already considered authoritative by the web. We build the backlink profile and brand mentions that signal credibility to AI retrieval systems.
Knowledge panel and brand presence We work to establish and verify your Google Knowledge Panel and strengthen your brand presence across the sources AI systems most commonly reference.
AI visibility monitoring We track how your business appears across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for your target queries and report on progress over time, adjusting strategy as the landscape evolves.
GEO and SEO

GEO does not replace SEO. It extends it.

There is a lot of confusion about whether AI search optimisation replaces traditional SEO. It does not. The two disciplines share most of their foundations and the businesses performing best in AI search are those with the strongest SEO to begin with.

Traditional SEO

Optimising for ranked links

Goal is to rank a URL in a list of ten blue links on a search results page
Success measured by position, click-through rate and organic traffic
Relies on keyword relevance, backlink authority and technical crawlability
Still the dominant form of search for most query types
GEO / AI Search

Optimising to be cited by AI

Goal is to be referenced, recommended or cited in an AI-generated answer
Success measured by citation frequency, brand mentions and referral traffic from AI tools
Relies on entity clarity, structured data, content authority and consistent brand signals
Growing rapidly as AI tools become the default starting point for research and recommendations

What they share, and why strong SEO accelerates your GEO results

Technical site health and crawlability
Authoritative backlinks from relevant sources
Schema markup and structured data
Clear, well-structured content that answers questions
Consistent NAP and entity signals across the web
Brand reputation and third-party mentions

Contact Us About GEO (AI Search)

FAQs

AI search questions, answered

What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. It is the process of optimising your business to appear in AI-generated search answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Traditional SEO aims to rank a URL in a list of links. GEO aims to have your business cited or recommended in an AI-generated response. The two share many of the same foundations but require different additional tactics.
Do I need GEO if I already have good SEO?
Good SEO gives you a strong foundation for GEO, but it does not automatically translate into AI search visibility. AI tools use additional signals including entity recognition, structured data quality and content format. If your competitors are investing in GEO and you are not, you risk losing ground in an increasingly important channel even while maintaining strong traditional rankings.
Can I track how my business appears in AI search results?
Yes, though AI search tracking is less mature than traditional rank tracking. We monitor how your business is cited across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews for your target queries and report on this as part of our ongoing work. The landscape is evolving quickly and our approach adapts as new tracking methods become available.
How long does it take to see results from GEO?
GEO results typically take 3 to 6 months to become measurable, similar to traditional SEO. Some improvements, particularly around structured data and entity signals, can show results faster. Because AI tools update their models and retrieval systems on different schedules, the timeline can vary more than with traditional SEO.
Does GEO work for local businesses in Northern Ireland?
Yes. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity for a recommendation in a specific location, the response draws on local business data, reviews, website content and entity signals. A well-optimised local business in Belfast or Derry can appear in these answers just as readily as a national brand.
Do you offer GEO as a standalone service or as part of SEO?
We offer GEO both as a standalone service and as an integrated part of broader SEO engagements. Because SEO and GEO share so many foundations, most clients benefit from an integrated approach. We are happy to discuss what makes sense for your specific situation.