What is GEO, and what can you actually measure?

Start with the search fundamentals

Google says its existing SEO guidance applies to AI Overviews and AI Mode. Pages need to be indexed and eligible for a search snippet. Meeting those requirements does not guarantee indexing or inclusion in an answer.

Crawl access and AI training are separate choices

Googlebot controls crawling for Google Search, including its AI features. Google-Extended relates to training and grounding in some other Google systems. Blocking a training crawler should not be treated as proof that your business cannot appear in search answers. Review each provider’s current documentation before changing its access.

Make business information clear and accurate

Give visitors accurate service descriptions, prices, contact details, and useful answers. Ensure structured data matches the content people can see. Google does not require a special schema type or AI text file for its AI search features.

What about llms.txt?

An llms.txt file is an optional convention for describing a site. Its presence is not evidence of citations, and Google does not require it for AI features. Our readiness tool reports its presence without penalising a site for not having one.

Measure outcomes separately

1. 01Agree a useful sample of customer questions, engines, languages and locations.
2. 02Record dated observations and supporting links. Responses can vary across queries and sessions, so a sample is not complete market coverage.
3. 03Measure identifiable referrals and resulting enquiries. Do not assume an AI referral converts better before checking your own data.
4. 04Use Google Search Console for search performance; its Web reports include traffic from Google's AI features rather than providing a standalone citation count.

What our free checker can tell you

It inspects HTML, crawl directives, structured information and headings. It does not query assistants, measure brand mentions, or predict traffic. A paid observation project needs its own agreed sample and reporting schedule; neither technical fixes nor monitoring can guarantee citations.