THE AUDEN GUIDE · 19 OCTOBER 2026
Help AI understand
your business.
People ask AI what to buy and who to hire. Here’s how to check what it says about you—and make your website more useful.
Pick one question your customers ask. Make sure your page answers it clearly. Check what AI says, open its source links, then fix what is missing.
You can improve your information. You cannot promise that an AI service will recommend you.
What do GEO and AEO mean?
GEO stands for generative engine optimization. It means working on how your business appears in AI answers. AEO stands for answer engine optimization. It means making your information useful when someone asks a question.
The names overlap. The practical work matters more: answer customer questions, check that the right services can read your pages, and find out whether the answers are accurate.
This work still needs good SEO—the basics that help search engines find and understand a website. Google says you do not need special AI markup for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Following its rules does not guarantee that your page will appear. Read Google’s guidance.
GEO vs SEO: what changes in practice?
SEO helps search engines understand your pages and people find them. GEO adds a review of how AI answers describe your business and use supporting sources. The work overlaps: Google says existing SEO practices apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode, with no special AI markup required. Google’s SEO guide and AI guidance explain the foundations.
| What to compare | SEO review | AI-answer review |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Can people find the right page through search? | For a specific buyer question, is your business mentioned accurately and supported by useful sources? |
| Work | Check access, indexing, page content and internal links. | Use those foundations, check the relevant service’s access rules, and investigate missing or incorrect information in saved answers. |
| Evidence | Review search impressions, clicks and average position for relevant pages and queries. | Save the prompt, service, mode, date, answer and cited pages. Repeat the same question and retain unfavorable results. |
| Useful output | A prioritized list of site improvements and a search-performance record. | A record connecting observed answer gaps to proposed changes, completed work and repeat observations. |
Search Console provides the search metrics above. Google includes AI Overviews and AI Mode in its overall Web performance data. That total alone cannot show which AI answer cited you. Use saved answer observations alongside website and customer records; a search position, mention, click and sale measure different things. Google’s reporting guidance.
If important pages cannot be accessed or understood, start with those foundations. If you need to examine inaccurate or incomplete AI answers, add a small, repeatable set of buyer-question checks. These are practical ways to prioritize the work, not promises of visibility.
The workflow in 20 seconds
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Start with real buyer questions. Record the market and engine. Save the answer. Check the sources and identify missing evidence. Fix access problems and publish useful, verifiable information. Retest the same questions. A citation is not a sale, or a guarantee.
The visual shows four labeled stages: Ask, Check, Improve and Retest. A progress line highlights each stage in sequence.
Four steps you can take
Imagine you run a software company. A buyer asks, “Will this work for a small finance team?” Your page might need to explain the price, setup work and limits. Repeating “we’re the best” does not answer that question.
- Ask a real question. Choose something a customer needs to know before buying. Name the country or audience when it matters.
- Check the answer. Save what the AI service says. Open its source links. Do those pages support the answer?
- Improve your page. Add the missing explanation or proof. Fix any problem that stops the right services from reading it.
- Try again. Use the same question and service. Keep results that stayed the same or got worse, too.
A mention is not a sale
Check each step on its own. One step does not prove the next.
- 01AccessCan the service open your page?Check the page and its access settings.
- 02Finding itDoes it find your information for this question?Record any search or page visits the service shows.
- 03The answerDoes it describe you correctly and link to you?Save the answer and the exact source links.
- 04The visitDoes someone come to your website?Check website reports, where consent and data allow.
- 05The resultDoes a visit lead to a useful inquiry or sale?Check the actual customer or sales record.
This is a way to check your work. It does not describe every AI service’s internal system.
Also record which website fixes were completed. If an answer changes afterward, that alone does not prove your edit caused it. The service, its sources or the test conditions may have changed.
Do all AI services work the same way?
No. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Google Search are different experiences. Record which one you tested. An answer in one does not tell you what people see in another.
There is also a difference between reading a page to answer a question and using it to train a model. Training means using data to help build a model’s abilities. Your technical team should check those choices separately.
For your technical team: search, training and page access
| Surface | Documented distinction | Practical review |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT search | OAI-SearchBot supports search. GPTBot relates to training. ChatGPT-User handles certain user-triggered visits; it is not the automatic search crawler. | Review search access separately from training preferences. Check the published guidance before changing robots or firewall rules. OpenAI documentation. |
| Claude | Claude-SearchBot supports search, Claude-User retrieves at a user’s direction, and ClaudeBot collects potential training material. | Record which function you intend to allow or restrict. Do not assume one bot rule controls every use. Anthropic documentation. |
| Google AI Overviews and AI Mode | These are Search features. Supporting pages need to meet Search eligibility; Googlebot and preview controls apply. | Check indexing, snippet eligibility, useful text and internal links. Avoid treating special “AI schema” as a requirement. Google Search documentation. |
| Gemini Apps | Google-Extended controls specified training and grounding uses. It does not control inclusion or ranking in Google Search. | Review the exact product and intended use. A Search result is not the same observation as a Gemini answer. Google crawler documentation. |
For other engines, inspect current official guidance and test the actual product your audience uses. An answer with no retrievable citations should be labeled as an answer observation, not a source-verified finding.
Make your page easier to trust
Put the main answer near the top. Then explain the details that might change a buyer’s decision.
- Say who your service is for.
- Explain what is included and what is not.
- Show what the customer needs to do.
- Back up claims with facts that you can share.
- Keep names, services and contact details up to date.
Some gaps need real proof, not better writing. If you do not have a result you can verify and publish, do not invent one. Keep private customer details out of public pages and AI questions.
Test whether people can discover you
First, ask a customer question without naming your business or giving the AI service your website link. This tests whether it finds you on its own.
Then try a separate test with your link. This can show whether it reads and explains that page well. It does not prove that it would have found the page without your help.
What to save with each test
Save the exact question, date, AI service and mode, answer and source links. Note the language, location settings and any personalization you know about. Repeat under similar conditions. A small set of test questions does not tell you how often the public asks those questions.
Choosing someone to help
Ask simple questions before hiring an agency:
- What will you check?
- Who will make the website changes?
- What will you need from our team?
- Can we see the facts behind your claims?
- How will you tell visits, inquiries and sales apart?
- What will it cost, and what is not included?
Agree the work, fees and responsibilities in writing. The right fit depends on what your team needs. Be cautious of promises that an AI service will always recommend you.
Internal team, software or agency?
Choose according to the skills and time your team can commit. Compare the work each option covers, who will implement changes, and the full cost.
| Approach | When to consider it | Time, cost and ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Internal team | You have people who can research questions, edit content, fix the website and review measurement. | Reserve staff time for testing and implementation. Assign one coordinator and budget for any tools or specialist help. Your team owns the work and records. |
| Software-assisted work | Your team can act on findings but wants help collecting or organizing observations. | Check supported services, sampling limits, exports and subscription or usage fees. Ask what the software actually does. Assign people to verify findings and complete changes. |
| Consultant or agency | You need additional expertise or delivery capacity for a defined part of the work. | Compare fees, included work and handoff requirements. Confirm whether the provider only recommends changes or also implements them. Your team still needs an approver and access owner. |
You can combine these approaches: an internal team can own the website, use a tool for observations and hire help for a specific backlog. Before buying, ask to see a sample output and how it leads to an action your team can complete.
Is your team ready for the work?
A useful starting point is a clear buyer question, evidence you can publish and someone able to approve changes. For a US campaign, specify the audience, market and language in your brief. Treat location settings as test conditions to record, not proof of where every answer will appear.
If you cannot publish supporting facts, allocate implementation time or name an approver, resolve those gaps first. Set a business goal, such as qualified inquiries, alongside the research question. Budget for both the investigation and the changes it may identify.
A scope to request
Use this example when evaluating a provider. Confirm the inputs, named owners, outputs and dates in your agreement; it does not define a fixed Auden package.
| Stage | Inputs to agree | Owners to name | Output to request |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate | Audience, buyer questions, public pages and approved evidence. | Your business lead confirms facts; the researcher records observations. | Saved answers and checked sources, with gaps prioritized by buyer need and effort. |
| Implement | Approved findings, page access and technical constraints. | A named editor or developer makes changes; your approver signs them off. | Page changes or implementation tickets, a change log and a list of remaining work. |
| Review | Original questions, completed changes and permitted measurement data. | A named analyst repeats checks; your business lead reviews useful customer actions. | A dated comparison that separates answer observations, visits and inquiries, with limitations and next steps. |
Agree the number of questions, pages, services and repeat checks, plus review dates and who maintains the work afterward. Share only authorized inputs; keep confidential customer information out of public pages and test prompts.
What should a GEO quote explain?
Use the same written brief when requesting quotes from Auden or another provider. Each provider must confirm its own scope, rates and availability. Ask how these factors affect the quote:
- Research scope: audiences, countries, languages, buyer questions and AI services to examine.
- Testing: repeat frequency, sample size, tools, usage charges and access to the underlying records.
- Implementation: pages, technical fixes, writing, review rounds and who will publish changes.
- Team input: access, subject expertise, evidence approval and any work your team must complete.
- Commercial terms: fee basis, total cost, included work, extras, minimum term, cancellation and quote validity.
- Timing and handoff: confirmed start date, milestones, reporting, ownership of accounts and files, and ongoing maintenance.
Compare quotes against those agreed outputs. A lower price for recommendations alone does not cover the same work as a quote that includes implementation. Ask for confirmed availability and written terms before treating a proposed schedule as a commitment.
What should you do next?
Tick only what you have checked. This tool suggests a next step. It does not scan your site or predict results. Your answers stay in this page and are not saved or sent.
Sources and editorial notes
Reviewed 19 October 2026. The service details come from the official sources below. The steps and checklist are Auden’s suggestions for doing the work. They are not a formula for being recommended.
- OpenAI: Overview of crawlers
- Anthropic: Web crawlers and site-owner controls
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google: Google-Extended controls
Original graphics and script by Auden AI. Video narration generated locally using Piper and the public-domain LJ Speech voice dataset. No cloned voice. Media credits.