GEO rewards specificity.

Why size matters less than it used to

For a long time, online visibility followed a logic of power. The oldest, best-linked and best-funded websites took the first page. An SME could hope for a spot on a few very local queries, rarely more.

Answer engines partly change that balance. When someone asks AI Mode, ChatGPT or Perplexity a complete question, the system does not only look for the most popular page. Google explains that its AI features break the question down into sub-queries, search the index for each one, then assemble a summary with reference links. A very precise page can therefore be called upon for part of the answer, even if it dominates no general ranking.

Authority does not disappear for all that. Google points out that its generative features rely on its usual ranking systems. But on a precise question, the page that answers it best has an advantage that budget cannot always make up for.

What GEO changes, and what it does not

GEO covers all the practices that aim to be cited as a source in generated answers. Google settled the terminology debate in May 2026: from its point of view, optimising for generative search is SEO. The fundamentals therefore still apply, whether an indexable website, a clear structure, useful content or a good page experience.

What changes is the unit of measure. The aim is no longer only to rank for a keyword, but to be the best answer to a question. And the questions asked to assistants are long: according to Google, queries in AI Mode are on average three times longer than classic searches. Nobody asks “energy renovation”. People ask what grants exist to insulate a 1970s house in the canton of Neuchâtel, and how long the work takes.

Specificity, in practice

Being specific does not mean piling up local keywords. It means documenting what you know and others do not know, or do not publish.

Take two fictitious examples. An energy renovation company in Neuchâtel can publish a guide explaining how the Buildings Programme works in its canton, the steps of an application, the lead times observed and the frequent mistakes in files. A solar panel installer in Bulle can detail the constraints specific to the region’s roofs, the order of magnitude of costs by surface area and the procedure with the grid operator. These contents answer questions that the big portals cover generically.

Google stresses this point in its recent documentation: it values non-commodity content, meaning an experience, an analysis or a piece of data that cannot be found everywhere. A figure from your own practice, a real anonymised case or an explanation of cantonal rules is exactly this type of content.

The local signals that count

For a local business, visibility in AI answers also depends on information that is not on the website.

• A complete and maintained Google Business Profile: exact categories, opening hours, area served, real photos, replies to reviews. Google lists it among the levers of local visibility in its generative features.

• Identical contact details everywhere: name, address and phone number must match across the website, directories, registers and social networks.

• Genuine reviews, requested in the normal way from real customers. Assistants rely on what is said about a company, and Google points out that chasing artificial mentions hardly helps.

• Precise service pages, one per real service, with what sets it apart.

The accuracy of this information takes on new importance with agentic features. In some countries, AI Mode can already make bookings or contact businesses on the user’s behalf. A wrong opening time or a poorly described service is no longer just an annoyance for the visitor. It is a mistake the agent will repeat.

The trap of mass-produced local pages

One temptation comes up often: creating a page per town (“plumber Lausanne”, “plumber Morges”, “plumber Renens”), with the same text and only the name of the town changing. Google classifies this practice as doorway abuse in its spam policies. It brings nothing to the reader, and nothing either to a generated answer looking for distinct information.

A local page is justified when it contains information specific to that place: a team on site, particular conditions, references in the region. Otherwise, a clear service page and a well-stated area served do the job better.

Frequently asked questions

What is GEO?

Generative engine optimization groups the practices that aim to be cited as a source in the answers generated by tools such as Google AI Mode, ChatGPT or Perplexity. For Google, it is an extension of SEO.

Can an SME be cited by an AI against large players?

Yes, on precise questions. Generated answers break a question down into sub-questions, and a page that covers exactly a local case or a niche can be selected for part of the answer.

Should you create one page per town?

Only if each page brings information specific to the place. Identical pages where only the name of the town changes are doorway pages, which Google treats as spam.