GEO checklist for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini

GEO (generative engine optimization) is the label for “show up when someone asks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Copilot.” Google’s official line is that for Search, this is still SEO. Other engines have their own crawlers. Keep those claims separate.

This checklist is the site work. Tracking comes after.

1. The page exists and returns 200

If the answer is only in a PDF, a logged-in app, or a JavaScript shell, most AI crawlers never see it. Confirm the public URL in an anonymous session.

2. The first HTML contains the answer

Googlebot renders. GPTBot and many others fetch HTML. A definition that appears after a client island is an SEO maybe and a GEO no. Put the sentence in the document.

3. One brand spelling, one Organization entity

Models need a stable name. Use the same product name in the title, the H1, the about page, and JSON-LD. See schema types that still work.

4. Decide which AI crawlers you allow

Allowing Googlebot and blocking GPTBot is a product decision, not a hack. Write it down in robots.txt. Do not block a bot and then buy a tracker for that engine.

5. llms.txt is optional documentation

Add it if the public IA is easy to get wrong. Do not add it to chase citations. Google said so in 2026. Details: what llms.txt does.

6. Then measure, if you still need to

Low-cost tracking in 2026 roundups: Otterly from about $29/month. Mid-market: Peec, Scrunch, AthenaHQ. Enterprise: Profound (quote). SEO suites sell add-ons (Ahrefs Brand Radar, Semrush AI Visibility, SE Ranking AI Search).

Siteory does not track prompts. The AI search audit is steps 1–4. Read Siteory vs Otterly if you are choosing a first tracker after the site is honest.

What this checklist is not

It is not “get mentioned on Reddit this week.” Brand mentions help models name you. Farming them is how you waste a sprint. Publish pages people can cite. Then earn the mention.