SEO / GEO

Two distinct optimization targets:

SEO — ranking in traditional search engines (Google, Bing)
GEO — being cited by AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot)

Key insight: AI search engines do not rank pages — they cite sources. Being cited is the new ranking #1.

Documentation

llms.txt standard: https://llmstxt.org
GEO research: https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09735 (Princeton study)
Schema reference: https://schema.org
Google guidelines: https://developers.google.com/search/docs

Core Principles

Apply these whenever writing or reviewing public-facing content or markup, regardless of framework.

GEO: The 9 Princeton Methods

From Princeton research on what makes content get cited by AI engines:

Method	Visibility boost	How to apply
Cite authoritative sources	+40%	Link to studies, official docs, standards
Include specific statistics	+37%	Use real numbers, not vague claims
Add expert quotes	+30%	Attribute statements to named sources
Authoritative tone	+25%	Write with confidence and precision
Readable and clear	+20%	Short paragraphs, plain language
Use technical terminology	+18%	Domain-specific terms signal expertise
Vocabulary diversity	+15%	Avoid repetition of the same words
Fluency optimization	+15-30%	Natural flow, no awkward phrasing
Keyword stuffing	-10%	Never — hurts both SEO and GEO

Best combination: fluency + statistics = maximum boost.

Content Structure for GEO

Answer-first: put the direct answer at the top, then elaborate
Clear heading hierarchy (H1 > H2 > H3)
Use bullet points, numbered lists, and comparison tables
FAQ sections significantly increase AI citation rate
Short paragraphs (2-3 sentences)

Traditional SEO Fundamentals

One H1 per page, containing the primary keyword
Meta title: 50-60 characters, keyword near the front
Meta description: 150-160 characters, include keyword and a call to action
Every image needs descriptive alt text
Canonical URL on every page
Sitemap.xml and robots.txt present and correct

Platform-Specific Behaviour

Each AI engine has different citation preferences. See references/geo-principles.md for full detail.

ChatGPT: favours branded domains; content updated within 30 days cited 3.2x more Perplexity: allow PerplexityBot in robots.txt; prioritises PDF documents and FAQ schema Google AI Overview: E-E-A-T signals, structured data, topical authority through content clusters Microsoft Copilot: requires Bing indexing; page speed under 2 seconds; LinkedIn/GitHub mentions help Anthropic AI: uses Brave Search indexing (not Google); prioritises factual density and structural clarity

llms.txt

llms.txt is to AI engines what robots.txt is to crawlers — a file at your site root that tells AI systems how to understand your content. Always add it to any public-facing site.

Place at https://yourdomain.com/llms.txt. Format is Markdown:

# Site or Product Name

> One-paragraph summary of what the site is and who it is for.

Optional additional context (key facts, caveats, important notes).

## Docs

- [Page title](https://yourdomain.com/page.md): What this page covers

## API

- [API reference](https://yourdomain.com/api.md): Endpoint overview

## Optional

- [Changelog](https://yourdomain.com/changelog.md): Recent changes

Key rules:

H1 = site/product name (required)
Blockquote = brief summary of what the site is (required for AI comprehension)
H2 sections = curated links to your most important pages with descriptions
Link to .md versions of pages where possible — AI engines prefer clean Markdown over HTML
The ## Optional section signals lower-priority content that can be skipped in short-context situations
Keep it concise — this is a navigation aid, not a full content dump

Structured Data

Always add JSON-LD schema. See references/schema-patterns.md for templates.

Priority schema types:

FAQPage — +40% AI visibility; add to any page with questions and answers
Article — for blog posts and editorial content
Organization — on the homepage and about page
Product — for product pages
BreadcrumbList — for navigation context

Checklist

Apply when reviewing any public-facing page:

seo-geo