# Generative Engine Optimization Findable where the answers are given. # Generative Engine Optimization More and more people don’t search — they ask. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews answer directly, and they build those answers from websites they can read, trust and cite. Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the craft of being one of those websites. It matters most for organisations whose value depends on being understood: when an investor asks an AI assistant about your field, the answer either includes you or it doesn’t. For twenty years we’ve made complex innovation easier to understand — for biotech, life sciences, medtech, sustainable tech and SaaS. GEO is that same work, for a new reader. A reader that, unlike Google, doesn’t show ten results. It gives one answer. 4.9 average on Google, 44+ reviews [ Plan a call ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/contact/) [ See our work ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/cases/) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/markus-winkler-IrRbSND5EUc-unsplash-1760x1173.webp) - [ What GEO is ](#section-number-4) - [ What we do ](#section-number-6) - [ How we work ](#section-number-16) - [ What you get ](#section-number-12) - [ Selected work ](#section-number-14) Discuss your project? [ Get advice ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/contact/) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/team_large_3@2x-1.webp) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-22-at-12.57.50-1-1760x1173.webp) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Mars-media-sfeerbeelden-16-1-1760x1173.webp) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Mars-media-sfeerbeelden-22-1-1760x1173.webp) ![Generative engine optimization — Marsmedia studio Amsterdam](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Mars-media-sfeerbeelden-26-1-1-1760x1173.webp) ![Analyst reviewing a website performance dashboard with SEO and traffic data](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Mars-media-sfeerbeelden-1-1-1760x1173.webp) ## What generative engine optimization is — and why it’s different SEO taught us to compete for position. AI answers changed the game: there is no position two. Four things decide whether you’re in the answer. ### AI assistants read structure, not pages An AI assistant doesn’t browse your website the way a visitor does. It reads the underlying structure: headings that say what a section is about, questions that get answered directly, data that’s marked up as what it is. A page can look beautiful and be unreadable to the systems that now answer half the questions. GEO starts with making the structure carry the story. ### Clear, factual content gets cited AI systems are built to avoid saying things they can’t support. They prefer sources that state facts plainly, define their terms, and answer the question that was actually asked. That rewards a way of writing we’ve always defended: no inflated claims, no vague promises — say what’s true, clearly. Content written to persuade an algorithm loses here; content written to inform a reader wins. ### Authority looks different in AI Google counts links. AI assistants weigh consistency: is your organisation described the same way across your website, your profiles, the places that mention you? Do the facts line up? One clear, consistent story across every place you appear — that’s what makes an AI system confident enough to cite you. Which is, not coincidentally, what a good brand does anyway. ### You can measure it now For a while, AI visibility was guesswork. It isn’t anymore: tools like Ahrefs Brand Radar show how often your brand appears in AI answers, for which questions, and against which competitors. That makes GEO a discipline instead of a hope: baseline, intervention, measurement. The same loop as SEO — pointed at a new engine. 4.9 average on Google, 44+ reviews ## What we do, specifically ## GEO audit and baseline We start by measuring where you stand: how often AI assistants mention your organisation, for which questions, and who gets cited instead of you. Plus a technical read of your website — can these systems actually parse what’s there? The result is a baseline and a prioritised plan in plain language: what to fix, what to build, what it should move. ![SEO strategy and keyword research — Marsmedia](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/seo.webp) ## Content built to be cited We restructure and write content so it answers real questions directly: clear definitions, honest facts, FAQ sections that address what people actually ask — marked up so machines recognise them as answers. Not content for algorithms. Content for readers, structured so the machines can follow along. The overlap between the two is the whole method. ![SEO content that ranks and convinces — Marsmedia](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/hosting-1.webp) ## Technical foundation for AI readability Structured data, clean heading hierarchies, readable rendering, consistent organisation data across the web. The technical layer that decides whether an AI system can use your site at all. Because we design and build websites ourselves, this isn’t a recommendations PDF — we implement it. ![Technical SEO — Marsmedia](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/research.webp) ## Monitoring and iteration After the groundwork, we track the effect: AI mentions, cited pages, share of voice against competitors — and we iterate on what the data shows. This field moves fast; the systems change quarterly. A partner who measures beats a checklist from last year. ![Findable in AI search — Marsmedia](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/functional-req.webp) ![Marsmedia studio Amsterdam — AI findability analysis](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mars-media-sfeerbeelden-20-e1723199169422-1-1760x1760.webp) “Google shows ten results. An AI assistant gives one answer. Be in it.” **— Marsmedia** ![Nelson Eggermont, design and UX specialist at Mars](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/nelson-02-1.webp) ## What working with us looks like ### One team, from the first call At a new enquiry we call first — simply to hear whether we’re a fit. Then comes a discovery session where the core question surfaces together: the founder at the table, a UX designer, and someone from brand where needed. Across twenty years and more than 300 websites, that’s been the constant: the projects that succeed start with the right people at the table — on both sides. ### Calm in the design, direction in the message The design decision we defend most often: not trying to say everything. The more a page says, the more likely the visitor decides on their own — and leaves without a conversation. We look for the single most important thing per screen: just enough to convince, with a clear next step. Calm isn’t a style choice; it’s conversion work. ### Built for your team to work with What we often find in sites built elsewhere: back to the builder for every small change, at a cost. Not with us — our own block system lets your team build and edit pages without being able to break the site. And when we develop new modules, existing clients simply get them too. ### Measured from day one A live website is our starting point, not the finish. We set up the measurement — behaviour, conversion, findability — and adjust based on what the data shows. Ninety per cent of our clients stay after the first project. That’s no coincidence: the work gets better the longer we measure. “In web design Amsterdam, I enjoy strategically shaping elements to draw visitors’ attention and instill trust in their brand’s professionalism. It’s fulfilling to help clients effectively communicate their products or services through visually appealing and user-friendly designs.” **Marsmedia** ![Emma Schrijver, Project & Marketing manager at Mars](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Emma-1.webp) ## Recent work [ ![Homepage of the Expereo website designed by Mars, displayed on a laptop](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/EXP_featured_image@4x-1200x1200.webp) Online Marketing Website Branding ### Boosting leads by 223%: our strategy for Expereo ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/cases/expereo/) [ ![Close-up of a scientist in safety goggles examining a blue liquid in a flask](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Scenicbiotech-thumbnail@2x-1200x1200.webp) Online Marketing Website Branding ### Website & storytelling for pioneers in the discovery of genetic modifiers ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/cases/scenic-biotech/) [ See all cases ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/cases/) ![Smiling man with glasses, a friendly Mars team member](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/-2.webp) ## Curious how often AI mentions your organisation today? [ Request a GEO baseline ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/contact/) Three steps. Everyone knows what is needed, and when. ## How we work ### We call first Every enquiry starts with a phone call: is this a fit, can we genuinely add value? If not, we point you to someone better placed. If so, we plan a discovery session — with the core question here: which questions should an AI answer with your name in it, and who’s being named instead today? ### We simplify Most websites carry the weight of old ideas — and AI systems are unforgiving readers of clutter. Vague claims, inconsistent descriptions, answers buried in marketing language. We strip the content back to what’s clear, factual and consistent — for the human reader and for the machine reading over their shoulder. That’s the hardest part of the craft, and exactly where twenty years count. ### We measure until it works A website is never finished — and with GEO that’s doubly true: the systems we optimise for change quarterly. After the groundwork we monitor mentions, citations and share of voice, and iterate on what the data shows — not on what last year’s checklist said. For the team that has to report internally on the investment, that measured progress is the story. ## Connected services we offer ### Brand [ Brand strategy ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/brand-strategy/) [ Visual identity ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/visual-identity/) [ Animations ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/animations/) [ Illustrations and infographics ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/illustrations-and-infographics/) [ Online marketing materials ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/online-marketing-materials/) [ Offline marketing materials ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/offline-marketing-materials/) ### Website [ Website strategy ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/website-strategy/) [ Sitemap and wireframes ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/sitemap-and-wireframes/) [ Web design ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/web-design/) [ WordPress development ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wordpress-development/) [ No-code web development ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/web-development/) [ Hosting and maintenance ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/hosting-and-maintenance/) ### Grow [ Online growth strategy ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/online-growth-strategy/) [ Website optimization ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/website-optimization/) [ Social advertising ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/social-advertising/) [ Search engine optimization ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/search-engine-optimization-seo/) [ Conversion optimization ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/conversion-optimization/) [ Google ads management ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/google-ads-management/) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? Generative engine optimization is making your organisation findable and citable in AI-generated answers — the responses given by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews. Where SEO optimises for a list of results, GEO optimises for being part of the one answer these systems give. In practice it combines three things: content that answers questions clearly and factually, technical structure that machines can parse, and a consistent story about your organisation across the web. ### Is GEO the same as using AI to build websites? No — and the confusion is common. AI-assisted development means building websites faster with AI as a tool. Generative engine optimization means making your website findable in AI systems. We do both, but they answer different questions. This page is about the second: when someone asks an AI assistant about your field, does the answer include you? ### GEO, AEO, AI SEO, LLM SEO — what’s the difference? Mostly the label. Generative engine optimization, answer engine optimization, AI SEO and LLM SEO all describe the same emerging discipline: being findable in AI-generated answers. The industry hasn’t settled on one name yet. What matters isn’t the term but the shift underneath it: a growing share of questions gets answered outside the classic search results, and organisations that aren’t readable to those systems simply don’t appear. ### How do AI assistants choose which sources to cite? The exact mechanics differ per system and change often, but the pattern is stable: they favour sources that are technically readable (clean structure, structured data), factually clear (direct answers, defined terms, no inflated claims) and consistent (the same facts about your organisation everywhere they look). That’s why GEO isn’t a trick. It rewards the same qualities a careful human reader rewards — stated plainly enough for a machine to verify. ### How do we become findable in ChatGPT? The same way you become citable anywhere: publish content that genuinely answers the questions your audience asks, structure it so the systems can parse it, and keep the facts about your organisation consistent across your website and the places that mention you. There’s no submission form and no shortcut. There is a head start: most organisations haven’t started, so the ones that structure their content now get cited while the field is open. ### Can you measure AI visibility? Yes — that’s recent, and it changes everything. AI visibility has become measurable with tools like Ahrefs Brand Radar: how often your brand appears in AI answers, for which questions, which of your pages get cited, and how that compares to competitors. We set that measurement up for you: a baseline before the work starts, and reporting on real movement afterwards. No guesswork, no “trust us” — a number that goes up or doesn’t. ### Does traditional SEO still matter? Yes. Google still drives the majority of discovery, and the foundations overlap heavily: a technically sound, clearly structured, honestly written website performs in both worlds. Think of GEO as an extension, not a replacement. The organisations that win do the foundations once and harvest them twice — in search results and in AI answers. ### What does a GEO project include? It starts with a baseline: your current AI visibility, measured, plus a technical and content audit of the website. Then the groundwork — restructuring content, adding structured data, fixing consistency — followed by monitoring and iteration. We agree the scope per phase upfront, so you see what each part delivers before it begins. And because we design and build websites ourselves, the recommendations don’t stop at a PDF. ### What does GEO cost? That depends on where you start: a well-structured website needs targeted work, a cluttered one needs groundwork first. After the baseline we share an estimate per phase, so you decide on numbers rather than promises. Worth knowing: much of the work doubles as classic SEO and content improvement. You’re rarely paying for GEO alone. ### How fast do you see results? Honestly: this field is too young for guarantees, and anyone offering them is guessing. What we do see: structural improvements show up in AI answers within weeks to a few months, because these systems refresh their view of the web continuously. That’s why we measure instead of promise — baseline first, then movement you can see in the data. ### What sets your approach to GEO apart? Three things. One: we’ve written this way for twenty years. Making complex innovation easier to understand — plainly, factually, structured — is exactly what AI systems reward. We didn’t change our method; the world caught up with it. Two: we implement. Structure, data and content live in the website, and we design and build websites ourselves — no handover between the advice and the execution. Three: we measure. Baseline, intervention, movement — reported from the data, not from a checklist. Volume isn’t our position. Depth is. ## Read more Recent stories on web design, branding and innovation. [ ![Brand strength comparison graphic scoring hims at 85 and wellis at 76](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Why-the-Best-Product-Doesnt-Always-Become-the-Strongest-Brand-1200x800.webp) Knowledge 17 July 2026 | 1 min read ### Why the Best Product Doesn’t Always Become the Strongest Brand ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/why-the-best-product-doesnt-always-become-the-strongest-brand/) [ ![Two colleagues reviewing work together on a laptop in a modern office](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/visual-5-1200x800.webp) Knowledge 30 June 2026 | 1 min read ### AI speeds up a lot. But taste, experience and judgement remain human. ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/ai-speeds-up-a-lot-but-taste-experience-and-judgement-remain-human/) [ ![Infographic of the Quibi logo falling into a trash can, $1.7 billion gone in 6 months](https://www.marsmedia.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/visual-7-1200x800.webp) Knowledge 30 June 2026 | 1 min read ### The Hidden Costs of Poor Branding ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-poor-branding/) [ Knowledge 17 July 2026 | 1 min read ### Why the Best Product Doesn’t Always Become the Strongest Brand ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/why-the-best-product-doesnt-always-become-the-strongest-brand/) [ Knowledge 30 June 2026 | 1 min read ### AI speeds up a lot. But taste, experience and judgement remain human. ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/ai-speeds-up-a-lot-but-taste-experience-and-judgement-remain-human/) [ Knowledge 30 June 2026 | 1 min read ### The Hidden Costs of Poor Branding ](https://www.marsmedia.nl/blog/the-hidden-costs-of-poor-branding/)