A few years ago, the big question was simple: “Do I rank on Google?”
Today, the question is changing.
Your potential customers are no longer only searching through Google, opening five websites, comparing options manually and filling in contact forms. Increasingly, they are asking ChatGPT questions such as:
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“Which digital marketing agency in Johannesburg can help with SEO and Google Ads?”
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“What company can help my business get found on AI search?”
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“Who offers website development, analytics and lead generation in South Africa?”
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“Which suppliers should I consider for this specific business problem?”
That is where GEO for ChatGPT becomes important.
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation, is the process of helping your business become easier for AI platforms like ChatGPT to understand, reference and recommend in AI-generated answers.
So, do you need to do GEO for ChatGPT?
The practical answer is: yes, if your customers research suppliers, compare options, ask for recommendations or use AI to make better decisions.
ChatGPT Is Becoming a Discovery Channel
ChatGPT is no longer only a tool for writing emails or summarising documents. With ChatGPT Search, users can ask questions in a conversational way and receive timely answers with links to relevant web sources. OpenAI also says ChatGPT can search the web automatically when a question may benefit from web information, and search results can include citations and source links.
That matters for businesses because ChatGPT is moving closer to the beginning of the buying journey.
A customer may not be ready to contact you yet. They may still be trying to understand the problem, identify possible solutions and compare service providers. If ChatGPT does not understand your business clearly, you may never make the shortlist.
What Does GEO for ChatGPT Actually Mean?
GEO for ChatGPT is not about “tricking” AI into mentioning your company.
It is about making your business easier to understand.
For ChatGPT to surface your business in the right context, your digital footprint needs to answer basic but important questions clearly:
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What does your business do?
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Which services do you offer?
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Which industries do you serve?
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Where are you based?
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What problems do you solve?
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What proof do you have?
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Why should you be considered over competitors?
Many websites fail here. They use vague wording, thin service pages, generic claims and very little supporting evidence.
A page that says “we provide innovative digital solutions” does not give ChatGPT much to work with.
A page that clearly explains your SEO services, Google Ads management, website development process, reporting dashboards, GEO services, industry experience, case studies and location relevance gives AI platforms much stronger context.
Why Companies Should Invest in GEO for ChatGPT
The main reason is simple: customer behaviour is changing faster than most websites are adapting.
People are asking longer, more specific questions. Instead of searching “SEO agency Johannesburg”, they may ask:
“Which SEO agency in Johannesburg can help a B2B company improve visibility on Google and ChatGPT?”
That is a completely different search behaviour.
Traditional SEO focuses heavily on keywords and rankings. GEO focuses on whether your business is understandable and credible enough to be included in an AI-generated answer.
This is especially important for:
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B2B companies
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Professional services
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Local service businesses
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E-commerce brands
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Industrial suppliers
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Medical and healthcare providers
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Property companies
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Automotive businesses
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Logistics and supply chain companies
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Any business where customers compare options before enquiring
Example 1: The Digital Agency Search
A business owner may ask ChatGPT:
“Which digital agency in Fourways can help with SEO, Google Ads, website development and AI search visibility?”
A weak website might only say:
“We are a creative digital agency.”
A stronger GEO-ready website would clearly say:
“IMS Ad Agency is a Fourways-based digital marketing agency offering SEO, SEO for AI platforms, Google Ads, social media, website development, analytics, reporting and data intelligence.”
That second version gives ChatGPT more useful information. It connects the business to services, location, category and commercial intent.
IMS already positions SEO for AI Platforms as a service focused on helping businesses improve visibility in AI-generated results through keyword optimisation, technical SEO, content strategy and authority-building.
Example 2: The Supplier Shortlist
A procurement manager may ask:
“Find South African companies that can help us generate more qualified leads through Google Ads, SEO and analytics.”
ChatGPT may compare agencies based on the information it can find and understand.
To be considered, your business needs more than a nice homepage. It needs specific content around:
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Lead generation
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Paid media
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SEO
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Analytics
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Reporting dashboards
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Case studies
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Industries served
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Commercial outcomes
Without that content, AI has fewer reasons to include you.
Example 3: The Problem-Based Search
Many customers do not start by searching for a company name. They start with a problem.
For example:
“Why is my Google Ads campaign getting clicks but not leads?”
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“How can I improve lead quality from my website?”
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“How do I get my business mentioned in ChatGPT answers?”
These are high-value questions because they reveal intent. The customer is not just browsing; they are trying to solve a business problem.
GEO for ChatGPT helps your business create content that answers these questions in a clear, useful and structured way. This gives AI platforms better material to reference and gives potential customers a reason to trust your expertise.
ChatGPT Discoverability Is Not Only About Your Website
Your website is the foundation, but it is not the whole story.
ChatGPT may use different sources depending on the type of question, the availability of web information and the query context. OpenAI states that ChatGPT Search may work with search providers and can rewrite user prompts into targeted search queries to provide more relevant responses.
That means your business needs a broader digital footprint.
This can include:
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Your website
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Google Business Profile
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LinkedIn company page
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Industry articles
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Case studies
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Reviews
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Local directories
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Partner websites
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News mentions
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Service pages
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FAQ content
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Structured data
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Consistent company information across the web
The stronger and more consistent these signals are, the easier it becomes for AI platforms to understand what your business does.
The Technical Side: Can ChatGPT Access Your Site?
There is also a technical side to GEO for ChatGPT.
OpenAI uses different crawlers for different purposes. Its documentation explains that OAI-SearchBot is used to surface websites in ChatGPT search results, and sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, although they may still appear as navigational links. OpenAI recommends allowing OAI-SearchBot in robots.txt and allowing traffic from its published IP ranges to support inclusion in ChatGPT Search.
This does not guarantee visibility, but it does mean technical accessibility matters.
A GEO audit should check whether:
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Your robots.txt file is blocking important AI/search crawlers
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Your pages are indexable
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Your site loads properly
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Your content is not hidden behind scripts or broken layouts
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Your service pages are clear and accessible
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Your schema markup supports understanding
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Your site architecture makes sense
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Your key pages can be crawled and interpreted
GEO is not only content. It is also technical SEO, structured information and accessibility.
What IMS Does for GEO for ChatGPT
IMS helps businesses improve their chances of being found, understood and referenced in ChatGPT-style answers by combining SEO, GEO, AEO, technical optimisation, content strategy and reporting.
Our approach may include:
1. ChatGPT Visibility Audit
We test how your business currently appears when users ask relevant ChatGPT-style questions.
Examples:
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“Which companies offer SEO for AI in South Africa?”
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“Who can help with Google Ads and lead generation in Johannesburg?”
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“Which agency offers website development, SEO and analytics?”
The goal is to understand whether your business appears, how it is described and which competitors are being surfaced instead.
2. Prompt and Customer Question Mapping
We identify the real questions your customers are likely to ask before they buy.
This may include:
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Comparison questions
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Service questions
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Local supplier questions
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Pricing questions
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Problem-solving questions
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“Best company for…” questions
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“What should I look for…” questions
These prompts become the foundation for GEO content planning.
3. AI-Ready Content Development
IMS helps create content that is useful for humans and easier for AI platforms to interpret.
This may include:
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Service pages
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FAQ pages
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Blog articles
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Comparison content
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Case studies
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Industry guides
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Location pages
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Glossary-style explainers
The content is written to be clear, specific and structured — not stuffed with keywords.
4. Entity and Brand Optimisation
AI platforms need to understand your business as an entity.
That means connecting your brand to:
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Services
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Locations
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Industries
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People
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Proof points
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Case studies
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Reviews
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Social profiles
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Trusted third-party mentions
The clearer these relationships are, the stronger your AI discoverability foundation becomes.
5. Technical SEO and Crawlability
IMS reviews technical issues that may prevent search engines and AI search tools from properly understanding your site.
This includes crawlability, indexability, site structure, structured data, page speed, mobile usability and content accessibility.
6. Reporting and AI Visibility Tracking
GEO needs to be monitored. IMS can track selected prompts over time to see whether your business appears, how it is described, which competitors are mentioned and where content gaps remain.
What GEO for ChatGPT Is Not
GEO is not a magic switch.
It does not mean your business will appear in every ChatGPT answer. OpenAI’s own help documentation states that ranking in ChatGPT Search is based on multiple factors and there is no way to guarantee top placement.
GEO also does not replace SEO, Google Ads, social media or website optimisation.
It works best when it is part of a broader digital strategy.
You still need:
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A strong website
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Clear service pages
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Good SEO foundations
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Paid media where relevant
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Analytics and reporting
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Reviews and proof
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Consistent content
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A clear conversion journey
GEO simply adds a new layer: making sure your business is ready for AI-led discovery.
Signs Your Business Should Invest in GEO for ChatGPT
You should seriously consider GEO for ChatGPT if:
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Customers compare you against competitors before enquiring
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You sell a service that requires trust or explanation
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Your industry has complex buying decisions
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You rely on SEO or Google Ads for leads
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Your website does not clearly explain your full service offering
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Competitors are publishing more educational content than you
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You want to appear in AI-generated answers and recommendations
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You are already seeing organic traffic flatten or decline
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Your business depends on being found before customers make a shortlist
Final Thought: The New Shortlist Is Being Built Before the Click
The biggest mistake businesses can make is thinking ChatGPT only matters after someone visits their website.
In reality, ChatGPT may influence the decision before the website visit ever happens.
It may help a customer understand the problem, compare suppliers, ask follow-up questions and decide who is worth contacting.
That means your business needs to be visible before the click, not only after it.
GEO for ChatGPT is about making sure your brand is clear, credible and easy to understand when customers ask AI platforms for help.
IMS helps businesses build that visibility by combining SEO, GEO, AEO, technical optimisation, content, data and reporting into one practical AI discoverability strategy.
IMS Ad Agency — Create an Unfair Advantage.
Want to know whether ChatGPT understands your business?
IMS can run a ChatGPT GEO audit to test your visibility, compare competitor mentions and identify the content and technical gaps holding your business back.
Speak to IMS about GEO for ChatGPT.
