Recently I noticed something interesting while doing GEO audits for a few of my clients. I ran the same queries on both Google and AI, and one thing that kept standing out is, a competitor of my client was repeatedly recommended by AI search results even though they didn’t rank on Google for those queries on the first page.
We have been using Google and other search platforms such as Microsoft Bing for businesses to improve their visibility, sales, and customer reach. You may naturally think that businesses which rank first on Google also rank on the AI platform. But it’s not the case here.
Ranking on Google is very different from getting recommended by AI. People focus mainly on keywords, backlinks, technical SEO, and creating content to help their website rank higher in search results. And on AI platforms, it works differently. When someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or any other AI platform, it gives a detailed explanation for that question, not only an answer to the question but also a suggestion and recommendation. It is also one of the reasons that people are shifting to AI.
Why is the Competitor ranking in AI search?
In the case where I did a GEO audit, the competitor is not ranking in Google search results, yet they kept showing up in AI search for relevant queries. One of the possible reason is that their online presence was stronger than going beyond keywords.
From my analysis, the competitor had
- Positive reviews on Google Business Profile and social media platforms
- Listings on business directories
- Strong followers on their social media platforms
- Consistent updates about their business across multiple platforms
- Recent updates to their case study and testimonials
- NAP consistency
- E-E-A-T Signal
Individually, it may seem simple, but together it brings major impact on businesses to get recommended in AI search results.
Strong Online presence is important for AI Search
SEO mainly focuses on your website’s content and keywords to improve rankings in Google. But GEO is all about how your business is talked about across the internet. This is one of the major differences between SEO and GEO. And it doesn’t mean you should give full focus to GEO. Focusing on SEO as well as GEO makes your business a potential one to get more customers and sales on both Google and AI platforms. This is becoming more important nowadays, as some studies have found that AI-referred users can have higher conversion rates than users coming from Google.
Businesses should think beyond SEO. Your business should have authority and reputation across Google. This includes your Google Business Profile, social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and other sources.
One important thing I noticed about the competitor is that they built a strong presence around their brand even though they are not ranking on Google. A business can put multiple keywords on their website, but if there is inconsistent information, then there is no possibility of visible AI recommendation.
What should you do first?
Start with a GEO audit for your brand authority across the internet. Search your brand name across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI platforms. Ask how your customers would ask.
For example,
“Best florist in Melbourne,” then you’ll get the list of businesses on Google
But in AI, it is totally different; a user might ask
“Can you recommend a good florist in Melbourne for a birthday bouquet?” and the AI answer is more like a conversational recommendation and suggestion.
If you only track your website on Google, you will never notice that another business is taking your place in AI search results. That’s why most businesses are doing both SEO and GEO to improve visibility on both Google and AI platforms.