That raises a fair question for agencies: if your client isn't showing up in those AI-generated answers, are they missing from a growing share of their buyers' research?
Clients are starting to ask, and most agencies don't have a confident answer yet. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is how you get one.
"Everyone Says GEO. What Exactly Will You Do?"
An agency once asked us exactly that. They'd heard "GEO, GEO, GEO" from every vendor and wanted to know what made us different. Honestly, it's a fair question, because most providers say the same thing.
So instead of talking about it, we showed them. That agency now runs GEO for its own clients through us. Here's what we actually do.
The Problem We See Most Often
The most common complaint from businesses is: "I'm ranking on page one, so why am I not showing up in ChatGPT or AI Overviews?"
The answer isn't as simple as ranking higher. AI systems can draw on different retrieval and search systems, model knowledge, structured information, third-party sources and entity signals, and the mechanics vary by platform. Google's own guidance says the SEO best practices that already apply to Search remain relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode, so strong fundamentals still matter.
That's why traditional rankings alone don't tell you how visible a brand is in AI-generated answers. Ranking gets you listed. Authority and relevance can help get you mentioned.
What GEO Actually Changes
GEO is about being cited, referenced or recommended inside the AI-generated answer, not just appearing in the links beneath it. Three things work differently from SEO:
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Clear business information. AI systems need to understand who you are, what you do and where your expertise sits. Structured data can help with this, but Google is clear that structured data should match the visible text on the page and that you don't need special AI files or markup to appear. Markup supports good content. It doesn't replace it.
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Entity authority over keyword density. AI systems need credible, relevant information rather than pages that simply repeat a phrase.
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Different measurement. Rank position isn't the whole story. You need to track how often a client is mentioned or cited for real customer questions, and in what context. Google now offers generative AI performance reports in Search Console that show impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode, which is a useful starting point alongside prompt-level tracking.
What Has Worked for Me
I don't think the approach is complicated: be specific, write for customers, and put them first. It isn't a guarantee, but it's the approach I've seen work most reliably.
Write for customers, not competitors. I once wrote content for a technology company. After some research, I found that every competitor said the same things: explain the services, show reviews, list "why choose us." So I tried something different. I love new tech and movies, so I used an Iron Man nanotech-style analogy to explain the company's technology in a way customers could picture, along with a fun fact tied to 2026.
Later, the page showed up in AI Overviews. The fun fact alone wasn't the reason, and I can't prove the analogy was the deciding factor. My read is that it worked because it was relevant to the business and helped customers understand it. Content that clearly answers the user's question gives AI systems more useful information to work with.
Explain the "why", not just the "what". Many businesses only say "we provide this and this." That isn't enough. Explain why you do it, how you do it, and what happens next. Clarity like that tends to serve both readers and AI systems.
Back claims with evidence. Researchers at Princeton and other institutions tested this in the GEO paper published at KDD 2024. In their experiments, some content changes, such as adding statistics, quotations and cited sources, improved visibility in generative engine responses by up to 40%, though results varied by domain. It's one study, but it points the same way: specific, verifiable content gets used.
"But My Competitor Has Thin Content and Still Shows Up. Why?"
Authority. AI visibility can be influenced by information available across the broader web, not just the content on one page.
So does that mean you can't compete? No, you can. Just don't rely on content alone. Build quality backlinks, strengthen your authority signals, and give people a good impression of your brand. Content plus authority is what makes the difference.
Why Agencies Choose White Label GEO
Picture this: a client emails on Monday asking why a competitor is recommended in ChatGPT and they aren't. Hiring and training a specialist GEO team takes months, and that client wants an answer this week. White label GEO lets you:
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Respond right away, with no hiring cycle.
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Keep your brand on the work, with reports that look native to your service line.
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Scale up or down as demand changes, without fixed overhead.
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Keep the client relationship, while we work behind the scenes under NDA.
What "Done Properly" Looks Like
The best results come from integrating GEO with existing SEO and content work, not running it as a disconnected side project. At SubmitInMe, we usually work in two stages:
Stage 1: The audit. We test real customer questions in AI search and show where your client appears, where competitors appear instead, and what's missing.
Stage 2: Ongoing optimization. We turn the findings into a monthly plan: GEO-optimized blogs on the client's site and on relevant third-party sites, link building, technical work on crawlability and structured data, press releases, and monthly branded reporting.
You can see this approach in practice in our GEO case study for a Sydney dental practice. We made pricing and service details explicit, highlighted the dentist's real experience, wrote content around the questions patients actually ask, and worked on third-party mentions. The case study reports gains in AI visibility and patient enquiries.
One honest note: no provider can guarantee inclusion in AI answers. Visibility varies by platform, question, location and time. We set a baseline, agree priorities and report progress transparently, so you can set realistic expectations with clients.
How We Work With Agencies
SubmitInMe has been in digital marketing since 2002, is a NASSCOM member, and supports 500+ agency partners. You bring the client and stay in charge of the relationship. You get a dedicated account manager, NDA protection and reports carrying your brand. Responsibilities, data access and client communication boundaries are agreed in writing before delivery begins, and we only involve your client directly if you approve it.
You can start small, too. Our Basic AI Visibility Audit is $19.99 and tests 15 to 20 real customer questions in ChatGPT and Google AI search. It also works well as a pitch tool for prospects, and you can request a sample report first.
The Bottom Line
AI-generated answers are becoming a real acquisition channel, not a novelty. When a client asks about ChatGPT visibility, "yes, we can do that, and here's how we'd start" is a much stronger answer than "we're looking into it."
Ready to add GEO to your service line? Explore our white label GEO services or request a GEO proposal for your first client.