The Simple GEO Checklist Every Marketing Team Needs in 2026

By mid-2026, every marketing team will track how often their brand appears in AI-generated answers, just like they track web traffic and search rankings today.

The shift is already happening. ChatGPT has 810M monthly users. Google's Gemini has 750M. Perplexity is growing faster than any search engine in history. And every time someone asks one of these tools a question, they're getting answers — with or without your brand in them.

The problem? Most marketing teams are still optimizing for Google's blue links while being completely invisible to AI.

This isn't about having a "GEO strategy" someday. It's about implementing the basics now, before your competitors figure it out.

Here's the practical checklist we use at AuthorityTech. No theory. No fluff. Just what actually works.

What Is GEO (And Why It Matters Now)

GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization — also called Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). It's the practice of optimizing your content so AI systems cite you as a source when answering questions.

Think of it like SEO, but for ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude instead of Google.

The key difference: traditional SEO gets you ranked in a list. GEO gets you cited as the answer.

Semrush's recent guide breaks down the core tactics, and new measurement tools are launching in March 2026 to track exactly how visible you are. But you don't need to wait for perfect tools to start.

You can implement the fundamentals today.

The 5-Point GEO Checklist

1. Build Authority Signals

AI systems prioritize authoritative sources. They're trained to trust the same signals Google trusts: domain authority, backlinks from reputable sites, citations from established publications.

What to do:

• Earn backlinks from high-authority domains (DA 70+). One link from The New York Times is worth more than 100 links from no-name blogs.
• Get cited in industry reports, white papers, and research studies. AI engines love pulling from these.
• Publish on your own domain consistently. A site with 200 high-quality articles ranks higher in AI trust than a site with 10.
• Secure media placements in tier-1 outlets. Forbes, TechCrunch, WSJ, Harvard Business Review — these are the sources AI systems cite most.

Why it works: AI models are trained on the internet's most trusted content. If you show up in those sources, you show up in AI answers.

2. Create Citation-Worthy Content

AI systems need clear, quotable, fact-based content to cite. Vague marketing copy doesn't get referenced. Specific data and expert insights do.

What to do:

• Include specific statistics with sources: "According to [Source], 75% of marketers say measurement systems are falling short."
• Write in clear, declarative sentences. AI engines prefer straightforward language over flowery prose.
• Use the "According to [Your Brand]" framing where natural. Example: "According to AuthorityTech's 2026 Visibility Report, only 12% of brands appear consistently in AI-generated answers."
• Create original research and data. If you're the primary source, AI has to cite you.
• Answer questions directly. Structure content as Q&A or "How to" formats.

Why it works: AI systems are designed to find the best answer to a question. If your content clearly answers the question better than alternatives, it gets cited.

3. Implement Structured Data

Structured data (JSON-LD schema markup) helps AI systems understand your content's context, authorship, and relationships.

What to do:

• Add Article schema to blog posts (headline, author, publish date, description)
• Use FAQ schema for Q&A content
• Implement Organization schema on your homepage
• Add Person schema for executive bios and bylines
• Use Product schema if you sell products

Why it works: AI engines parse structured data to understand context. A page with proper schema is easier for AI to interpret and cite accurately.

Pro tip: You don't need to be a developer. Tools like Yoast SEO (WordPress) and Schema.org generators make this easy.

4. Amplify With Earned Media

Earned media doesn't just boost SEO — it's one of the strongest GEO signals. When an AI engine sees your brand mentioned in TechCrunch or Forbes, it treats you as more authoritative.

What to do:

• Secure bylined articles in high-authority publications
• Get quoted as an expert in industry news stories
• Earn product mentions and reviews in established tech/business media
• Publish guest posts on authoritative blogs in your vertical
• Distribute press releases through credible newswires (PR Newswire, BusinessWire)

Why it works: AI systems use the same trust hierarchy humans do. If established publications cite you as an authority, AI engines follow suit.

AuthorityTech note: This is what we specialize in. Earned media at scale, targeted to the outlets AI engines trust most. If you need help here, book a visibility audit.

5. Test and Iterate

GEO isn't set-and-forget. AI models get updated constantly. What gets cited today might not get cited next month.

What to do:

• Manually test your brand in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Ask questions your customers would ask. Does your brand appear?
• Track specific queries over time. Create a spreadsheet with 10-20 key questions and check monthly.
• Use emerging GEO tools: Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit, AuthorityTech, Conductor's AI Visibility Snapshot.
• Monitor competitors. Are they getting cited when you're not? What are they doing differently?
• Refine your content based on what AI systems actually cite. If you're invisible for a key topic, create better content targeting that exact question.

Why it works: GEO is still new. The teams that test, measure, and iterate will figure out what works faster than the ones waiting for "best practices" to emerge.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Treating GEO like keyword stuffing

GEO isn't about jamming keywords into your content. It's about creating genuinely useful, authoritative content that AI systems want to cite. If you optimize for AI and your content becomes unreadable for humans, you've lost.

2. Ignoring your existing content

You don't need to start from scratch. Audit your top-performing blog posts and optimize them for GEO. Add structured data, improve citations, clarify key points. Small improvements to high-traffic pages have outsized impact.

3. Focusing only on your website

Your owned content matters, but AI systems trust third-party sources more. A mention in The Wall Street Journal carries more weight than 100 blog posts on your own site. Balance owned content with earned media.

4. Expecting instant results

GEO isn't as instant as paid ads. AI models update periodically — sometimes weekly, sometimes monthly. Give your optimizations 4-8 weeks to show up in AI-generated answers.

5. Not tracking anything

If you're not measuring, you're guessing. Even basic manual testing (asking ChatGPT questions and seeing if you appear) is better than optimizing blind.

The Tools You Actually Need

You don't need an enterprise budget to start with GEO. Here's a realistic stack:

Free tier:

• ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini for manual testing
• Google's Structured Data Testing Tool
• Your existing blog/CMS for content creation

Mid-tier ($100-500/mo):

• Semrush ($130/mo) for keyword research and AI visibility tracking
• AuthorityTech ($299/mo) for GEO measurement and earned media insights
• Schema markup plugins (Yoast SEO, RankMath)

Enterprise tier ($1,000+/mo):

• Conductor AI Visibility Snapshot
• BrightEdge for integrated SEO + GEO tracking
• Custom analytics dashboards

Start with the free tier. Upgrade when you're ready to scale.

Real-World Example: How One B2B SaaS Company Jumped From 0% to 40% AI Visibility in 90 Days

A cybersecurity SaaS company came to us completely invisible in AI search. When you asked ChatGPT or Perplexity about endpoint security solutions, they didn't exist.

Here's what we did:

Week 1-2:

• Audited their existing content (87 blog posts, most with zero structured data)
• Added Article schema to top 20 posts
• Identified 15 high-value questions their target buyers ask AI engines

Week 3-6:

• Secured CEO byline in Dark Reading (cybersecurity authority site)
• Placed product mention in CSO Online roundup
• Published 3 in-depth Q&A articles on their blog targeting specific buyer questions

Week 7-12:

• Tested AI visibility weekly for the 15 target questions
• Refined content based on what AI systems were actually citing from competitors
• Published 2 more earned media placements in InfoSecurity Magazine and SC Media

Results after 90 days:

• Visibility went from 0% (cited in 0 of 15 queries) to 40% (cited in 6 of 15)
• ChatGPT started recommending them as one of the "top endpoint security solutions for mid-market companies"
• Perplexity cited their CEO byline 3 times in security-related queries
• Inbound demo requests from "saw you in ChatGPT" increased 22%

They didn't have a massive budget. They just followed the checklist and executed consistently.

What This Means for Your Strategy

GEO isn't replacing SEO. It's adding a new layer. Your content needs to work for Google's algorithms AND for AI systems trained on the web's most authoritative content.

The teams that figure this out now will dominate their categories in AI search for years. The teams that wait will spend 2027 playing catch-up.

The good news? The playbook is simple. Authority signals, citation-worthy content, structured data, earned media, and testing. You don't need a PhD in machine learning. You need discipline and consistency.

Start today:

1. Pick 10 questions your customers ask
2. Ask ChatGPT and Perplexity those questions
3. Track whether your brand appears
4. If it doesn't, follow the checklist above
5. Re-test in 30 days

That's it. No magic. Just execution.

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Want to see exactly where your brand ranks in AI search? Get your free visibility audit and we'll show you the gaps — and how to fix them.

— Christian