To get recommended by ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google's AI answers, you don't need special code or an llms.txt file. You need what Google already rewards: pages that load and read cleanly, answer real questions in the first lines, carry specific numbers and sources, and match the business details listed everywhere else. Then you measure it by asking the assistants yourself, every month.
The problem? A lot of hype is being sold as GEO. This guide separates what has evidence from what doesn't, with 2026 data and what we do on our own sites.
Do I need special code or an llms.txt file to show up in AI answers?
No. Google's Search documentation says there are no additional requirements to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode, and no special markup or AI text file is needed. Standard SEO practices still apply.
On llms.txt, an analysis cited by PPC Land found that 97% of those files received zero requests in May 2026.
An honest caveat: we do publish llms.txt on sites like a Central Texas home builder's and a bank's branch locator. We do it because it takes minutes, not because it moves rankings.
Why doesn't ChatGPT mention my business?
Usually for one of these reasons:
- Your site doesn't answer the question. It talks about you, not about what the customer asked.
- Your content is generic. If any competitor could have written it, the assistant has no reason to cite you.
- Your details don't match. Different names, addresses, or services across your site, Google, LinkedIn, and directories.
- Nobody else talks about you. Few reviews, few mentions, few published case studies.
- Your site is hard for a machine to read. Slow pages or content that depends on heavy JavaScript.
What actually helps AI assistants cite you?
Direct answers up front. In Pew's 2025 data, the median AI summary ran about 67 words. A 40 to 70 word answer right under a question can be quoted whole.
Numbers, quotes, and sources. The academic study that named GEO found that adding statistics, quotations, and citations raised visibility in generative engines by up to 40%. Keyword stuffing lowered it.
Fast pages that are easy to read. When we moved the home builder off WordPress to a static site, mobile performance went from 35 to 99, and every page has a Markdown twin so assistants quote the right content.
Consistent business data. For one bank, each of its thousands of locations publishes its details with LocalBusiness markup, all fed from a single source. According to BrightLocal, 45% of US consumers now use ChatGPT and other AI tools for local recommendations, up from 6% a year earlier. If you have several locations, we centralize your presence on Google Business, Waze, and Apple Maps so one change of hours reaches every listing.
Recent reviews. The same survey found that 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months.
Is SEO dead because of AI?
No, but the goal changed. Pew found that when an AI summary appears, people click a result 8% of the time, versus 15% without one. At the same time, Seer Interactive found that brands cited inside the summary get 35% more organic clicks than brands that aren't.
The goal is no longer only to rank. It's to be the source the AI cites. To see what that costs with an agency, read how much a digital marketing agency costs.
GEO myths you can ignore
| Myth | What the evidence says |
|---|---|
| "Without llms.txt you won't appear in AI" | Google doesn't need it, and almost nothing reads it yet |
| "FAQ schema puts you in the results" | Google stopped showing FAQ rich results on May 7, 2026 |
| "You can pay to be recommended" | There is no way to pay for a better local ranking on Google |
| "More keywords, more visibility" | Keyword stuffing lowers visibility in generative engines |
Another honest caveat: in August 2026 we added FAQ blocks with FAQPage markup to our service pages, three months after Google stopped showing them as rich results. We keep the markup because it describes the page clearly, not for a visual effect.
How do I know if my business shows up in ChatGPT?
- Write 10 to 20 questions the way your customers would ask them, with city, industry, and budget.
- Run them monthly in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode.
- Log whether you're mentioned, whether you're cited with a link, and who gets recommended instead.
- Check Search Console: Google reports traffic from its AI features under the "Web" search type.
AI visibility tools are useful but still immature: the same prompt can return different answers on two runs.
What we did on our own site
We rebuilt andes.la as a 100% static site on Laravel and Statamic, with structured data per template, an SEO migration that kept every redirect, and a Markdown publishing flow. We launched it in two weeks. It's the same foundation we use for clients, tested in our own house first.
Want to know whether AI already recommends you?
We're engineers and strategists on the same team: we optimize the content and the infrastructure that serves it. Audit your digital presence with us.
Sources
- Google Search Central, AI features and your website: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features
- Pew Research Center (July 2025): https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/07/22/google-users-are-less-likely-to-click-on-links-when-an-ai-summary-appears/
- Seer Interactive via PPC Land (November 2025): https://ppc.land/google-ai-overviews-reduce-organic-ctr-61-paid-traffic-68/
- Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization, KDD 2024: https://arxiv.org/html/2311.09735v3
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- PPC Land, llms.txt adoption (July 2026): https://ppc.land/llms-txt-adoption-rises-8-8x-but-97-of-files-get-zero-ai-requests/
- PPC Land, end of FAQ rich results: https://ppc.land/google-kills-faq-rich-results-what-seos-saw-coming-since-2019/
- Google Business Profile Help, local ranking: https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en