That shift changes the game. You still want rankings, but you also want citations, the moment where an AI answer pulls your brand, your data, or your guidance into the response and links back to you. That is what Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is really about: making your site the safest, clearest source to quote.
This guide keeps it practical and UK-focused, so you can move from “we should do GEO” to “here’s what we are changing this month”.
What GEO means in plain English
Traditional SEO is about being the best result to click.
GEO is about being the best source to quote.
AI systems look for information they can trust, verify, and summarise without guesswork. That usually means:
- Clear, factual statements (not vague marketing copy)
- Strong structure (so the model can lift the right bit)
- Evidence (data, methodology, definitions, policy references)
- Consistency across your site (no conflicting claims)
- Brand authority signals (credible mentions, authorship, transparency)
You do not need to “optimise for a model”. You need to publish content that is genuinely easy to cite.
Why this matters now for UK brands
AI usage is no longer niche. Ofcom found 41% of UK internet users aged 16+ said they used a generative AI tool in the past year (survey work done June 2024).
At the same time, UK businesses are adopting AI fast. The Office for National Statistics reported that 23% of businesses were using some form of AI technology in late September 2025, up from earlier periods.
So your buyers are using AI, your competitors are using AI, and your search landscape is getting compressed by AI summaries. You need to earn the citation, not just the position.
If you want the foundation solid first, start with SEO / Organic Marketing and make sure your technical setup is not working against you.
How AI systems decide what to cite
Citations tend to appear when the system feels confident it can trace a claim back to a stable source. In practice, that confidence comes from patterns like:
1. The content answers the question directly
If your page buries the answer under 600 words of scene-setting, it is harder to extract and easier to ignore. Build pages that start strong: definition, summary, then detail.
If you are serious about removing friction, a Technical SEO Agency audit is often the quickest way to stop crawl and index issues blocking your best content.
2. The content is structured like something that can be quoted
Think: short paragraphs, clear headings, bullet lists, tables, step-by-step frameworks, “what to do next” sections.
Your goal is to make it obvious what the “one paragraph answer” is.
3. The content is consistent, specific, and verifiable
AI answers prefer claims that look like facts, not hype.
Bad: “We are the UK’s leading platform for…”
Better: “We help UK finance teams reduce invoice processing time by X% by automating Y steps, measured across Z projects.”
If you publish original research, show your working. If you cite a law or regulator, link to it. If you give pricing, use £ and state what is included.
The GEO playbook: 8 things you can do this quarter
1. Build “citation-ready” pages for your key topics
Pick 10–20 themes where you actually want to be quoted (not just ranked). For each theme, build a page that includes:
- A tight definition
- A UK-specific angle (regulators, compliance, market norms, £ pricing)
- A short “in summary” block
- A checklist or framework
If you need inspiration for tidy structure, browse Totally Digital’s Insights and mirror that practical, fix-first layout.
2. Create “quotable assets” that others reference
Citations often follow reputation. Reputation often follows assets like:
- A calculator
- A benchmark report
- A template
- A clear glossary
- A comparison table that saves people time
Even if you do not build a tool, you can publish data-backed explainers and use them for outreach.
For direction on turning research into a plan, lean on Insight and Strategy.
3. Clean up your brand facts across the web
AI answers often pull basic facts from multiple sources: your site, directories, press coverage, business profiles, and sometimes data graphs.
Make sure your “about” details are consistent everywhere: name, HQ, service list, founder info, and what you do. Start with your own About Us page and ensure it is specific rather than fluffy.
4. Make your pages easy to crawl, index, and trust
If a page is not reliably indexed, it is far less likely to be cited. Nail the basics:
- Clean internal linking
- Correct canonicals
- No accidental noindex
- Fast, stable pages
- No duplicate mess
Totally Digital’s guide on Search Engine Basics: Crawling, Indexing and Ranking is a good refresher if you want the mechanics clear before you prioritise fixes.
5. Use structured data where it genuinely helps
Schema is not a magic citation button, but it can help machines understand what a page is about (organisation, author, FAQ, product, how-to, etc.).
The key is accuracy and consistency. If your schema says one thing and your page copy says another, you lose trust.
A quick route to identify gaps is a structured review through an SEO Audit Agency approach, especially if your site has lots of templates and repeated page types.
6. Strengthen the pages AI tends to quote
Certain formats get pulled into answers more often:
- FAQs that are genuinely specific
- Step-by-step processes
- “How much does it cost?” pages with clear ranges in £
- Definitions and glossaries
- Comparison pages (X vs Y)
If you want a simple benchmark for what a strong page looks like, read the 15-Point SEO Audit Checklist for 2025 and apply the same discipline to your GEO targets.
7. Support GEO with authority work, not just content work
AI citations often mirror what the wider web considers credible. That means you still need:
- Digital PR
- Partner mentions
- Case studies
- Real-world proof
If you have strong outcomes, package them properly. A page like Case Studies is not just for human visitors, it is a credibility signal for machines too.
8. Track whether GEO is working
GEO measurement is messy, but you can still build a sensible view:
- Watch branded search demand trends
- Monitor Search Console queries that look like question prompts
- Track referral traffic from AI surfaces where available
- Log “AI citation wins” manually (query, model, date, page cited)
Pair this with proper analytics so you can connect visibility to leads and revenue. If your tracking is shaky, fix it through Data and Analytics.
Common GEO mistakes UK brands make
- Writing “thought leadership” that never answers anything directly
- Publishing stats with no sources, no methodology, and no date
- Hiding pricing behind forms (then wondering why nobody cites you)
- Ignoring technical SEO and assuming content alone will carry it
- Letting multiple pages contradict each other on the same topic
If your site is built on a shaky foundation, even great content struggles. That is why GEO and technical work usually need to run together, not in separate lanes.
Where to start if you want a quick win
Do this in order:
- Pick 5 customer questions you want to “own” in AI answers.
- Build or update 5 citation-ready pages with tight structure and UK specifics.
- Strengthen internal linking to those pages from relevant service hubs.
- Add proof: examples, numbers, references, and clear authorship.
- Track citations weekly for 4 weeks and iterate.
If you want help turning this into a proper roadmap, Totally Digital can pressure-test your site, content, and technical setup and show you exactly where the citation opportunities are. Start with a conversation via the Contact page and we will map out the fastest path to earning more AI citations for your brand.
If you’re tired of traffic that doesn’t convert, Totally Digital is here to help. Start with technical seo and a detailed seo audit to fix performance issues, indexing problems, and lost visibility. Next, scale sustainably with organic marketing and accelerate results with targeted paid ads. Get in touch today and we’ll show you where the quickest wins are.