A Practical Guide to GEO/AEO for SMEs: How to Get Mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude

Published: 17 August 2025  |  Updated: 24 January 2026

More buyers now ask AI tools for recommendations instead of searching through pages of links. If your business isn’t mentioned or cited in those answers, you can lose consideration before you even know you were in the running.

This guide is written for resource-constrained SMEs (especially in Tech, Software, Apps and Professional Services) and focuses on an 80/20 approach: the few actions that reliably increase Share of Voice, Mentions, Citations and AI-sourced leads without creating a content factory.

Contents

• Why this matters now
• What GEO/AEO is (and what it isn’t)
• The mindset shift: win a few prompts, not all prompts
• Quick wins you can action this month
• The 80/20 GEO system for SMEs
• How to build “Best Answer Pages” that get cited
• Trust & authority: what answer engines look for
• Offsite strategy: do less, but do it properly
• How to measure GEO/AEO without expensive tools
• A final thought (and how we can help)

Why this matters now

Buyer behaviour is changing fast. Instead of “Googling it”, people ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude questions like:

• “What’s the best option for a business like mine?”
• “What’s the difference between these approaches?”
• “How much should this cost and how long should it take?”
• “What are the risks and how do we avoid mistakes?”

The AI tool responds with a direct answer, often with a short list of recommended options and sometimes citations. For SMEs, the implication is simple: visibility is increasingly shaped by answers, not just rankings. If you’re not mentioned or cited, you’re often not shortlisted.

What GEO/AEO is (and what it isn’t)

GEO/AEO (Generative / Answer Engine Optimisation) is the practice of improving your chances of being mentioned and cited in AI-generated answers.

It’s not a replacement for SEO. Think of it as a practical extension: you’re designing your content so a machine can accurately lift it into an answer and justify the recommendation.

The GEO/AEO metrics that matter for SMEs

• Share of Voice (SoV): how often you’re mentioned vs competitors for priority questions
• Mentions per Prompt: how consistently you appear for each key question
• Daily Citations: how often your site is referenced as a source
• AI-Sourced Leads: enquiries where AI answers played a role
• ROI per Prompt: which questions lead to profitable conversations
• Average Brand Mentions: how often you appear in answers that include competitors

The mindset shift: win a few prompts, not all prompts

Most SMEs lose the GEO/AEO game by trying to “cover everything”. It becomes an endless publishing treadmill, and the outcome is usually mediocre visibility across lots of topics.

Why this works: the questions that drive buying decisions are surprisingly predictable. If you become the clearest, most credible answer for a small set of high-intent prompts, you can gain disproportionate visibility.

Quick wins you can action this month

These are fast, high-impact improvements you can make even if you don’t have a marketing team.

1) Make your key pages answer-first

On your home page and service pages, lead with a single clear line: who you help, what you help them achieve, and how. Avoid vague messaging and burying the useful bit in fluff.

2) Add five short FAQs to each major page

Choose the five questions you’re asked most often. Answer each in 2–4 sentences. This is one of the most quote-friendly formats for answer engines.

3) Rewrite headings into real questions

Headings like “Our Services” don’t match how people ask AI. Better headings look like: “How much does this cost?”, “What are the options?”, “Which approach is best for us?”

4) Update your best content instead of writing new content

Refresh your best-performing posts and pages: add a short summary at the top, improve structure, add current examples, and show a “Last updated” date. This is usually faster than creating new content — and often more effective.

5) Link related pages together like a system

Create clear internal links between your service pages, proof (case studies), and your best educational content. It helps humans and helps engines understand relevance and authority.

6) Don’t ignore the basics

A slow mobile site, confusing navigation, or key information hidden in PDFs will still hold you back. Keep important answers in readable page text and make it easy to find.

The 80/20 GEO system for SMEs

Here’s a practical framework that works for Tech and Professional Services SMEs without requiring a content factory:

1. Select your top 5 “money prompts” (questions that directly lead to enquiries or sales conversations).
2. Create 5 “Best Answer Pages” designed to be cited and reused in AI answers.
3. Add proof and trust signals so engines and buyers can justify choosing you.
4. Repurpose lightly into one or two channels offsite (don’t try to be everywhere).
5. Measure monthly, improve the same five assets, then expand to 10 prompts once you see traction.

Your first five prompts usually fall into five types: best/recommended, comparisons, pricing, implementation, and risk. Cover these well, and you cover the majority of high-intent buyer journeys.

How to build “Best Answer Pages” that get cited

A “Best Answer Page” is not a generic blog post. It’s a page that makes it easy for humans and answer engines to: (1) get a direct answer, (2) compare options, (3) trust the source, and (4) take a next step.

The Best Answer Page structure (copy & reuse)

1. Answer block (top): 6–10 lines that directly answer the question.
2. Decision table: criteria × options (include trade-offs and “best for” guidance).
3. Steps / implementation: practical sequence, typical timelines, what to prepare.
4. Proof block: mini case study, outcomes, real examples, credibility markers.
5. CTA matched to intent: audit, assessment, checklist, template, consultation.

For many SMEs, the difference between “content that exists” and “content that gets cited” is structure: clear answers, decision tables, and proof that reduces risk.

Trust & authority: what answer engines look for

Answer engines try to reduce risk. When they recommend a supplier or approach, they favour sources that demonstrate:

• Clarity: direct answers, minimal fluff
• Structure: headings, steps, tables, clear definitions
• Evidence: proof, examples, outcomes
• Honesty: trade-offs, limitations, “when this isn’t right”
• Freshness: updated guidance and current examples

The simplest “trust hub” an SME can build

Create one page that consolidates credibility: who you are, what you’ve delivered, your process, proof/case studies, and how you measure success. Then link to it from your major pages.

Two content types that get cited disproportionately

• Comparison pages: “X vs Y”, “Alternatives”, “Best option for…”
• Pricing explainers: ranges + cost drivers + typical timelines

These match decision intent — which is exactly what answer engines are designed to support.

Offsite strategy: do less, but do it properly

Many SMEs burn out trying to “be everywhere”. A better approach is to pick two channels where your buyers actually pay attention and repurpose your best answers.

A simple repurposing pattern

• Turn each Best Answer Page into one LinkedIn post summarising the decision table
• Turn each Best Answer Page into one short explainer video (with a transcript)
• Optional: one genuinely helpful answer in a niche community (only if it’s natural and valuable)

One “magnet asset” that turns mentions into leads

AI answers can reduce clicks. Tools and templates increase them. For most SMEs, a single strong magnet asset can outperform dozens of blog posts: a checklist, a scorecard, a calculator, or a 90-day plan template.

How to measure GEO/AEO without expensive tools

You don’t need fancy dashboards to start. You need a simple scorecard that connects prompts to commercial outcomes.

The monthly “prompt scoreboard”

• List your top 5 prompts (start small)
• Run each prompt in ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude
• Record: mentioned? cited? which page? competitors present?
• Track: AI-sourced leads (add “How did you hear about us?” and watch key landing-page conversions)

The goal is not perfect attribution. The goal is to learn which prompts and pages are worth improving — and which aren’t.

A final thought (and how we can help)

AI search isn’t replacing people’s questions. It’s changing how those questions are answered. For SMEs, this is a genuine opportunity to stand out — not by producing more content, but by producing better answers.

Start small: pick your top five money prompts, build five Best Answer Pages, add proof and trust, create one magnet asset, and measure monthly. You’ll be surprised how quickly your site becomes clearer — for people and for machines.

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Need a straight-talking GEO/AEO review for your SME?

If you’d like help identifying your highest-value prompts, strengthening your positioning, and turning your best answers into measurable lead growth, Epitomise can help.

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