AI Visibility for Businesses: Get Recommended in ChatGPT and Google AI
How to get your website recommended in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI. Concrete GEO strategies for Swiss SMEs.
800 million people use ChatGPT every week. Perplexity processes billions of queries per month. Google AI Overviews appear in a large share of search results.
What used to be a Google search is now often a question asked to an AI.
For Swiss SMEs, this creates a new challenge: How does my website get mentioned or recommended in AI answers?
The answer is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). And it works differently from traditional search engine optimisation.
What Does AI Visibility Mean for Businesses?
On Google, users get a list of links. On ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google AI, they get a direct answer — summarised from multiple sources, often without the user ever clicking on a website.
This means:
- If you're not cited, you don't exist for a growing share of searchers.
- Recommendations happen algorithmically.
- Reputation becomes more important than rankings alone.
AI visibility means: your website is recognised by AI systems as a trustworthy source and actively included in their answers.
How Do ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Work?
ChatGPT
- Uses training data plus live web search
- Sometimes cites sources, but not always
- Favours clearly structured content with demonstrated expertise
Perplexity
- Heavily source-based
- Displays references transparently
- Weighs content freshness very highly
Google AI Overviews
- Combines traditional rankings with AI-generated summaries
- Preferentially draws on pages with high authority
What all systems have in common: trust beats keyword density, structure beats marketing fluff, and depth of content beats surface-level text.
What Does the Research Say About Generative Engine Optimization?
In a widely cited 2024 study, researchers at Princeton University examined the impact of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) on AI visibility. The analysis covered 10,000 search queries and found:
- Visibility in AI answers could be increased by up to 40 percent.
- Pages with clear source citations and statistics were cited more frequently.
- Keyword stuffing had little to no effect.
Interesting for SMEs: websites with lower Google rankings benefited disproportionately from GEO measures in some cases. This levels the playing field.
The Most Important Ranking Factors for AI Search Engines
1. Brand Mentions and Reputation
AI models recommend businesses that are frequently mentioned across trustworthy sources. According to GEO strategy analyses, the frequency of brand mentions in reputable sources accounts for around 35% of AI recommendations.
For Swiss SMEs, this means in practice:
- Build presence in relevant industry directories
- Secure mentions in trade publications and comparison sites
- Collect customer reviews on Google and review platforms
2. Depth of Content, Not SEO Tricks
AI systems prefer content that comprehensively answers a question. What matters:
- Clear answers to specific questions
- Structured content with subheadings
- Concrete figures and examples
- Expert-level analysis
Less relevant are keyword density, over-optimised SEO copy and pure marketing language. Write for real questions like "How do I find a good fiduciary in Zurich?" or "How much does a new SME website cost in Switzerland?"
3. Freshness
Perplexity in particular favours up-to-date content. Research shows that visibility can drop within just a few days of publication if content isn't updated. Recommendations:
- Review and refresh content quarterly
- Add new statistics and examples
- Make the last-updated date visible
4. Structured Data (Schema Markup)
Schema markup helps AI systems understand content in a machine-readable way. Key types:
Articlefor blog posts and expert contentFAQfor question-and-answer sectionsLocalBusinessfor local service providers
For Swiss SMEs, LocalBusiness is particularly important to clearly define your location and services. You can check whether your website meets these fundamentals with the Webscore SEO check.
5. Presence in Comparison Articles
Many AI answers draw on top lists that rank well on Google. A spot in articles like "Best fiduciaries in Zurich" or "Top web agencies in Switzerland" has a double effect: for Google rankings and AI citations at the same time.
Traditional SEO vs. AI Optimisation
| Traditional SEO | AI Optimisation (GEO) |
|---|---|
| Focus on rankings | Focus on citations |
| Backlinks are decisive | Reputation is decisive |
| Clicks count | Mentions count |
| Keyword optimisation | Expert content |
SEO remains important. But without GEO, businesses are leaving visibility on the table in a growing channel.
Concrete GEO Measures for Swiss SMEs
Take the following steps:
- Publish expert articles with genuine expertise
- Register in industry directories
- Actively collect customer reviews
- Create FAQ sections for typical customer questions
- Reach out to comparison sites
- Update content regularly
- Implement structured data
Test it yourself: ask ChatGPT or Perplexity the typical questions your customers would ask. Is your business mentioned?
Conclusion: AI Visibility Is a Competitive Advantage
Search is changing. Not overnight, but permanently. Those who only optimise for Google are losing reach in AI systems. Those who combine reputation, structure and expertise win in both worlds.
The question is no longer whether AI search engines are relevant. It's whether your business is visible there.
Check How Visible Your Website Really Is
Want to know how your website is positioned for AI search engines? With webscore.ch, we analyse your website for:
- Technical SEO factors
- Structured data
- Content quality
- Visibility potential for AI systems
Start your analysis now and find out where you stand.