Field Notes / GEO

Ranking in the answer engines.

Generative Engine Optimization is not SEO with a new label, and it is not the same on every engine. Six dispatches on what we see ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews actually weighting in 2026.

By Binil Chacko
  1. 01

    What is GEO.

    A working definition of Generative Engine Optimization, drawn from the live patterns we see ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity actually citing in 2026.

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  2. 02

    llms.txt explained.

    The proposed convention, the actual adoption curve, and what to put in yours if you only have an hour. Our llms.txt as the worked example.

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  3. 03

    How to rank in ChatGPT.

    What the SearchGPT crawler weights, why brand mentions on third-party sites matter more than your meta tags, and the citation patterns that hold.

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  4. 04

    How to rank in ChatGPT for small business.

    The practical SMB visibility stack: entity clarity, service pages, proof, FAQs, schema, reviews, and third-party mentions.

    SMB wedge
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  5. 05

    How to rank in Perplexity.

    Why Perplexity behaves more like classical search than the other AI engines, and the structural cues it rewards in 2026.

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  6. 06

    How to rank in Google AI Overviews.

    AI Overviews citations come from the top organic and from passages, not pages. The on-page formatting choices that earn the box.

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  7. 07

    GEO vs SEO vs AEO.

    Why the three labels are doing distinct work, why most agency content collapses them, and the matrix we use on real engagements.

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