How to run a GEO Audit is becoming one of the most important questions for businesses in the age of generative engine optimization. A GEO Audit helps a website stay visible in AI search by making sure content is citation-worthy, machine-readable, and ready for search engines that provide AI generated answers.
Unlike traditional SEO audits, GEO audits focus on how AI models select and present information. With the right process, a GEO audit gives your site the visibility it needs to appear in modern search results and reach audiences effectively.
What Is a GEO Audit (Generative Engine Optimization)?
A GEO Audit, also called a generative engine optimization audit, is the process of checking how a website appears in AI search results. Unlike a regular SEO audit, this focuses on how geo audits influence the way AI search engines deliver AI generated answers.
The audit reviews if your content includes the right structured data, whether schema markup is set up correctly, and if the content is easy for AI systems to understand. A GEO audit also looks at site visibility, tools used, and the depth of coverage needed for strong performance in search.
Why Every Website Needs a GEO Audit Today?
A GEO audit is essential because the way people use traditional search engines is changing fast. Many users now trust AI search platforms that deliver AI generated answers and even Google AI Overviews instead of long lists of links. This shift means that a website can rank high on Google but still fail to appear in ai generated responses and answers if it is not optimized through geo audits.
A generative engine optimization approach helps your site stay visible across different ai tools and ai models. Running a geo audit ensures your content is ready for this new era of ai powered search and ai driven search, giving you the chance to hold strong visibility.
How You Can Run a GEO Audit Using Addlly AI?
Running a GEO audit becomes simpler with Addlly AI. Our audit tool is built to show how your website appears in AI search, across ai engines, and modern search engines. The Addlly’s GEO Audit Tool checks structured data, reviews schema markup, and analyzes if your site delivers direct answers that ai models and large language models prefer.
It also helps track geo audits against competitors and highlights areas where your content structure can improve for stronger visibility and a more consistent brand’s presence.
By using Addlly AI, businesses save time, run smarter audits, and prepare their site for the future of generative engine optimization. This is how you can stay ahead in search.
In addition to the GEO Audit Tool, Addlly AI also provides powerful AI agents like the SEO AI Agent and GEO AI Agent. These agents are built to help businesses improve rankings, strengthen visibility, and boost marketing results across both seo and ai search platforms.
8 Steps Guide to to Conduct a GEO Audit
1. Check Entity and Topic Coverage
The first step in a geo audit is to review whether your website covers the right entities and topics in depth. AI models use entity recognition to decide which answers to include in ai search and ai generated answers. If your content only touches the surface, your site may not gain visibility in search engines or keep up with changes in the search landscape.
A good geo audit checks if your pages build topical depth, include relevant brand mentions, and support the goal of building topical authority through generative engine optimization. This makes your content stronger, easier for ai tools to cite, and more likely to stay visible in geo audits.
2. Review Structured Data and Schema Markup
A GEO audit should always include a check of structured data and schema markup. These elements help AI models and search engines read your website more clearly. Without them, your content might not appear in ai generated answers.
When reviewing schema, focus on:
- FAQs and How-To schema: useful for clear answers.
- Article and Organization schema: helps confirm your site identity.
- Review and Product schema: boosts trust signals.
By adding and auditing structured data, a geo audit makes your content easier for ai tools to process, which improves overall visibility in AI search.
3. Analyze Answer-Focused Content
A strong GEO audit looks at whether your website provides answer-focused content that works for AI search. AI models prefer short, clear, and well-structured answers that can be pulled directly into ai generated answers. To check this, review if your content:
- Gives direct responses under 100 words.
- Uses headings and clean formatting for ai tools.
- Includes statistics, quotes, or original data that build trust.
By creating content designed for ai answers, a geo audit improves your site’s chances of being cited in search engines, increasing long-term visibility in geo audits.
4. Look After E-E-A-T Signals
A GEO audit must also check for E-E-A-T signals: Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. These signals tell AI models and search engines that your website is a reliable source for ai generated answers. Strong signals include clear author bylines, professional author bios, and links to credible sources.
Adding first-hand insights and unique data also strengthens trust. A proper geo audit reviews whether your site demonstrates expertise in its content and if it builds confidence for users.
These signals improve visibility in AI search and make your content more likely to be cited in GEO audits.
Read our blog on: Is GEO The New SEO
5. Look for Related Terms and Entities in Your Content
A GEO audit also checks if your website uses related terms and entities that improve how AI models understand your pages. This step helps confirm topical relevance and ensures your site content appears more often in ai search and ai generated answers.
By adding synonyms, supporting terms, and connected topics, you give ai tools the context they need to choose your content for answers. A detailed geo audit will point out missing entities or weak coverage.
Strengthening this part of your content boosts visibility across search engines and increases the value of ongoing geo audits.
6. Run AI Query Tests
Running AI query tests is a core part of any GEO audit. This step checks if your website content shows up in AI search results and if it appears in ai generated answers from ai models like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity.
A GEO audit includes preparing a list of sample questions your audience might ask and then testing them across different ai tools. The results show whether your site is cited, how often it appears, and how answers compare to competitors.
This process helps improve visibility in search engines and ensures geo audits deliver actionable insights.
7. Benchmark Against Competitors
A GEO audit is not complete without comparing your website against competitors. Benchmarking shows how often other sites appear in AI search and if their content is included in ai generated answers. This step highlights gaps in your own geo audits and helps you see which strategies drive better visibility.
By reviewing competitor structured data, schema markup, and answers, you can analyze what sets them apart. A detailed GEO audit uses this information to improve your own site performance in search engines.
This comparison makes your geo audit more effective and your site stronger in ai tools.
8. Create a GEO Audit Scorecard
The last step in a GEO audit is to create a scorecard. A scorecard helps track how well your website performs in AI search and across search engines. It should include checks for structured data, schema markup, content quality, ai generated answers, and competitor benchmarks. By scoring each part, you can identify strengths and weaknesses quickly.
A GEO audit scorecard makes it easier to repeat audits over time and measure progress. When used consistently, it turns geo audits into a clear system that boosts visibility and keeps your site ready for ai models and ai tools.
Checkout our guide on: How to Rank in AI Overviews
How GEO Audits Complement Traditional SEO
A GEO audit works best when combined with SEO basics. While geo audits focus on AI search and ai generated answers, traditional SEO audits ensure your website performs well in search engines like Google. Both are needed for lasting visibility. A strong digital strategy connects these two approaches instead of treating them separately.
Key areas where SEO supports geo audits include:
- Technical SEO: Checks crawlability, indexing, and site speed.
- Content optimization: Mapping topics to buyer needs while staying ready for ai models.
- User experience (UX): Ensuring a smooth journey from search to conversion.
Together, geo audits and SEO audits create a complete view of how your site performs in both traditional search and ai driven search. This mix helps maintain visibility across search engines and future ai tools.
Final Words
Running a GEO audit is now just as important as a SEO audit. With AI search growing, more users depend on ai models that deliver ai generated answers instead of long result pages. A geo audit makes sure your website is ready for this new era by checking structured data, schema markup, content quality, and competitor performance. When done regularly, geo audits give your site the visibility it needs in both search engines and ai tools.
Businesses that start using geo audits today will stay ahead, appear more often in ai generated answers, and hold stronger positions across modern search platforms.
FAQs – How To Do a GEO Audit
How Do AI Models Decide Which Websites To Cite?
AI models select websites based on clear structured data, schema markup, and trust signals like author information and cited sources. A GEO audit checks if your site has these elements in place. Content that provides short, direct answers with data or insights stands a better chance of being cited in ai generated answers.
How Often Should I Run A GEO Audit?
You should run a GEO Audit every 3 to 4 months. AI search engines change quickly, and frequent audits make sure your website keeps showing up in AI answers. Regular checks also help you fix problems early and keep your content strong against new competitors.
How Long Does It Take To Complete A GEO Audit?
A GEO Audit can take one to two weeks for a small site and three to four weeks for a larger one. The time depends on how many pages you need to check and the depth of your content review, including schema, structured data, and AI visibility. Using tools like Addlly AI can shorten the process by automating parts of the audit.
Can Small Businesses Benefit From A GEO Audit?
Yes, small businesses can benefit greatly from a geo audit. Even if a website does not have high rankings on Google, a geo audit helps it gain visibility in AI search. Many ai models cite sources that provide clear answers, even if they are smaller sites. A geo audit ensures the content is ai friendly, includes structured data, and uses proper schema markup.
Can GEO Audits Improve Lead Generation And Conversions?
Yes. GEO Audits improve visibility in AI answers, which puts your website in front of more people who are ready to act. When AI search engines and tools cite your site as a trusted source, it builds trust, brings quality traffic, and increases chances of turning visitors into leads and customers.
What Tools Can I Use For A GEO Audit?
Common tools for a GEO Audit include schema testing tools, SEO crawlers, and AI testing platforms. You can also use AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity to see if your site is cited. Platforms like Addlly AI make this easier by running GEO Audits with automation.
Does GEO Replace SEO?
No. GEO does not replace SEO. SEO ensures your site ranks on Google and other traditional search engines, while GEO makes sure your site appears in AI answers. Both work together to give your website full visibility, one in traditional search and the other in AI-driven platforms.
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