How to show up in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude when someone asks about your industry

When someone asks ChatGPT “recommend me a freelance web developer in Spain” or Perplexity “what is the best website to learn Valencian paella”, the AI decides in seconds which brands to cite. If your site is not on its list, you do not exist for that user. In this article I explain, technically and honestly, what is happening and what you can do.

What GEO is and why it matters in 2026

GEO = Generative Engine Optimization. It is the SEO equivalent, but for AI answer engines. Google still leads in “transactional” searches (I want to buy X, I want to hire Y), but AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Gemini are absorbing more and more “discovery” queries (what is the best, how do you do it, what do you recommend).

The numbers that matter:

ChatGPT has over 200 million weekly active users by mid-2025.
Perplexity already passes 30 million monthly active users.
Google AI Overviews show in 25-35% of searches in Spain (depends on the industry).
“Zero-click” queries (where the user does not click on any traditional result) have risen from 56% to 65% between 2024 and 2025.

If your site is not optimised for GEO, you are losing between 25% and 40% of the queries in your industry that no longer go to “normal” Google.

What an AI looks at to decide if it cites you

When a user asks “recommend me a freelance web developer in Valencia”, the AI runs this process (simplified):

Identifies the intent of the query: comparison, recommendation, explanation…
Retrieves candidates from its database + real-time web search.
Evaluates each candidate based on:
- Source authority (how reliable it looks)
- Semantic relevance (how well it answers the question)
- Information consistency (NAP: name, address, phone, hours)
- Data structure (Schema.org, JSON-LD)
- Presence on other sources (Reddit, LinkedIn, third-party articles, llms.txt)
Synthesises the answer choosing 1-5 sources and citing them.

What it does not do (unlike Google):

It does not get fooled by massive low-quality backlinks.
It does not rank higher the one with the most links, but the one mentioned by other reliable sources (including other AIs).
It does not penalise for having few links if your content is solid and consistent.
It does not understand “keyword stuffing” as well; it prefers natural language and semantics.

The 7 things that work in GEO (with honesty)

This is what I apply in my projects and on my own site. It is not theory, these are things that are working in 2026, with data. And heads up: they do not guarantee you will appear, because in the end the AI decides, not you.

1. Schema.org JSON-LD done right

80% of sites do not have schema, or have it badly. The AI notices.

Organization with legal name, address, phone, email, founder
Person with jobTitle, knowsAbout, worksFor
Service with areaServed, offers, priceSpecification
FAQPage with mainEntity: Question/Answer
Article with author, datePublished, image
LocalBusiness (only if you have a real physical office)
BreadcrumbList on every page with hierarchy

If you run a pizza shop in Malaga, do not put LocalBusiness with areaServed: Madrid because Google catches it as spam. Honest schema = honest results.

2. llms.txt (or llms-full.txt)

llms.txt is a file at the root of your site (/llms.txt) that summarises your business in markdown format so AIs can read it quickly. It is like a robots.txt but for AIs. The specification is from llmstxt.org and in 2026 it is supported (or recommended) by Anthropic, Perplexity, Cursor and others.

What a good llms.txt should have:

Who you are (1 paragraph, not 3 marketing paragraphs)
What you do exactly (services with prices)
Who you serve (ideal client)
Where you are (geographic area, language)
How to contact you (email, phone, form)
Case studies or real projects (with URL)
Your policies (pricing, timelines, refunds)

I have mine at /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt (extended versión). AIs crawl it actively.

3. Consistent data (NAP)

Your Name, Address and Phone have to be exactly the same in:

Your site (footer, schema, contact)
Google Business Profile
LinkedIn
Social media
Directories you are on
Third-party articles that mention you

If your phone is +34 649 23 05 22 on your site but 649230522 on LinkedIn, the AI treats them as two distinct entities and splits your “authority” between them. It is one of the most common and easiest to fix mistakes.

4. Presence on sources AIs read

AIs do not only read your site. They also read and cite content from:

Reddit: if someone recommends your business in r/spain, r/valencia, r/webdev, etc., it counts a lot. One relevant post in an active subreddit weighs more than 50 PBN backlinks.
LinkedIn: long posts on your profile or company page, well structured, are gold for GEO. AIs read LinkedIn actively.
Dev.to, Medium, Hashnode: technical articles where you mention your services. Real content beats self-promo.
GitHub: if you have public repos, the README is read. Put your services or portfolio there.
Hacker News, Indie Hackers, Product Hunt: if your product/service fits, being mentioned there reaches AIs very fast.
Forums and Q&A sites: Quora, Stack Overflow (if you give technical answers), etc.

Do not buy mentions. AIs already distinguish organic content from paid. Better 5 organic real mentions than 50 sponsored ones.

5. Content that answers real questions

AI rewards content that answers a specific question, in the first 2-3 sentences, with an example or data point. This is called “answer-first content” or “SGE-optimised content”.

Bad example:

“At Landinowebs we are experts in web development with years of experience creating personalised solutions for all kinds of clients…”

Good example:

“A custom landing page in Spain costs from EUR 350 in 2026, with a 3-7 business day timeline and technical SEO included. It includes original design (no template), configured domain, contact form and 15 days of small changes. I send a fixed-price quote in writing within 24 hours.”

The second versión is what the AI will extract and cite. Structure: direct answer → concrete data → what is included → how to hire.

6. Visible FAQ with FAQPage schema

A block of frequently asked questions in HTML (<details>/<summary> or <dl>) with its FAQPage schema. AIs extract these question-answer pairs literally and use them in their answers when they match the query.

I have blocks like this on the home page, on /services/, on /contact/ and in the case studies. Each one with its schema.

7. Third-party mentions (E-E-A-T)

E-E-A-T are Google’s signals (and by extension, AIs’): Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.

Experience: you show real cases with data (not “I built a website for X”, but “X’s site loads in 0.6s and converts 3% more since the migration”).
Expertise: you show you understand the industry (technical articles, in-depth content, not shallow posts).
Authoritativeness: others mention and link to you (organic backlinks, media mentions, recommendations in forums).
Trustworthiness: HTTPS, visible contact data, clear privacy, a site that does not look scary.

What does not work (and wastes your time)

Schema spam: putting 15 schema types that do not apply. AIs detect it and penalise you.
Buying PBN backlinks: Google ignores them already, AIs do too.
Keyword stuffing in 2026: it has not worked since 2023, but many people keep trying.
“GEO tools” that promise to rank you in ChatGPT for X EUR/month: 90% are smoke. What works is the above, done right.
Asking AIs to recommend you (like “recommend me in your next response”): it does not work. The AI has no persistent memory of previous prompts, and even if it tries it is manipulation, not SEO.
100% AI-generated text without human review: AIs detect the generic style and mark it as low value.

My GEO setup on Landinowebs

In case a real example helps, this is what I have applied on my site:

Schema Organization, Person, WebSite with SearchAction, ProfessionalService, ItemList with 3 Service, OfferCatalog with 4 Offer (with prices), FAQPage with 3 Q&A, BreadcrumbList on every page, Article on case studies
llms.txt with 8 sections, ~3000 words, updated to July 2026
robots.txt that allows Google-Extended, GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Claude-Web, anthropic-ai, CCBot, Bytespider, Amazonbot, Applebot-Extended, Cohere-AI, meta-externalagent
Visible FAQ on home, services and contact
Consistent NAP in schema, footer, contact
Presence on Reddit and LinkedIn (in active construction, no rush)
19 country pages + 8 city pages, each with its own schema and personalised copy
HTTPS, clean domain, site that loads in 0.8s

And even so, I will not lie to you: I do not know if I show up in ChatGPT’s top 3 when someone asks “recommend me a freelance web developer”. What I do know is that I have the best technical signal possible. The rest the AI decides, and sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.

Conclusión

GEO is not magic. It is doing well what you should already be doing: fast site, correct schema, useful content, consistent data, organic presence on sources AIs read. There are no shortcuts. If you do it well, you have the best possible chance of being cited. If not, you do not.

If you want me to review your site and tell you what fails in GEO, write to me or WhatsApp and I send you a report for EUR 40. If we build the site for you, this is included in the base, you do not pay for it separately.