Your business may be showing up on Google... and be invisible to AI
Until recently, "ranking well" meant just one thing: showing up at the top of Google. Today that's not enough. More and more people no longer type "real estate agency in Miami" into Google: they ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity directly, and expect a ready-made answer with a couple of recommended options.
This new discipline has started to be called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): optimizing so that an artificial intelligence mentions you. It doesn't replace good old SEO. It adds to it.
There's no longer a single result to win. There's an answer that includes you — or doesn't.
Why Google, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity don't show you the same thing
Each platform builds its answer from its own database, and those databases aren't the same.
| Platform | Where it gets its information | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Google (AI Overviews) | The same index and the same ranking criteria as regular search — there's nothing special to optimize beyond standard SEO. | [1] |
| Perplexity | Its own index, built with its own crawler (PerplexityBot), independent from Google's. | [2] |
| ChatGPT | Combines its own index with several external sources — it no longer relies only on Bing, as was once believed. | [3] |
That's why a business can easily show up first on Google and, at the same time, be invisible when someone asks another AI the same question.
They're different search engines. Winning one doesn't mean winning them all.
What this means for your business
In practice: looking at a single number (your Google ranking) and assuming that's the whole story of your online visibility isn't enough. Today it's worth asking yourself too: if a potential client asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity for a recommendation in your industry and your area, does your brand show up? Or only your competitors?
They're two different questions, with potentially two different answers — and both matter, because more and more people start their search directly in an AI chat instead of on Google.
It's not about choosing one or the other. It's about not being left out of either.
What you can do about it
The foundation is still the same: a fast website, clear content, a solid presence. From there, here's what specifically helps with AI:
- Test what AI says yourself. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity what a client of yours would ask, and see who shows up.
- A complete, active Google Business Profile, with the same details (name, address, phone) everywhere.
- Presence on other sites that mention you —articles, directories, reviews— even if they don't always include a link.
- Content written as a direct answer, not just as sales copy.
There's no need to reinvent everything. Just add a new layer on top of what already works.