SEO helps people discover your website through search. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) describes work aimed at visibility in AI-generated search answers. For a business buying either service, the useful question is what will change on the website and how the supplier will demonstrate the result.
Google says its AI search features still depend on core Search systems, so established SEO remains relevant. There is no special AI schema requirement, and meeting its requirements does not guarantee indexing or appearance. See Google’s guidance on generative AI search.
Start with a buyer question and a useful page
Choose a service that matters commercially and collect questions from actual enquiries. A buyer considering a website rebuild may need to understand what can be retained, who owns the source code, what affects the quote, and what happens after launch.
Answer those questions on the relevant service or comparison page. Include the assumptions behind a price, the boundaries of the service, and the next step. If you use an example, say whether it is a real project or an illustration. Attach supporting evidence to claims about delivery speed or business results.
Before commissioning new articles, review whether existing pages answer these questions. A short, specific explanation of a real decision can be more useful to your buyers than another broad introduction to your industry.
Check whether important content is accessible
Ask for an audit that identifies affected URLs, explains the issue, and separates confirmed faults from hypotheses. Useful checks include response status, indexing directives, canonical URLs, internal links, redirects, and whether meaningful content is available in the rendered page.
A report should show the evidence for each issue. For example, an unintended noindex directive on a service page is a concrete finding. A statement that the site needs an AI-ready rebuild, without identifying a technical fault, is not a sufficient scope of work.
Review representative mobile pages and enquiry flows as well. Set performance goals around measured problems on your site; do not treat an arbitrary HTML file size or a promised sub-second load time as a universal AI crawler requirement.
Separate search crawling from model training
For OpenAI, OAI-SearchBot serves search discovery and GPTBot concerns content that may be used for model training. These permissions can be managed independently. ChatGPT-User handles certain user-triggered visits and is not the search inclusion control. See OpenAI’s crawler documentation.
Agree on the desired policy before changing robots rules or firewall settings. Record which crawler is affected and why. Access permission is a technical setting, not a promise that a provider will recommend your business.
Keep business information consistent
Review service descriptions, contact details, locations actually served, and current commercial terms. A comparison table should explain scope differences, not imply that an unverified price or credential is a fact.
Use structured data to describe supported, visible content accurately. Do not add invented ratings, credentials, offices, or offers. Treat schema implementation as a technical deliverable, with its own review, rather than a purchased AI citation.
Agree on measurement before buying the work
Create a dated baseline before making changes. Define the pages and markets in scope, then agree on a reporting period and a qualified enquiry definition.
| Measure | What to record | What it cannot establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Search traffic | Reporting source, dates, landing pages and queries where available | Whether a visitor became a suitable lead |
| Enquiries | Completed enquiries and an agreed qualification rule | Which change caused an increase |
| AI referrals | Identifiable referral traffic and resulting enquiries | Every visit or impression from an AI service |
| Sampled AI answers | Exact question, date, product and cited URLs | Overall market visibility or stable future placement |
Annotate advertising campaigns, seasonal changes, redesigns, and tracking changes. A before-and-after increase is useful evidence, but attributing all of it to a single SEO change requires more support.
What an actionable SEO and GEO proposal includes
Ask for a prioritised URL list, the content and technical changes to be delivered, the evidence used to select them, and who maintains the result. Separate initial implementation from recurring reporting or editorial work.
For an implementation-oriented scope, see visibility architecture for Malaysian SMEs. If you want Nodesify to review your site, send your URL and the enquiries you want to attract. The first useful outcome is a clear scope tied to observable problems and business needs.
