The Really Good GEO Field Guide

Most guidance about AI visibility treats every page and every reader the same. The Field Guide splits the work into five formats — a pillar guide, an answer library, playbooks, page teardowns, and a plain-English glossary — held to a published six-point standard. If you want to know where a specific page stands, start with a free per-page readiness audit and route in from there.

Start with one page.

Run a free readiness audit on the page you most want AI systems to cite. It shows where the page is clear, where it is hard to quote, and what to fix first.

Audit a page free

Start here based on your situation

Pick the entry point that matches what you're trying to do. Every section links directly.

Understand the GEO operating model — start with the Complete guide. It covers how AI systems find, read, and cite web pages.
Answer a specific AI-visibility question — go to the Answer library for direct answers about ChatGPT mentions, citation tests, schema, AEO, and readiness.
Improve a product, service, comparison, research, or agency page — open the Playbooks for the page type you're changing.
See worked before-and-after examples — read the Page teardowns. Composite examples are labeled as such.
Understand terminology — the Glossary gives plain-English definitions without the fog.

What is generative engine optimization?

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of making a brand and its published knowledge easier for AI systems to understand, retrieve, and cite in generated answers. It sits alongside SEO (which optimizes for search-result rankings) and AEO (which optimizes for answer engines): the three share source material but reward different page structures. GEO focuses on direct answers, clear entity definitions, supported claims, disclosed tradeoffs, and per-page jobs. Definition by Really Good GEO.

What is inside the Really Good GEO Field Guide?

The Field Guide organizes five formats. The pillar guide explains the operating model, from question to retrieval to citation. The answer library covers named AI-visibility questions. The playbooks apply the model to product, service, comparison, research, and agency pages. The page teardowns show worked before-and-after examples, with composite examples labeled. The glossary defines the terms. Each format is held to the publishing standard below.

Where should I start?

Run a free readiness audit on the page you most want AI systems to cite. The audit is the fastest way to see what's clear, what's hard to quote, and what to change first. From there, use the routing block above to pick the section that matches your situation. The Guide covers the model; Playbooks cover page types; Teardowns show worked edits; the Answer library answers named questions; the Glossary defines terms.

Our publishing standard

Every format in the Field Guide is held to the same six-point standard.

Answer the named question early.
Separate observation from inference.
Name the evidence behind consequential claims.
Publish the sample, method, date, and limitations.
Update or retire advice when the engines change.
Label composite examples as composites.

Who this guide is not for

The Field Guide is written for people whose success depends on AI systems retrieving and quoting their pages accurately. Traditional SEO work still matters and much of it overlaps — the underlying source content is largely the same — but the specific structural and evidence recommendations here are tuned for AI citation, not for SERP ranking. If your goal is SERP ranking alone, some of the advice will feel narrower than a general SEO checklist.

Ready to see where your page stands?

The free per-page readiness audit is the primary entry point. Every section of the Field Guide links back to it.

Audit a page free