If you're wondering how to do GEO for website growth, here's the short answer: export your Google Search Console data, give it to a free AI agent called Hermes, let it find the keywords you can win in AI search, then publish case-study content built around your own results and check where you show up. That's the method I use, and it costs nothing to run.
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GEO, generative engine optimization, is getting named, cited and recommended in AI answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode. The term comes from a 2023 research paper on generative search engines. This guide is the step-by-step version for your own site, with a 30-day plan you can follow.
If you'd rather have the team map it out for you, get a free SEO strategy session. It's a one-to-one call where we look at your site, competitors and nearest-win keywords and give you a game plan for Google and AI search.
Why Your Website Needs GEO Now
Old SEO was one of 10 blue links. You could rank number seven and still get clicks. AI answers are a short list of one to three names. There's no room for number seven.
The good news is that GEO still rests on SEO. AI answers summarise pages that rank and sources they trust. So you're not starting from scratch. You're building on what Google already shows you for.
Here's what it's done for me. Search "best GEO expert" and Google's AI answer and AI Mode name me first. AI Mode's list of the best GEO experts to follow in 2026 has me at number one and links to my sites. For "best AI community", the AI Profit Boardroom is number one in Google's AI with two placements. One of my sites went from zero to more than 1,300 clicks a day, with one day hitting more than 9,600 impressions in Google's AI features. A community article ranked within three days.
The full system, including my SEO skill, is inside the AI Profit Boardroom ($69/mo). Here's the free version.
The Free Stack You Need
- Hermes Agent. Free and open source. It does the work.
- OpenCode. The free brain. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is free in OpenCode.
- Google Search Console. Free. It's your data.
If you haven't set Hermes up yet, my guide to Hermes Agent for SEO covers it. My Agent OS guide shows the wider setup I run everything on.
📺 Watch: Claude Code + Seedance: Build Cinematic Websites! 🤯
How to Do GEO for Website Growth: Step by Step
1. Export your Search Console data to CSV
Open Search Console, go to the performance report, and export your queries and pages to a CSV. This is the most honest keyword data you'll get, because it's what Google already shows your site for.
2. Give the CSV to Hermes
Drop the file into Hermes. That's all the setup this step needs.
3. Ask it what's working
Ask Hermes to analyse what's working and suggest keywords and topics to rank in AI search. It'll build a report covering clicks, brand share of clicks, non-brand click-through rate and what's working.
For me, the report showed comparison articles, Agent OS clusters, the free AI community and Antigravity/Hermes topics were working. Yours will be different. That's the point. It's built from your data, not someone else's list.
4. Pick one keyword
Pick the keyword that matters most to your business. "Best X" and comparison queries are great targets, because AI answers love to give short lists. Not sure which one? Book your free GEO strategy session and we'll help you pick.
5. Give Hermes an SEO skill and publishing access
A skill is a set of instructions the agent follows every time. Mine is a roughly 100-point quality checklist. Then connect Hermes to WordPress or Netlify so it can publish.
6. Build the page around your own case studies
This is what gets you cited. Your own tests are facts the AI can't invent, which is why AI answers quote "public testing" experts. Feed Hermes your results, numbers and screenshots.
Google updated its guidance on 1 October 2026. It's critical to fact-check and review AI-assisted content before publishing, including the text, metadata, structured data and image alt text. So read every page before it goes live.
For prompts that speed up the writing, grab my free ChatGPT prompts.
7. Publish and check AI Mode, AI Overviews and Perplexity
Once it's live, search your keyword in Google AI Mode, AI Overviews and Perplexity. I'll show you how to read the results further down.
Want a second pair of eyes before you publish? Get a free SEO strategy session.
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The Answer Engine Framework
The steps above get one page live. The framework is how you win over time.
- Be the source. Publish real case studies. Your proof is what AI engines can't get anywhere else.
- Be everywhere. Publish on several sites and platforms, including r/AISEOInsider, each angle pointing to the same answer. If one site drops, the others stay.
- Be first. Publish within about 24 hours on trending topics, before everyone else has written about them.
Links still matter here. Being everywhere means being mentioned and linked on the sites AI engines already trust. For my approach, get the free link-building book.
Most sites only do the first part. They publish one good page and stop. The sites that get named again and again are the ones that keep publishing proof, in more places, faster than everyone else. If you want help building that system around your site, book your free GEO strategy session and we'll map out where your answers should live.
Your 30-Day GEO Plan
| Week | Do this |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Export Search Console to CSV, run the Hermes analysis, and test 10-20 buyer prompts in AI Mode, AI Overviews and Perplexity to see where you stand |
| Week 2 | Pick your top keyword, gather your case studies, write and fact-check your first page, then publish it |
| Week 3 | Publish supporting angles on other sites and platforms, all pointing to the same answer, and publish fast on any trending topic in your niche |
| Week 4 | Re-check your prompts, note what moved, build links on the sources AI cites, and pick your next keyword |
Then repeat. GEO isn't a one-off project. It's a weekly loop.
If you want to start with a quick baseline, run my free GEO audit in week one. And if you want the bigger picture beyond your own site, read my guide on how to do GEO.
How to Check Your Results
Google AI Mode
Search your keyword in AI Mode and look at who gets named and in what order. Click into any lists it shows. In my case, AI Mode's "best GEO experts to follow in 2026" list has me at number one and links to my sites.
Google AI Overviews
Search the keyword in normal Google and look at the AI Overview at the top. Note which sites it links to. For "best HARO agency", the AI Overview links to Goldie Agency first.
Perplexity
Ask the same question in Perplexity and look at the numbered sources. Those sources are your target list. If you're not there, find out who is and get onto those pages.
Search Console
Go back to Search Console each week. Watch impressions and clicks on your target pages. Rising rankings and AI mentions often move together.
If you want to see how I test which AI models are worth using for this work, check Goldie Bench.
FAQ
Do I need paid tools to do GEO for my website?
No. Hermes Agent is free and open source, OpenCode gives you DeepSeek V4.1 Flash for free, and Google Search Console is free. Paid tools can add tracking, but they aren't required.
Is GEO different from SEO?
Yes, but they're linked. SEO is ranking in Google's classic results. GEO is getting named and cited in AI answers. GEO rests on SEO, because AI answers summarise pages that rank and sources they trust.
How fast will I see results?
Nobody can promise that. One of my community articles ranked within three days, but every site and topic is different. Follow the 30-day plan and keep the loop going.
Can someone help me do this for my site?
Yes. Book a free SEO strategy session or get your free GEO game plan. It's a call, not a written report. Or learn the whole system yourself inside the AI Profit Boardroom.
Now you know how to do GEO for website growth: start with your Search Console data, publish your own proof, and check AI Mode, AI Overviews and Perplexity every week.
