On October 28, 2026, Axios shared findings from a new Generative Pulse study conducted with Muck Rack about how to get cited by AI engines. The headline finding is simple but counterintuitive. Before trying to get AI to cite your company, you need to understand the questions people are actually asking. Most businesses start with the answers they want to give. The study says that is backwards.
This is the core of GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, the practice of getting your content cited inside AI-generated answers. It is different from traditional SEO, which optimizes for ranking position. GEO optimizes for extraction. The question is not whether you rank first. It is whether the AI reads your page and pulls your name, your data, or your perspective into its answer.
Here is what the study found and what it means for your content strategy.
Why Questions Come First
AI assistants retrieve pages based on the query, not the topic. If someone asks a question your content does not answer directly, your page does not get retrieved, no matter how authoritative it is. This is different from traditional search, where a page ranking for a broad keyword can capture many related queries.
The study found that content which directly answers the specific question being asked is far more likely to be cited than content that covers the topic broadly. A page titled Best Dental Implants in Chandigarh might rank well in traditional search. But when someone asks Gemini, How much do dental implants cost in Chandigarh, the assistant retrieves the page that states a price in the first paragraph, not the one with the broad title.
This means keyword research is no longer enough. You need question research. What are the exact questions your customers are asking AI assistants? Not what keywords are they searching, but what sentences are they speaking to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode.
How to Find the Right Questions
Start with the obvious ones. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode the questions your customers would ask. Best [category] for [audience] in [city]. How much does [service] cost. Alternatives to [competitor]. What is the difference between [option A] and [option B]. Write down the questions, and write down the answers each assistant gives.
The answers tell you two things. First, they tell you which sources the assistants are reading. Those are your target pages for getting cited. Second, they tell you what the assistants are getting wrong. If Gemini says dental implants in Chandigarh cost 15,000 rupees and the real range is 25,000 to 40,000, that is a gap your content can fill.
Do this monthly. The questions change as new products launch, prices shift, and competitors enter or leave the market. A one-time audit is a snapshot, not a strategy.
What Kind of Content Gets Cited
The study, and practical experience from our SEO services, points to several content formats that AI engines prefer to extract from.
Direct answer paragraphs. State the answer in the first sentence under the heading. Do not bury it in narrative. If the question is how much does it cost, the first sentence should state the price range. Details and caveats can follow.
Comparison tables. AI engines extract structured data efficiently. A table comparing your service to alternatives, with pricing, features, and availability, is easier to extract than a paragraph describing the same information.
List articles with clear items. Numbered lists with explicit items get extracted as lists. Narrative paragraphs covering the same points may not. If you want to be cited as one of five options, write a list of five options with names and one-sentence descriptions.
Data and statistics with sources. If you have original data, state the number, the source, and the date in one sentence. AI engines prefer recent, sourced numbers over older or unsourced ones.
What Does Not Work for GEO
Several traditional SEO tactics do not transfer to GEO.
Keyword density is irrelevant. AI retrieval is semantic. Repeating a phrase does not increase the chance of extraction. It makes the page harder to summarize, which decreases it.
Long introductory content hurts. If the answer starts in the third paragraph, the AI may not reach it. Traditional SEO rewards long content with thorough coverage. GEO rewards content that answers the question immediately and then provides depth.
Generic authority signals do not help. Domain authority matters for retrieval, but once a page is retrieved, the AI extracts based on content structure, not authority. A small business with a clear, direct answer can beat a major publication with a vague one.
Hidden text and prompt injection are risky. Instructions aimed at AI models, embedded in page content, are increasingly filtered by AI engines and can damage your reputation with them.
How GEO Differs from AEO
People use GEO and AEO interchangeably, but there is a useful distinction. AEO, or Answer Engine Optimization, is about getting your content extracted as the answer. GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is about getting your content cited as a source within a generated answer. The difference matters because being cited as a source is a lower bar than being the answer. You do not need to be the single best result. You need to be one of the pages the AI reads and pulls from.
This is good news for small businesses. You are not trying to rank first. You are trying to be included. A clear page that directly answers a specific question, with a name, a price, and a location, can be cited alongside larger sources. Our AEO and GEO services help businesses build this kind of content.
A Practical Starting Point
If you want to start with GEO this week, do this. Pick the five most common questions your customers ask. Write a page for each one. State the answer in the first sentence. Add a comparison table if relevant. Add a numbered list if relevant. Keep it under 800 words. No introduction, no conclusion, no filler. Answer the question, provide depth, stop.
Then ask the AI assistants those same questions. See whether your pages come up. If they do not, check which pages do and study how they are structured. Adjust and try again. This is iterative work, not a one-time fix.
The businesses that start now will have a head start that compounds. Every month you wait is a month your competitors are getting cited and you are not.
If you want help building a GEO content strategy, get in touch or book a meeting. We work with businesses across Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and the rest of India.