GEO Brighton: The Playbook for AI Visibility (That Actually Moves the Needle)

TL;DR: GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is how Brighton businesses show up across AI surfaces—Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Maps, and more. It’s not “SEO but trendier.” It’s a stack: structured content, evidence, author credibility, data interoperability, and fast delivery. This playbook shows you the exact moves to make your brand findable and citable by people and machines.

Why GEO, why now—and why Brighton?

Brighton’s ecosystem is dense: creative studios, hospitality, healthcare, education, charities, boutique ecommerce, and a ton of founders who live on the seafront and work on the train. Competition isn’t just “rank #1 for a keyword” anymore—it’s being selected as a trusted snippet inside an answer engine.

Here’s the shift:

  • People ask complete questions (“Best independent web design agency in Brighton for membership sites?”)

  • AI systems assemble composite answers—citations, steps, checklists, maps, and product cards.

  • Your site either becomes the source… or it fuels someone else’s traffic.

GEO gets you chosen.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation)?

GEO is the discipline of making your content citable, computable, and credible for AI systems. Think:

  • Citable: Clearly attributed claims, sources, dates, and author bios.

  • Computable: Structured data (schema), well-scoped answers, consistent entities (names, addresses, IDs).

  • Credible: Real-world evidence—testimonials, case numbers, images with EXIF/alt, awards, memberships.

GEO ≠ keyword stuffing. GEO = evidence + structure + speed.

The AI surfaces your brand needs to win

  1. Google AI Overviews – pull concise, cited answers; loves FAQ blocks, how-tos, and authoritative sources.

  2. ChatGPT / Perplexity – favour clear authorship, citations, and structured facts (pricing tables, steps).

  3. Google Maps + Local Panels – strict on NAP (Name/Address/Phone) consistency, hours, reviews, services.

  4. YouTube/Shorts/TikTok – models increasingly cite transcripts; clean titles, chapters, and captions matter.

  5. Syndicated directories / knowledge graphs – Companies House, LinkedIn, Crunchbase, GMB, Trustpilot—your “entity spine.”

The GEO content formula (Brighton edition)

Use this pattern for any service, product, or guide page:

  1. One problem → One solution

    • Lead with a 60–90 word answer to the specific question the page solves.

  2. Evidence block

    • Add 3–5 proof points: numbers, screenshots, quotes, awards, “Last updated” date.

  3. Task shape

    • Provide steps, checklists, criteria, FAQs, pricing ranges, and “what to do next.”

  4. Contextual trust

    • Author bio (with first/last name), credentials, organisation details, Brighton footprint.

  5. Schema

    • FAQPage, Service, LocalBusiness/Organization, HowTo, Product (as relevant).

  6. Speed & delivery

    • Load fast, lazy-load media, valid HTML, minimal CLS.

Example H2 blocks to clone:

  • “Who this is for” (clear ICP)

  • “What you get in 30 days”

  • “How we measure AI visibility”

  • “FAQs” (3–8 tightly scoped Q/As)

  • “Brighton case snapshots” (anonymised)

The Brighton AI visibility stack (what we actually implement)

  • Information Architecture: fewer, denser pages; clear topical clusters; dedicated Q/A blocks.

  • Schema: Organization + LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage, HowTo, Product (with offers/reviews if applicable), Article with author.

  • Entity consistency: identical NAP across Google Business Profile, website footer, contact page, and key directories.

  • EEAT signals: author pages, client logos, case numbers (not just adjectives), governance (privacy, returns, editorial policy).

  • Media: original images with descriptive alt text; compressed; captions that state facts.

  • Performance: edge caching, next-gen images, trimmed scripts; Core Web Vitals green.

  • Tracking: query-like prompts, AI referral patterns, citation monitoring, annotated deploys.

30-Day GEO Sprint (how Brighton AI delivers)

Week 1 — Audit & Entity Spine

  • Crawl site, map content to user questions.

  • Fix organisation details; ensure NAP is unambiguous.

  • Inventory schema; add/repair Organization/LocalBusiness/Service/FAQPage.

Week 2 — Content Refactor

  • Convert thin pages into task-ready formats (steps, checklists, pricing ranges).

  • Add author bios, last-updated dates, “evidence” callouts.

  • Publish 8–15 FAQ Q/As marked up as FAQPage.

Week 3 — Technical & Speed

  • Clean HTML, remove render-blocking junk, ship WebP/AVIF.

  • Tighten internal linking (cluster pages → pillar → homepage).

  • Submit/refresh sitemaps; resubmit key URLs.

Week 4 — Measure & Iterate

  • Track impressions from AI-adjacent surfaces, citation pickups, and assisted conversions.

  • Add missing micro-content (definitions, eligibility criteria, comparison tables).

  • Prepare the next 90 days roadmap.

What to measure (so you can prove this works)

  • AI-assisted sessions (from identifiable sources/UTMs or model referrers where available).

  • Citation count & quality (Are you referenced by AI answers or high-trust pages?)

  • FAQ page entrances & engagement.

  • Local actions (calls, direction requests, booking clicks from GMB).

  • Task completion rate (downloads, enquiries, demo requests tied to task pages).

  • Time to first byte / LCP (fast answers = more selection).

Common GEO pitfalls (we fix these first)

  • No author or byline. Anonymous content is low-trust for models.

  • No dates. “Last updated” matters.

  • No schema or broken schema. Invalid, duplicated, or missing types = lost eligibility.

  • Bloated pages without a task. If your content isn’t solving a job, it’s padding.

  • Inconsistent business details. One wrong phone number can nuke your local trust.

  • Stock-only imagery. Use real photos where possible; label what they show.

Brighton case snapshots (anonymised)

  • Local services brand: replaced five generic pages with a single task-page (problem → steps → cost band → FAQ). Added Service + FAQPage schema. Result: featured in more “what’s the best way to…” answers and a 31% increase in enquiry form starts.

  • Hospitality: clarified hours/menus/events, synced GBP categories, added LocalBusiness + Event schema. Result: more “directions” taps and weekend walk-ins.

  • Agency: added author bios, date stamps, citations to stats, and a “sources” block. Result: content cited in industry roundups and answer engines.

The Brighton AI “Task Page” template (copy this)

H1: Clear use-case (“Web Design for Membership Sites in Brighton”)
Intro (80–100 words): One problem → One solution → Who it’s for → Outcome
Section: What you get (bullets, not fluff)
Section: How it works (3–6 steps)
Section: Pricing guide (ranges, inclusions, exclusions)
Section: Evidence & social proof (numbers, logos, quotes)
Section: FAQs (5–8 Q/As)
Section: About the author (50–80 words + headshot)
CTA: Book a 20-min GEO consult

FAQ (mark these up as FAQPage)

What’s the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO focuses on ranking in traditional search results. GEO focuses on being selected across AI surfaces (AI Overviews, ChatGPT/Perplexity citations, Maps). It prioritises evidence, structure, and machine readability alongside traditional on-page quality.

Will GEO replace SEO?
No—GEO extends SEO. You still need crawlable, fast pages and strong IA, but you also need citable, structured, task-shaped content.

How long does it take to see results?
You can see early wins in 30–45 days (FAQ visibility, local actions, faster page speed gains) with stronger compounding effects over 90 days.

Do I need new content?
Usually you need refactoring—turning essays into task pages, adding schema, evidence, and author signals.

Does this work for local businesses in Brighton?
Yes—especially for services where Maps + FAQs + AI Overviews overlap (health, trades, legal, hospitality, education, charities).

Implementation notes for WordPress (Brighton AI way)

  • Custom blocks: FAQ, Steps, Evidence, Pricing Table, Source Box (with rel=“nofollow ugc” options).

  • Schema injector: automatic JSON-LD per template; no duplicate types.

  • Author system: dedicated author CPT or enhanced user profiles with bios, credentials, and profile photos.

  • Media discipline: descriptive filenames, alt = what the image shows, lazy-load, next-gen formats.

  • Local pack hygiene: GBP categories, services, descriptions, Q&A, photos, and review replies. Keep hours synced.