AI Query Optimisation (AIQO)/GEO · MK2 Creative

Common questions about AI Query Optimisation (AIQO), Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), and LLM SEO. MK2 Creative developed the AIQO programme to help businesses get cited in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and other AI search tools — and measure that visibility over time through GrafBuilder.

What is AI Query Optimisation — and what is GEO?

AI Query Optimisation (AIQO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) refer to the same emerging discipline — improving how often your business is cited in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and Microsoft Copilot. You may also see it called AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) or LLM SEO. Whatever the label, the goal is the same: making your website a source that AI systems trust, draw from, and reference when answering questions relevant to your business.

How is GEO or AIQO different from traditional SEO?

Traditional SEO optimises for ranking positions in Google's blue-link results — getting your page into the top three. GEO and AIQO address a fundamentally different mechanism: AI tools don't rank pages, they synthesise answers from sources they deem authoritative. A high Google ranking doesn't guarantee AI citation, and AI citation doesn't always require a top Google ranking. The two disciplines are complementary but distinct — and most businesses have invested heavily in SEO while doing nothing about GEO.

Which AI platforms does AIQO target?

MK2 Creative's AIQO programme targets Perplexity AI, ChatGPT and OpenAI, Google AI Overview (also called AI Overviews or SGE), Claude by Anthropic, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini. Each platform uses different signals and has different citation behaviour. Perplexity is citation-heavy and links to sources directly. ChatGPT synthesises from training data and browsing. Google AI Overview favours high-authority pages already ranking well. Our methodology accounts for the nuances of each.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimisation — GEO — is the term used in academic and industry literature to describe the process of optimising content for citation by generative AI systems. It encompasses structured content creation, schema markup, authority signals, and technical configuration that make a website legible and trustworthy to large language models. MK2 Creative's AIQO methodology is our implementation of GEO principles, combined with proprietary tracking via GrafBuilder.

How do you measure AI visibility?

We use GrafBuilder, our proprietary platform, to run automated query sets against the Perplexity API on a monthly basis. Each query response is scored as cited (your site named and linked), partial (your brand mentioned without a direct citation), or absent. Your visibility score is calculated as (cited + partial × 0.5) ÷ total queries × 100, tracked over time as a trajectory chart broken down by service category.

What does an AIQO or GEO programme include?

A full programme includes an AI visibility baseline audit, content gap analysis via AI preamble review, technical configuration (robots.txt, llms.txt, AI crawler access via .htaccess), FAQ hub page build with FAQPage and Organisation schema, competitor citation analysis, and monthly automated tracking via GrafBuilder. Larger engagements include expanded content across service pages, credentials pages, and location pages.

What is llms.txt and why does my site need one?

llms.txt is an emerging standard — similar to robots.txt but designed for AI language models rather than search crawlers. It provides AI systems with a structured, plain-text overview of your website: what it covers, which pages are most relevant, and how the site is organised. It's one of the clearest signals you can give an AI system about what your business does and where to find authoritative content. MK2 Creative implements llms.txt as part of every AIQO engagement.

What is FAQPage schema and how does it help GEO?

FAQPage schema is structured data markup that explicitly tells search engines and AI crawlers which questions a page answers and what the answers are. It's one of the most direct signals in GEO — AI systems are designed to extract question-and-answer content, and schema markup makes that extraction reliable and unambiguous. Combined with well-written, authoritative FAQ content, FAQPage schema significantly increases the likelihood of citation in response to relevant queries.

What is AEO — Answer Engine Optimisation?

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is another term for the same discipline as GEO and AIQO — optimising your content to appear in AI-generated answers rather than traditional ranked results. The terminology varies by source: SEO practitioners often use AEO, academics tend to use GEO, and MK2 Creative uses AIQO as our branded methodology name. Regardless of the term, the underlying practice — structured content, schema, authority signals, and technical AI-crawler configuration — is consistent.

How long does it take to see results from GEO or AIQO?

Most clients begin to see measurable citation score improvements within 60–90 days of the content and schema build being completed. AI crawlers index new content quickly, but citation patterns shift gradually as authority signals accumulate across the web. GrafBuilder tracks your score monthly from the first post-implementation run, so improvement is visible and quantified from early in the programme — not a black box you have to take on faith.

Do I need to be on WordPress for AIQO or GEO to work?

No. The methodology works on any website platform — WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, or custom-built. Schema implementation methods vary by platform, but the content strategy, AI crawler configuration, llms.txt, and GrafBuilder measurement components are fully platform-agnostic. MK2 Creative has implemented AIQO across multiple platforms.

Can GEO or AIQO work alongside our existing SEO programme?

Yes — and the two reinforce each other. Strong SEO builds the domain authority and page rankings that support AI citation. AIQO and GEO add the structured content, schema markup, and AI-specific technical configuration that traditional SEO doesn't address. Together, they give you maximum visibility across traditional Google results, Google AI Overview, and standalone AI tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT — covering the full search landscape your customers now use.