GEO as Applied to B2B Digital Marketing 

Changes in B2B research behaviour and known influences 

LLMs provide a wide range of functionality, from automation and ideation to data processing. 

But when it comes to what digital marketers care about — e.g. pain point analysis, solution discovery, product discovery — most people use LLMs as an alternative to Google. 

This is why GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is thought of as a “successor” to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). But this is somewhat misleading. 

The fantasy scenario for GEO is someone typing into ChatGPT, “What is the best [insert type of solution]?” And getting back [insert your brand name] plus a link to your website. But even the more realistic expectation of just showing up in the list of competitors that an LLM will provide for a prompt like “what’s the best xyz software”, misses the point. People don’t use LLMs like Google, because LLMs let you do two things you can’t do on Google: 

1. Ask follow-up questions 
2. Get custom summarisation

These abilities result in a far more specific research process. They also change the goal of using an LLM from finding a website (like you do with Google) to directly answering your question without ever leaving the chat. From a digital marketing perspective, this exponentially increases the number of possible unique results — what you might think of as “SERPs” in “SEO” language — and reduces site traffic.

We also don’t know what people are “searching” for in LLMs. There is no Google Search Console for ChatGPT, Copilot or Perplexity. And even if LLMs make information about prompt results public, like Google did with the launch of Webmaster Tools in 2006, the number of possible prompt combinations makes tracking and targeting results mesmerisingly complex. 

The best anyone is doing right now is tracking “visibility” (defined either by key phrases and/or links) based on “single-entry prompts”. But, again, this kind of misses the point when LLMs encourage follow-up questions. 

And what even is the point if no one is going to come to your website? 

What is the point of GEO? (Or reasonable expectations)

The primary goal of a GEO strategy is to be recommended when individuals in your target market are undertaking solution research. Whether or not it’s a single prompt or at the end of a string of follow-up questions and qualifying detailed requirements, you want the LLM to recommend your solution to the right people.   

But there are also opportunities to drive site traffic in more traditionally “educational” ways. LLMs cite sources, and a diligent user will be interested in checking the reliability of the information they are being provided. 

Overall, your goal should be to influence how LLMs talk about subjects relevant to your business in order to shape the LLM-based research process of your target audience.

Why GEO is an opportunity for digital marketers (If you ignore the attribution problem)

The specificity of LLM research is a challenge, but it’s also the real opportunity. If you think about Marcus Sheridan’s “They Ask, You Answer”, the concept leverages the Google algorithm to get in front of your audience. But as any SEO knows, Google Search always presents an issue: needing to “write for the SERP” (i.e. the wider audience that might be making that search query) and “writing for your target market”, who might only make up a small percentage of that wider search audience. 

LLM search allows users to become more specific with the questions they ask, the information they provide, and the clarifications they make during the search (prompt) process. The result is more personalised responses. This fractures the monolithic SERP into detailed, dynamic responses that need to be filled with hyper-relevant answers. This is why prompt benchmarking is so hard to track or quantify, but it also means that your ability to influence those specific prompt sequences allows you to be hyper-focused on the most relevant personas in your target market. 

What do we actually know about influencing LLMs? 

We don’t know a lot about how LLMs generate their answers. But we do know two things:

1. LLMs have internal data and logical criteria that they use to answer basic questions. But rely on the wider internet for up-to-date information and context. 
2. LLMs are not search engines. They do not index pages (like Google) and instead rely on search engines (Google and others) to find information. 

Right now, LLMs are more like Google superusers than direct competitors of Google. That means: 

1. We can make inferences on LLM visibility based on relevant Google search visibility. 
2. Standard SEO best practices will help drive GEO results, even if they are harder to directly track. 

We also know a few other things 

1. Technical SEO: Although LLMs do not index pages, they do read the internet through backend code. Clear schema markup makes it easier for an LLM to ingest and understand information, so it makes sense that using ItemLists and Breadcrumbs has been shown to make it more likely that your information will be used or cited. 
2. Third-party validation: LLMs shortcut context by cross-referencing sources because it’s easier for them to analyse information at scale than actually understand it. If they see similar information in multiple places, they will be more likely to use it. And they value context from third parties over first parties. This elevates the value of listing sites, reviews and third-party mentions (e.g. PR, industry publications, editorial backlinks). 

We also think that content “freshness” matters, and LLMs are likely to prioritise more recently published sources (like Google), along with things like “quality” and “authority”, both of which are harder to quantify.    

Is GEO attribution possible?

Measuring GEO impact is harder than influencing it. LLMs don’t make prompt data public, and multi-turn conversations make “rank” meaningless. But there are practical proxies that help you see directional progress.

Prompt visibility tracking 

Direct attempts to solve GEO attribution focus on tracking visibility for lists of single-entry prompts. But, as discussed, this approach leaves you blind to multi-prompt sequences. There are also serious challenges even defining the right list of single-entry prompts to track. Semrush research indicates that the average prompt length is 23 words, and some are as long as 2,717 words. 

Tracking single-entry prompt visibility (as a method of prompt SEO) means paying for an expensive tracking tool to probably get the list of prompts you’re benchmarking wrong, and missing the fact that most people ask follow-up questions. Right now, it’s not a very realistic approach. 

Referral traffic tracking

A simpler solution for attribution is tracking LLM referral traffic in GA4. Although this won’t tell you the full picture, it does give you a proxy benchmark. If you see an increase in site traffic, that tells you the LLMs are referencing you more. 

You can also make inferences based on the pages that traffic is being referred to. If you are getting referrals to your homepage or product page, you are likely being mentioned in solution discovery prompts. If your white paper on industry trends is getting referral traffic, you’re likely being cited in educational prompts.  

Note: Asking customers where they found you, either during sales conversations or in a free-text field on your forms, can help you identify how LLMs are influencing your sales processes. Self-reporting attribution is also a great thing to do to simply better understand your customers. 

What “channels” are important to GEO?

Based on what we know about influencing LLMs, your online visibility matters. This includes your website, but also includes third-party sites that provide context about the validity and capabilities of your business. These break down into two categories. 

Findability channels

These channels tell the model that you exist, making it possible for the LLM to consider you at all. The specific sites will vary based on your industry, but include:   

• Core Visibility Listings (e.g. Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Maps)
• Industry and Peer Review Platforms (e.g. Clutch, G2, Gartner Peer Insights, Expert Insights)
• Ecosystem and Partner Directories (e.g. Microsoft Partner Directory, AWS/Salesforce/Shopify marketplaces)

Being visible on these sites is useful in the first place. People still reference these resources when vetting solutions. LLMs just provide another reason it’s so important to be listed. 

Authority channels

These channels tell the model that you are credible, making it more likely that an LLM will focus on you in a recommendation. Again, the specific sites will vary based on your industry, but include:  

• Industry Media and PR Mentions (e.g. articles, features, analyst references)
• Backlinks and Syndication (e.g. guest posts, content partnerships, linked listings)
• Reviews and Engagement (e.g. volume, recency, and responses to user feedback on industry and ecosystem “findability” sites.)

When industry sites, partners, or directories link to your domain, it reinforces topical and geographic relevance. Reviews and comments — especially on structured sites like G2 or Google Business Profile — are among the most machine-readable trust signals. They appear in search snippets and LLM summaries, and responding to them demonstrates authenticity and activity.

What kind of content is useful for GEO? (A taxonomy in progress)

Although external sources play a major role in influencing how LLMs interpret your business, your website is the one environment you fully control. The way you structure and publish content there directly affects how LLMs understand, cite, and contextualise your brand, and can drive natural backlinks as others reference your material.

LLMs prioritise information that’s structured, contextual, and verifiable, which means some content types are far more influential than others. The goal isn’t to publish more, but to publish the kinds of content that LLMs can easily understand, trust, and reference.

High-value content types

These content formats align directly with LLM priorities and should be central to a GEO strategy. 

1. Structured knowledge and reference content

Defines information directly relevant to you. 

• Glossaries, FAQs, and knowledge hubs.
• Category or topic explainers (“What is X?”, “How does Y work?”).
• Schema-rich pages (FAQ, HowTo, Breadcrumbs, ItemLists).

Why it works: LLMs need definitional anchors. Clear, structured explanations get reused and cited more than any other format.

2. Product, technical and solution details

Describes what you actually do.

• Product or service specs, feature pages, architecture outlines.
• Integration guides, implementation overviews, API or connector docs.

Why it works: Reduces hallucination. Models draw heavily from factual, technical language when describing capabilities or comparing vendors.

Experimental note: This category could also include “company information” pages, target market definition or review pages explicitly written for AI, and included on your website outside the standard user journey, e.g. in your footer.   

3. Primary research and data studies

Proves you know what you’re talking about.

• Original surveys, benchmark reports, or usage data.
• Proprietary insight reports (e.g. State of B2B Buying 2025).
• ROI analyses, adoption trends, or anonymised customer metrics.

Why it matters: Primary research has outsized weight because it’s one of the few unique content types LLMs can’t source elsewhere. It makes your site a source of record, not just a participant.

4. Frameworks, models and methodologies

Shows structured reasoning and repeatable logic.

• Diagnostic tools, maturity ladders, playbooks.
• Public methodologies that explain how research or scoring is done.

Why it works: LLMs recognise structured logic as credibility. These models and frameworks often get referenced in educational prompts or industry summaries.

5. Regulatory, standards and compliance resources

Demonstrates reliability and precision.

• Regulation summaries, compliance checklists, or standards comparisons.
• Updated guidance on frameworks like ISO, GDPR, NIST, etc.

Why it works: Low noise, high factual density. Especially powerful in sectors where trust and precision matter (security, finance, healthcare).

6. Corroborative announcements and references

Links your brand into the wider ecosystem.

• Press releases or partner announcements mirrored across sites.
• Mentions in marketplaces or joint news posts.

Why it works: Cross-domain repetition helps models verify truth. If the same claim appears on multiple domains, it’s treated as more reliable.

Less direct, but still useful

These support visibility indirectly. They amplify authority or drive backlinks, but LLMs use them mainly through secondary references rather than direct ingestion.

• Process Explainers: “How it works” guides, flow diagrams, tutorials.
• Toolkits & Templates: Checklists, calculators, frameworks (works best when open and crawlable).
• Thought Leadership: Commentary, analysis, and perspective pieces.

They’re valuable for human engagement, PR, and backlink generation. But they don’t define your entity or provide verifiable data, so they have lower GEO weight.

Technical & structural factors (Enablement layer)

These aren’t content types. They’re what make all the above usable and trustworthy to a machine.

• Author and Organisation Markup: Consistent schema for author, organisation, publisher.
• Citations and Linking Discipline: Link to external authoritative sources and interlink internally.
• Machine-Readable Summaries: Bullet “key points” or TL;DR sections that LLMs can easily parse.
• Content Freshness: Regular updates and clear “last modified” signals.
• Cross-Domain Consistency: Match descriptions and claims across partner sites and listings.

The challenge isn’t just knowing what content to create or how to structure it, it’s knowing which actions justify investment. 

What’s worth doing now? 

Most businesses won’t (and shouldn’t) rebuild their entire digital presence for GEO. The sensible approach is to focus on crossover value; i.e. actions that clearly improve both traditional marketing performance and LLM visibility. Anything that increases clarity, credibility, or third-party validation already serves both goals. 

Your goal should be to add LLM considerations into existing marketing initiatives. This provides measurable short-term impact and long-term GEO value. 

Practical foundations for a GEO strategy:

• Persona-driven content: Address specific questions and scenarios directly; these inform both search rankings and LLM relevance.
• Category-focused SEO: Continue optimising for traditional keywords and long tails; this still shapes what LLMs see first.
• Technical health: Maintain clean schema, metadata, and internal linking to make your site machine-legible; in the same way you’re already thinking about site speed and basic schema for Google. 
• Third-party validation: Prioritise the listings and review platforms that your audience actually uses, and should be on anyway.
• Industry visibility: Earn mentions through PR or sponsored content that reinforce authority and generate backlinks.

By taking LLM considerations into account when focusing on these traditional B2B marketing tactics, you can capitalise on the emerging value of LLM marketing without losing sight of short-term wins.

Where Gripped can help (and where we can’t)

GEO isn’t a bolt-on service. It’s about embedding LLM considerations into how your digital ecosystem already operates. But like any marketing initiative, different parts work better when owned internally vs executed by an agency. 

At Gripped, we can deliver GEO strategy, content and technical execution. But, to be successful, other parts of GEO execution (e.g. PR, backlinks, listings and reviews) need an in-house owner. 

Where we help

We focus on the elements of GEO that overlap directly with growth marketing, and where structure, content, and visibility deliver measurable impact.

• Listings prioritisation: Identify which third-party directories and industry platforms matter most for your category.
• Content planning: Develop a GEO-informed content plan built around structured, verifiable, persona-specific topics.
• Content creation: Write or adapt high-value content types (definitions, product detail, research, frameworks, compliance, corroboration) using in-house material and desk research.
• Technical enablement: Maintain schema, metadata, internal linking, and freshness so your site is machine-legible to LLMs.
• Performance reporting: Track proxy indicators such as referral traffic, visibility trends, and mentions to connect GEO activity to real outcomes.

Where you need to lead

Some parts of GEO rely on authority signals and public validation beyond your website. These are critical, but not areas we execute directly.

• PR and media outreach: Requires established media relationships and internal coordination.
• Backlink and digital PR campaigns: Depend on earned coverage, partnerships, and outreach.
• Third-party listings management: Needs direct platform access and ongoing maintenance.
• Customer review management: Involves client-side engagement, feedback collection, and response discipline.

We can help prioritise and align these activities, but they require ownership from your internal team or external partners.

Why LLMs just bring everything back to your personas

If SEO was about being found, GEO is about being trusted.

LLMs have changed “search” from a one-size-fits-all results page into a personalised research experience. Every conversation is unique, shaped by a user’s follow-up questions, preferences, and context. The model’s goal isn’t to show every possible option; it’s to recommend the most relevant, credible answer.

Most of the “tricks” for GEO are really just about making it easy for LLMs to recognise and verify what’s already true about your business. Your goal isn’t broad visibility. It’s to ensure your digital footprint accurately represents who you are, what you’re good at, and who you’re good for.

You build that trust in layers:

• Your website defines your expertise and makes it legible.
• Your research and frameworks prove it.
• Your listings, reviews, and PR validate it.

Done well, this isn’t just “optimising for LLMs.” It’s creating a coherent online identity that makes sense to both humans and machines. GEO is about coherence, i.e. ensuring that when a model looks for an answer, it finds you because you are the right answer.

GEO is ultimately a growth opportunity, not a technical one. In a world where research is personalised and credibility is computed, clarity is what wins. We can help you be “clear”. All you need is a solution that solves real problems for definable use cases. If you have that, GEO is just one more way your target audience can discover your answer.