AI search is the new SEO — and almost nobody is optimizing for it yet. This is the full generative-engine-optimization (GEO) playbook, built around the press release strategy in my $66 Press Release Guide (EIN Presswire).
How AI tools decide who to recommend
ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity pull from indexed, third-party sources: news sites, review platforms, directories, and comparison pages. They trust third-party coverage of you far more than anything you publish about yourself.
The GEO stack (in order of leverage)
- Press releases — distributed releases on 200+ news sites are the fastest trusted footprint money can buy. One release ≈ $66.
- Structured data on your site — schema markup for your business, services, and reviews so AI can parse what you do.
- Consistent NAP — the same name, address, phone across every directory. AI cross-checks them.
- Review velocity — steady fresh reviews on Google; AI reads recency, not just totals.
- Comparison content — pages that answer "best X in Y" questions directly, with real differentiators.
The monthly GEO routine
- Month 1: one press release + fix all directory listings
- Month 2: second release + publish 2 comparison pages
- Month 3: run the AI visibility test ("who is the best [service] in [market]?" across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) and screenshot the results
That screenshot IS the product — "AI says we're the top-rated X in Y" is the strongest marketing claim of 2026.
How to make money with it
- Make money online: rank your own brand in AI answers before your competitors know GEO exists
- Help your existing business: the monthly routine above is cheap, compounding, and takes hours not weeks
- Offer it as a service: "AI visibility audits" and monthly GEO retainers — $800+ per client, built exactly on this playbook