GEO for ecommerce: how to show up in ChatGPT and Perplexity answers

Nico Bértolo · 2026-09-01

In short

  • More and more shoppers ask an AI assistant before searching on Google.
  • GEO doesn’t replace SEO: it builds on it. Without a crawlable, clear website, there’s nothing to cite.
  • What helps most: content that answers specific questions, structured data and brand mentions on other sites.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity which cream to buy or which store they recommend, the answer doesn’t come out of nowhere: it comes from what those models have read and what they can look up on the web. GEO is the work of making sure your store is among those sources.

What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?

SEO aims to get you into a list of results. GEO aims to get an assistant to mention you in its answer. They share the same foundation: a fast, crawlable website with clear content. But GEO especially rewards direct answers and sources the model perceives as reliable.

What an online store can do

  1. Make sure your site can be read without JavaScript: Many AI crawlers don’t run JavaScript. If your content only appears once scripts load, it doesn’t exist for them.
  2. Answer specific questions: Guides, comparisons and FAQs that answer what your customers really ask.
  3. Use structured data: Product, organisation, FAQ: they help explain what you sell and who you are.
  4. Earn mentions beyond your site: Reviews, media and comparisons on other sites reinforce that you’re a reliable source.
  5. Keep your brand consistent: Same name, same description and same details everywhere.

The llms.txt file is a recent proposal for describing your site to AI models. It isn’t an official standard, but it’s simple to add and has no downside.

How to know if it’s working

There’s no “Search Console” for GEO yet. The most practical approach is to regularly ask assistants about your category and products, note whether you appear and check the traffic coming from them in your analytics.

At OPLINX we implemented the SEO and GEO foundations so the store appears both in classic search engines and in AI assistants’ answers.

A real 224 case

Frequently asked questions

Does GEO replace SEO?

No. GEO builds on SEO: without a crawlable, fast website with good content, assistants have nothing to cite.

How long does GEO take to show results?

It’s a medium-term effort: it depends on when models update their information and on the mentions you earn outside your site.

Is GEO useful for small stores?

Yes, especially in specific niches, where there’s less competition and specific answers stand out more.