ChatGPT search, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Gemini now answer many questions that used to send clicks to websites. For Indian businesses, the question is no longer only "do we rank?" but "do we get cited?"
What these engines look for
Clear, quotable answers. Pages that answer a question in the first two sentences, then expand, are far easier to cite than pages that bury the answer under a sales pitch.
Entity clarity. Organization and Person schema, a consistent brand name, an About page with real credentials and matching profiles on LinkedIn and directories help engines understand who you are.
Corroboration. AI engines prefer facts they can confirm on several independent sources. Mentions on industry blogs, news portals and community sites act as votes of confidence.
Freshness. Dates, current pricing ranges and 2026 data points signal the page is maintained.
A practical GEO checklist for Indian websites
- Add an FAQ section to every service page with direct, 40-60 word answers.
- Publish an llms.txt file that lists your key pages.
- Keep one canonical URL per page; conflicting canonicals confuse both Google and AI crawlers.
- Allow GPTBot, PerplexityBot and Google-Extended in robots.txt unless you have a reason not to.
- Earn mentions on relevant Indian sites, not just links.
- Measure: check monthly which prompts mention your brand.
This is the approach I use as an SEO and GEO consultant in India for clients who want visibility in both classic and AI search.