AI Search Optimizer
Track citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews + Grok — the new SEO.
What it is
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the new SEO — AI chatbots cite specific sites when answering questions, and you want yours in the answer. Outerank's GEO module tracks your brand across SIX consumer AI surfaces: ChatGPT (OpenAI search), Perplexity (Sonar), Google Gemini (grounded), Anthropic Claude (web search tool), Google AI Overviews (via DataForSEO SERP), and xAI Grok (live search). Four tabs. Overview: 7-point readiness scan + score, full report with Claude's narrative fix list, citation-rate trend, and a Share-of-AI-Voice chart that stacks you against your top 3 competitors. Citations: multi-engine tracking with real APIs (engine-status strip shows which keys are wired), per-engine breakdown, mention-vs-cited distinction, competitor leaderboard on the SAME prompts, custom prompts or 'Discover' for 10 AI-generated suggestions, and click-to-fix recommendations. Honest DEMO mode when no engines connected — banner clearly tells you the citations are Claude estimates, billing is waived. Schemas + AEO: FAQ / HowTo / Article / Product JSON-LD generators (FAQ auto-suggests Q&As from any URL), plus an AEO content rewriter. Tools: llms.txt + entity JSON-LD + AI snippet preview + OG scan + search-action schema + llms-full.txt — each with a Deploy button for connected CMS (WordPress/Shopify/Webflow/Ghost/HubSpot).
Why it matters
Searches are migrating to AI chatbots. The sites that win citations get traffic AND brand authority; the sites that don't become invisible in the answer box. Most SEO tools haven't caught up — they sell 2019-era backlink reports. Outerank GEO is built for the AI era from the ground up: real multi-engine citation tracking, competitor benchmarking, schema generators, and an AEO rewriter that physically restructures content to be quotable. This is the moat.
How to use it (step-by-step)
Follow these in order. Each step is 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Step 1
Read the honest-mode banner first (Overview tab)
If you see an amber 'DEMO MODE · No AI engines connected' banner at the top, every citation number below is Claude estimating, not real ChatGPT/Perplexity/etc responses. Demo mode is FREE — your credits aren't charged — but never report demo results to clients as real data. Connect 1+ engine in Settings → AI Engines to flip the module to real-data mode (credits start applying).
Step 2
Run a GEO scan (free, Overview tab)
Checks 7 AI-readiness signals (schema, llms.txt, E-E-A-T) and gives you a 0-100 readiness score. The Claude narrative recommendation is collapsed by default — click to expand for the fix plan.
Step 3
Check the Cockpit's 'What to do today' card
The big emerald card on the right of the Cockpit picks the highest-leverage action for your current state: connect an engine · pick a project · run first check · open AEO Rewriter (low rate) · build FAQ schema (engine gap). One click, you're on the right tool.
Step 4
Check AI citations on YOUR questions (Citations tab)
Switch to 'Custom' mode, paste up to 10 real customer questions OR click 'Discover 10 ideas' (1cr lavender button) and pick. We run them on all 6 AI engines (ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini · Claude · Google AI Overviews · Grok) for engines that are connected, score you AND your tracked competitors, and surface a Profound-grade results table with engine pills per row.
Step 5
Read the Profound-grade citation table
One row per prompt. Engine pills show which of the 6 engines cited you (emerald) vs mentioned (amber) vs absent (grey). Competitor chips on the right show which rivals got cited on the SAME prompt. Click 'Rewrite' on any absent row to open AEO Rewriter pre-positioned.
Step 6
Run Deeper Analysis (Moats panel)
Below the citation table, three buttons unlock the moats no competitor ships: 'Analyze sentiment' (1cr · per-prompt positive/neutral/negative + verbatim phrase ChatGPT used to describe your brand) · 'Cluster topics' (1cr · groups your prompts into 3-7 semantic buckets with per-bucket rate · 'you win on comparisons 80% but lose on tutorials 0%') · 'Quality score' (FREE · how prominently you're cited — position in answer + word distance + linked-vs-mentioned).
Step 7
Check the Brand Authority Graph (Overview)
The 8 platforms AI engines mine when deciding who to cite (Wikipedia · LinkedIn · Crunchbase · G2 · Trustpilot · Capterra · Product Hunt · Glassdoor). Hit 'Check authority graph' (1cr · cached 7 days). Each platform shows Listed (open profile) or Claim (signup URL). Weighted score 0-100 reflects how well-known you are to AI.
Step 8
Generate schemas for your top pages (Schemas + AEO tab)
FAQ schema is the single biggest GEO booster — paste your page URL, Claude suggests 5-7 Q&A pairs (1cr · refund-on-fail), you edit, you get a paste-and-go JSON-LD snippet. Also HowTo / Article / Product generators (FREE, pure code).
Step 9
Rewrite weak pages with the AEO rewriter (Schemas + AEO tab)
For each prompt where you weren't cited, find the page that targets that intent, paste a paragraph, hit 'Rewrite for AI' (2cr · authorship-leak guarded). Claude restructures it: clear answer first, 3 supporting bullets, citable stat — the shape AI engines extract verbatim. Refund-on-fail if the guardrail blocks the output.
Step 10
Deploy your artifacts (Tools tab)
Generate llms.txt + entity JSON-LD (both FREE), then hit 'Deploy' — we detect your connected CMS (WordPress/Shopify/Webflow/Ghost/HubSpot) and give you the exact paste-in spot. Also AI Snippet Preview (1-prompt drill-down: 'describe my brand') and OG scan + search-action schema.
Step 11
Schedule the auto-check (weekly cron @minute=35)
Set a per-project cadence (weekly · biweekly · monthly · off) via POST /schedule. The geo_schedule_dispatch cron picks up due schedules every hour at minute=35 and runs check_citations() automatically. Trend line + Brain Forge signals (geo_low_visibility · geo_engine_gap) update automatically.
Step 12
Re-check + watch the trend climb
The Overview shows your citation-rate trend as bars (one per check, real-data vs demo distinguished). We auto-alert you (in-app + email) if your rate drops more than 20 points run-over-run.
Are AI engines actually citing you?
Outerank runs your priority prompts through ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Mode — then checks if your site is cited as a source. The citation rate is the AI-search ranking signal you can't see anywhere else.
- Multi-engine: ChatGPT · Perplexity · Gemini · AI Mode
- Real prompts, real answers, real citations
- 10 credits per prompt, results saved
- Compare prompts over time as engines evolve
Coverage by engine
Schema + canonical + entity links — graded.
AI engines parse structured data more aggressively than Google's classic crawler. Outerank grades your JSON-LD coverage, canonical correctness, hreflang sanity, entity-link density — the structural signals AI engines actually read.
- JSON-LD per page (Article / FAQPage / Product / Org)
- Canonical + hreflang validation
- Entity-link density (Wikipedia-style links)
- FAQ block presence (AI engines love these)
Structural grade
Share of AI voice — vs your top 3 competitors.
On the same prompt set, who else is being cited? Outerank ranks the top 3 competitors by AI-citation rate so you see exactly where the AI-search game is being won. The leaderboard is the gap-analysis you can't get elsewhere.
- Side-by-side citation rates on identical prompts
- Competitor entity-link density compared
- Engine-by-engine leaderboard
- Brain flags significant share-of-voice swings
Share of AI voice
Brain prescribes the exact AI-search fix.
Click 'Analyze' and Brain reads your citation report + structural audit, then writes a priority-ordered fix list. "Add Article schema to /blog/* (high ROI)", "Add a FAQ block to /products/foo" — specific, ranked.
- Priority-ordered fix list, not a generic checklist
- References your real URLs
- Estimated lift % per fix
- Saved analyses are free to re-open
Brain · GEO fix list
P1 · Add FAQPage schema to top 12 pillar pages — +18% citation rate.
P2 · Wire entity links (Wikipedia) on /glossary — +9% on Perplexity.
P3 · Fix 3 hreflang errors blocking AI Mode parsing.
Why Outerank
What classical SEO tools don't measure yet.
AI-search isn't "future SEO" — it's already a third of informational queries. Outerank measures it natively.
Real multi-engine citation rate
ChatGPT + Perplexity + Gemini + AI Mode, all four checked. Most tools query one engine and call it done.
Share of AI voice leaderboard
Side-by-side vs your top 3 competitors on identical prompts. The gap analysis nobody else surfaces.
Structural-signal grader
JSON-LD coverage, canonical, hreflang, entity links — the structural signals AI engines actually parse.
Brain writes the priority list
Not a 50-item checklist. A priority-ordered fix list with estimated lift % per item, referencing your real URLs.
Trend over time
Citation rate is a moving target. Outerank tracks it so you can see when an engine learned about your content.
Free AI Search Checker
Anyone can run a 1-prompt check before signing up. The on-ramp for the entire moat.
What costs credits
No surprises. Browsing and viewing saved results is always free.
Pro tips
- →Connect Perplexity Sonar first — it's the cheapest real engine ($0.005/query) and gives the strongest citation signal. One key flips the whole module to real-data mode for trial customers.
- →Custom prompts beat auto-generated. Paste 5 questions YOUR real buyers ask — that's the AI search ground truth.
- →Run the Brand Authority Graph before anything else — if you're missing from Wikipedia + Crunchbase + G2 + LinkedIn, no amount of FAQ schema will fix you. AI engines need authoritative sources to cite from.
- →Use sentiment analysis after a real-mode citation check — knowing ChatGPT calls you 'expensive but powerful' vs 'budget option for startups' is gold for positioning.
- →FAQ schema is the #1 single GEO lever. Pages with FAQPage JSON-LD get cited 3-5× more often. Add it to your homepage AND every key landing page.
- →Use the AEO rewriter on your top 10 blog posts that aren't getting cited. Rewriting just the intro paragraph (answer first, bullets after) often flips them into AI snippets.
- →Track competitors that beat you on the same prompts. Open their pages, study how they structured the answer, then rewrite yours sharper.
- →Run citations weekly once you have things shipping — the trend line is the proof your work is paying off, and the alert system catches drops before they hurt you.
- →Generate llms.txt + entity JSON-LD early — these are free, take 10 seconds, and most sites still don't have either.
Plain-English glossary
Every bit of jargon on this page, explained.
- GEO
- Generative Engine Optimization — making your site cited by AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Google AI Overviews, Grok), the way SEO targets Google's blue links.
- AEO
- Answer Engine Optimization — structuring content so AI engines can extract a clean, quotable answer. Lead with the claim, follow with evidence, end with attribution.
- Demo mode (honest mode)
- When 0 AI engine keys are connected, the citation tracker falls back to Claude estimating what each engine WOULD say. Amber banner makes it explicit, billing is waived — your credits are not charged in demo mode.
- Citation vs Mention
- Citation = your domain is in the engine's citation list (the strong signal). Mention = your brand name appears in the answer body without a link (still valuable for AI memory).
- Citation rate
- Of the prompts tested, the percentage where you got CITED in at least one engine. Higher = more AI visibility.
- Per-engine breakdown
- Citation rate split per engine — you might be cited 80% on Perplexity but 0% on Gemini. Tells you where to focus.
- Competitor leaderboard
- Same prompts, ranked by who got cited most. Shows exactly who's winning the AI search game in your niche.
- Share of AI Voice
- Your citation % vs your top competitors on the same prompts, charted over time.
- Brand Authority Graph
- Real DataForSEO presence check across the 8 platforms AI engines mine when deciding who to cite (Wikipedia · LinkedIn · Crunchbase · G2 · Trustpilot · Capterra · Product Hunt · Glassdoor). Weighted score 0-100. 7-day cache. The 'do you exist to AI engines' diagnostic.
- Mention sentiment
- Per-cited prompt classification of the brand mention as positive / neutral / negative + extracted verbatim phrase. Knowing ChatGPT calls you 'expensive but powerful' is gold for positioning.
- Topic clusters
- Groups your tracked prompts into 3-7 semantic buckets with per-bucket citation rate. 'You win on tool comparisons (80%) but lose on tutorials (0%)' beats a single average that hides everything.
- Answer Quality Score
- Prominence scoring 0-100 per citation: position in answer (1st = 100, 5th = 40) + word distance to brand mention + linked-vs-mentioned weight. Deterministic, free.
- AI Snippet Preview
- Single-prompt diagnostic asking AI 'Describe my brand in 3 sentences.' Different from Citation Tracker (5-prompt batch) — this is your brand-identity pulse-check.
- llms.txt
- A plain-text file at your domain root (like robots.txt) telling AI crawlers which pages matter. Emerging standard, low effort, high signal.
- FAQ schema
- JSON-LD code in a page's <head> declaring 'this page has Q&A pairs'. The #1 single GEO lever — pages with it get cited 3-5× more.
- HowTo schema
- JSON-LD declaring 'this is step-by-step instructions'. AI engines extract clean ordered steps from this.
- Article schema
- JSON-LD with author + publisher + date. Strengthens E-E-A-T signals so engines trust your content more.
- Entity JSON-LD
- Organization/brand schema that tells AI engines who you are, with sameAs links to your verified profiles (LinkedIn / Crunchbase / Wikipedia).
- E-E-A-T
- Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust — the trust signals AI engines use to decide who to cite.
- Readiness score
- Your 0-100 grade on the 7 AI-readiness checks.
Questions, answered
Site Audit FAQs
Which AI engines are tracked?
Why does the banner say DEMO MODE?
How do I flip the module to real-data mode?
What's the difference between 'cited' and 'mentioned'?
What is the Brand Authority Graph?
What is AI Snippet Preview?
How does competitor benchmarking work?
What are the 5 moats no competitor ships?
Can I use my own customer questions instead of generic ones?
What's the AEO rewriter for?
Can I deploy llms.txt + entity JSON-LD straight to my site?
Will I get alerted if my citation rate drops?
How often should I run citation checks?
Is my citation history accurate after I flip from demo to real mode?
How we compare
Honest comparison — where we win, where the big tools win.
vs. Profound ($499/mo)
We ship every column they ship (citation tracking, sentiment, quality score) PLUS the columns they don't (topic clusters, AI traffic attribution, Brand Authority Graph, schemas + AEO rewriter) — at Pro+ pricing (~$29 included, not a $499 add-on).
vs. Athena HQ ($249/mo)
Their pitch is 'AI Search Console' (AI traffic attribution). We ship that as Moat 4 + the other 4 moats they don't (sentiment, clusters, quality score, authority graph) + 6 engines tracked vs their 3.
vs. Otterly ($99/mo) / Peec ($89/mo)
They do citation tracking on 3-4 engines and stop there. We track 6 engines (added Claude, Google AI Overviews, Grok) + 5 deeper moats + schemas + AEO rewriter — all included.
vs. Ahrefs / Semrush
They sell GEO add-ons starting at $39/mo extra, and they only do citation tracking. We built GEO as a first-class module — citation tracker + 5 moats + FAQ/HowTo/Article schema generators + AEO content rewriter in one place.
vs. DIY (ChatGPT + Schema Markup Generator + manual checks)
You'd spend hours per page. Outerank does it in seconds, with real citation data + Brand Authority Graph + sentiment + competitor benchmarks + a content rewriter trained for AI-quotability.
Ready to try AI Search Optimizer?
Open it on one of your projects.
Come back here whenever you need a refresher.