A GEO audit checks whether AI engines name and describe your business correctly. What a generative engine optimization audit covers, how it differs from an SEO audit, and how to run one.
By Heather Laskin · Published July 13, 2026
Search is changing shape. A growing share of buyers ask an AI engine for a recommendation and read a short answer instead of a page of links. A GEO audit tells you where your business stands in that new answer layer: whether AI names you, describes you correctly, and puts you ahead of competitors.
A GEO audit is a review of how generative AI engines see your business. It checks whether the AI engines your customers use name you when asked for a recommendation, whether the details they give are accurate, and how you compare to competitors. The output is a clear picture of your AI visibility and the fixes that will improve it.
GEO stands for generative engine optimization, the work of showing up well in AI-generated answers. A GEO audit is the measurement step. You ask the AI engines your customers use the questions a real buyer would type, then record what comes back: are you named, what is said about you, and which competitors appear instead.
A GEO audit is more than a one-time score. It looks at the sources AI reads, checks whether they agree about who you are, and points to the specific reasons you appear or stay hidden. For the wider framework behind it, see what is generative engine optimization.
A useful GEO audit covers four things.
Together these show not only your current standing but the reason behind it, which is what makes the result fixable.
An SEO audit and a GEO audit look at different things. An SEO audit checks whether your pages rank in a list of links: keywords, backlinks, page speed, crawl errors. A GEO audit checks whether AI names your business in a generated answer.
| Question | SEO audit | GEO audit |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Ranking in a list of links | Whether AI names you in an answer |
| Main signals | Keywords, backlinks, speed | Entity clarity, structured data, citations, review depth |
| Output | Position and traffic gaps | Presence, accuracy, and the sources behind them |
The two overlap. A fast, credible site helps both. A GEO audit adds a layer an SEO audit skips: whether the AI engines can read your business as one clear entity, and whether the sources they trust agree about you.
Start by asking. Take the questions a real buyer would ask an AI engine, then read the answers honestly. Note whether you appear, what is said, and who beats you. Do this across the AI engines your customers actually use, not one.
Next, trace the sources. Look at which pages and listings the answers lean on, and check them for conflicts in your name, address, services, or hours. Conflicting facts lower an engine's confidence and keep you out of the answer.
Then fix in order. Correct the facts first, so any engine that finds you describes you correctly. Add structured data so an engine can read your business without guessing. Build a deep FAQ that answers the real questions buyers ask. Re-run the audit later to see whether AI names you more often. Most owners have never checked, and the gap stays hidden until they do, which is the AI visibility gap most businesses do not know exists. You can run a free preview audit for a business like yours to see what an audit surfaces, or see what a full AI visibility audit covers.
Owners ask the same handful of questions before they run one. Direct answers are below.