If you work in B2B marketing today, you have probably noticed something subtle but important. Search still matters, content still matters, and yet the way visibility is earned no longer looks the same as it did even a year ago.
Buyers are no longer just searching. They are asking full questions. And instead of scrolling through links, they increasingly receive a generated answer first.
That shift is exactly why GEO has become such a frequent topic in our recent conversations, follow-up emails, and webinar Q&A sessions. The questions keep repeating:
- What does visibility really mean now?
- How do we know if AI engines understand our content?
- And how do we audit this properly, without guessing?
This article is meant to help you do exactly that. A practical, structured way to audit your GEO strategy, grounded in what we are seeing across real B2B websites and discussions.
Start with the right question
Before looking at tools or metrics, there is one essential question to ask yourself.
If an AI engine had to explain your company to a potential buyer today, would you be comfortable with that explanation?
That question reframes everything.
Traditional SEO focused on rankings and clicks. GEO focuses on whether your content is selected, understood, and trusted when answers are generated before any click happens.
This distinction came up repeatedly in our latest webinar. Many companies still measure success mainly through traffic, while visibility quietly shifts to places that never show up in analytics dashboards.
An effective GEO audit starts by accepting that reality.
Step 1: Check how AI already represents you
The first step is simple and surprisingly revealing.
Ask AI engines the same questions your buyers ask during early research. Not branded questions. Real decision-stage questions.
For example:
- What is the best solution for a specific problem you solve?
- How do companies typically approach a challenge in your space?
- Which tools fit a certain company size or industry?
Then read the answers carefully.
You are not just looking for your brand name. You are evaluating how the answer is framed.
Consider:
- Are you mentioned at all?
- Are you grouped with the right alternatives?
- Is your positioning accurate or outdated?
One pattern we discussed during our latest webinar is that being mentioned incorrectly can be more damaging than not being mentioned. If AI associates you with the wrong use case or audience, that perception spreads quickly.
Step 2: Review your content from an AI perspective
At this stage, resist the instinct to judge content like a marketer. AI does not read your site the way humans do.
Instead, it breaks content into components, compares explanations across sources, and looks for clarity and consistency.
Ask yourself: Can this page be used as a reliable answer to a specific question?
When auditing your content, pay attention to:
- Clear definitions of what you do and who it is for
- Pages that focus on one problem or use case at a time
- Explanations written like guidance, not campaign copy
A strong signal from our recent session was that content performing well in AI answers often looks less promotional and more instructional. It explains context, trade-offs, and decision criteria.
If your content assumes too much prior knowledge, AI will fill in the gaps on its own.
Step 3: Evaluate authority beyond your website
One of the most common misconceptions about GEO is assuming your own website carries the most weight.
In practice, AI engines cross-check information across many sources. They look for signals that confirm credibility and consistency.
As part of your audit, review:
- Where your brand is mentioned outside your site
- Whether those mentions explain what you do or just list you
- How consistently others describe your value
Sources that frequently influence AI answers include:
- Industry articles and expert blogs
- Knowledge platforms and encyclopedic resources
- Community discussions and forums
- Video transcripts and long-form explanations
You do not need presence everywhere. You need presence where explanations live.
Step 4: Reframe how you look at performance signals
Many teams become concerned when they see impressions increasing while traffic declines. In isolation, that looks negative.
In the context of GEO, it often means something else entirely.
Generated answers reduce the need for clicks, especially for early-stage questions. Visibility may increase even when visits decrease.
In your audit, expand your evaluation beyond visits:
- Are prospects better informed during sales calls?
- Are repetitive educational questions disappearing?
- Are conversions holding steady despite traffic changes?
These are indirect but meaningful GEO indicators.
Step 5: Assess how specific your content really is
AI responds best to specificity. General statements rarely stand out.
One of the strongest themes from our recent discussions was the importance of context-specific content. Not just what you offer, but for whom and under which conditions.
Review your content through this lens:
- Do you address different roles separately?
- Do you distinguish between company sizes or maturity levels?
- Do you clearly state constraints, requirements, or assumptions?
Content that speaks to precise situations is easier for AI to select and reuse as an answer.
Step 6: Review how you measure GEO visibility
A growing number of tools claim to measure AI visibility. Some are useful. Some simply reuse older SEO logic in a new interface.
When auditing your measurement approach, look for tools that:
- Track prompts instead of keywords
- Show frequency of appearance in generated answers
- Include sentiment or framing indicators
- Reveal which sources AI relies on most
Be cautious with recommendations that suggest speculative technical fixes without evidence. This space is still evolving, and not every proposed standard is adopted in practice.
Your audit should aim for directional insight, not absolute certainty.
Step 7: Turn findings into priorities, not panic
A GEO audit is not meant to trigger a full content rewrite overnight.
Its purpose is clarity.
By the end of the process, you should clearly understand:
- How AI currently interprets your brand
- Where that interpretation is incomplete or inaccurate
- Which content gaps matter most
- Which external signals influence your visibility
From there, prioritization becomes much easier.
Visibility today is not only about being found. It is about being understood when answers are generated automatically.
If an AI engine had to guide a potential buyer toward a decision tomorrow, would you trust the explanation it gives about your business?
If the answer is yes, your GEO foundation is solid. If not, your audit has already done its job by showing you where to focus next.
