Conclusion
A fast website, clean code and structured data won't make ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini recommend your brand. But if they're missing, an AI bot can't read you properly and you simply don't take part. Technology is a hygiene factor, not a competitive advantage. The difference is made on three sides: technology, content and reputation, with your identity at the centre, meaning how a language model recognises your brand. Work only on your website, and you're working on one side out of three.
Explanation
Where the quote comes from
I heard it in Shaping the Future, a Dutch-language podcast by DDMA, the Dutch association for data-driven marketing. In the episode of 6 October, Brenda van den Berg talks to Martin van Kranenburg, who wrote GEO, the new SEO together with Bob van Duuren. To me, it was one of the first sources that explains GEO clearly. Not as yet another technique for search specialists, but as something that touches the core of your organisation or brand. Listen to the episode (in Dutch).
The three sides AI looks at
Martin pictures it as a triangle. Each side carries weight, and in the middle sits the question a language model is really trying to answer: who is this brand?
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01
Technology
Speed, clean code and structured data. Without this foundation, an AI bot can't read you. It's a condition for taking part, not a reason to be chosen.
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02
Content
Concrete, specific and citable. A language model looks for answers to real questions, not superlatives or slogans.
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03
Reputation
Reviews, press, podcasts. What others say about you carries more weight than your own story.
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At the centre: identity
Who you are, what you do and for whom. The more clearly that is defined, the better a language model recognises your brand and puts it in the right context.
Where it goes wrong in practice
In my conversations with companies, I often see the attention go to one side: the website. Understandable, because that's where you're in control. But a language model also looks at what others say about you and whether your content answers a concrete question. A technically perfect site with vague copy and little outside confirmation rarely ends up in the answer.
Who does what
Reputation and content remain your job, or your agency's. We show whether that work pays off, exactly the way Martin describes it.
Which side is your brand's weakest?
Put the three sides next to each other and be honest. Is your site technically sound, but does your content not answer a single concrete question? Or do you write strong content while nobody else talks about you? The weakest side is usually where you'll make the fastest progress.
The logical next step
Want to know how visible your brand is to AI agents?
xcited runs a free, comprehensive scan for your company and walks you through the results.
- 01 Request a free scan via xcited.io
- 02 xcited runs a free scan for your brand
- 03 We walk through the results and you receive concrete improvement tips
- 04 You decide if and how to proceed
