GEO Optimisation and Answer Engine Optimization for multilingual brands

GEO (generative engine optimization) optimises content so that AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews cite your brand in their answer. SEO focuses on your position in classic search results. GEO and SEO overlap, but aim at a different endpoint. With SEO you win a click; with GEO you win a mention in the answer the user reads without clicking through. The structural requirements are largely the same: clear headings, structured data (Schema.org), demonstrable authority (E-E-A-T) and content that answers a question head-on. GEO also needs passages a language model can lift cleanly and attribute to your site.

Language models cite content that answers a question directly, is well-structured (headings, lists, Schema.org) and comes from a recognisable, authoritative source. We build those signals in: direct answers at the top, structured data and consistent entity mention across your site. In practice that means every important page opens with a concise answer that can be quoted on its own, facts appear in scannable structure, and your brand, services and field are named consistently so a model recognises you as an entity. Nobody can guarantee a specific model will cite you. We make sure you qualify — and track citations where our monitoring picks them up.

SEO targets positions in classic search results. AEO (answer engine optimization) targets direct answers and featured snippets within a search engine. GEO (generative engine optimization) targets mentions in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. All three share the same structural foundation: without solid technical SEO and authority, none of them work. We treat them as one strategy, not three separate line items, because the same structured, citable content does the job for all of them.

Yes. Language models answer questions in dozens of languages and draw on content written in that language. Being visible in German or French AI answers requires native content per market — not a translation of your English pages. This is where Ecrivus's core offer comes together: GEO and international SEO in 225+ languages, written by native specialists who know how their market searches and phrases things. A German searcher asks differently from a British one, even for exactly the same product, and a model cites the source that gives the best answer in that language. AI translations are always reviewed by a human specialist.

Hreflang is an HTML/HTTP attribute per RFC 5646 / BCP 47 that tells search engines which language version is intended for which language or region, with x-default as a fallback. Correct hreflang prevents Google from serving the wrong language version to a user. We implement hreflang with x-default fallback, ensure every language version points to itself and to all alternatives, and validate via Google Search Console international targeting. It matters for GEO too: a model that finds the right language version of your page cites the right market.

No. British searchers often use different terms from German or French ones, even for identical products. International SEO and GEO require localised keyword research per market — not translation. Localised keyword research per market — not literal translation of source-language keywords means that search intent, volume and competition per market are analysed separately. For non-literal landing page and ad copy, <a href="/en/services/marketing-translation/">transcreation</a> is the adjacent service that sits alongside SEO localisation.

Yes — for data analysis (rankings, competition, SERP and AI citation monitoring) and for MTPE on lower-risk volumes with human review. Native specialists with SEO expertise per market write the citable cornerstone content. AI translations are always reviewed by a human specialist. We give no ranking or citation guarantees. What we deliver is technically sound SEO, GEO-ready content and native localisation.

We quote per project based on number of languages, site size and desired depth (audit, keyword and entity research, content, structured data, hreflang, monitoring). Rates are confirmed in writing upfront; retainer rates are available for ongoing engagements by arrangement. Reporting covers impressions and hreflang detection via Search Console international targeting, plus visible AI citations where our monitoring picks them up. We do not promise positions or traffic percentages, because those depend on factors outside any agency's control.