What is GSO? How It Brings AI and SEO Together
GSO — Generative + Search Optimisation — is Sentius's framework for making sure your business is found everywhere people are actually searching: in traditional Google results, and in the AI-generated answers now sitting above them, from Google AI Overviews to ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
Generative +
Search
Optimisation
Generative + Search Optimisation (GSO™) is the future of AI-based search visibility.
GSO is our radical remodel of SEO, a unique strategy designed to train AI systems and search engines to recognise and trust your brand.
As search evolves, we ensure your business is referenced as an authoritative source by platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google.
| Layer | What It Means | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
|
GSO
Generative + Search Optimisation |
Sentius's trademarked framework for AI-era visibility — built on two pillars, not one. Every business needs both traditional rankings and AI-answer visibility. | Our complete framework for AI-era visibility — a single roadmap, one team, and monthly reporting that tracks traditional rankings and AI citations side by side. |
|
Traditional SEO
|
Rankings in Google's organic blue links through technical optimisation, content and authority. | Keyword strategy and mapping, on-page optimisation, technical fixes (site speed, crawlability, indexation), content development and ethical link building. |
|
AI Retrieval
(GEO + AEO combined) |
Getting your brand cited and extracted by AI engines — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews — when people ask relevant questions. | Brand entity and Knowledge Graph building, AI citation monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, FAQ/Q&A schema, structured data implementation, and featured snippet & AI Overview targeting. |
What Does a GSO Strategy Include?
A complete GSO engagement with Sentius covers three integrated workstreams — traditional SEO foundations, AI engine visibility (GEO), and answer engine optimisation (AEO) — all working together as one strategy. Optimising only one is like building a shop with no sign on the door.
Traditional SEO
Keyword & Content Strategy
- Primary and secondary keyword research mapped to buyer intent
- Content audit identifying gaps vs competitors and AI-generated results
- Topical authority mapping — building clusters search engines trust
- Content brief creation for writers and your design team
Technical SEO
- Full technical audit: crawl errors, site speed, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability
- Schema markup: Service, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, LocalBusiness, HowTo
- Internal link architecture and crawl budget optimisation
- Indexability review — ensuring Google can find and rank everything it should
Authority Building
- Ethical, white-hat link acquisition through digital PR and outreach
- Competitor backlink gap analysis — targeting what they have that you don't
- Brand mention monitoring and link reclamation
- Local citation building for location-based authority signals
GEO
Brand Entity Optimisation
- Establishing your brand as a recognised entity in AI knowledge graphs
- Google Knowledge Panel setup, optimisation and verification
- Structured data implementation to help AI engines understand who you are
- Wikipedia, Wikidata and authoritative directory presence review
AI Citation Building
- Creating citable, authoritative content AI assistants reference in their answers
- Digital PR to earn mentions in publications AI engines treat as trusted sources
- Competitor citation gap analysis — who are AI engines recommending instead of you?
- Monthly citation monitoring across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot
AEO
Featured Snippet Targeting
- Identifying 'People Also Ask' and position-zero opportunities in your niche
- Content restructuring to match the format Google's AI extracts for Overviews
- FAQ schema implementation across all key service and product pages
- Voice search optimisation for conversational, long-tail queries
AI Overview Strategy
- Monitoring and reporting on which queries trigger AI Overviews in your industry
- Content creation in formats AI Overviews prefer: definitions, numbered lists, comparisons
- Speakable schema for content targeted at AI assistants and voice results
- Ongoing testing and iteration as Google's AI Overview algorithm evolves
Is GSO Right for Your Business?
Australian businesses that rely on search traffic for leads or revenue need GSO as part of standard SEO practice. Google already serves AI-generated answers alongside traditional organic results — the question is whether your brand appears in them, or your competitors do.
GSO covers both sides of that question: the traditional SEO rankings your business already relies on, and the AI Retrieval that decides whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews cite you when someone asks. Most Australian businesses are only covering one side of that — which is exactly the gap the checklist below is built to help you spot.
Sentius provides AI SEO services across a broad range of Australian industries. Our strategy-first approach adapts to the specific search behaviour of each sector:
| Industry | Why AI SEO Matters for Them |
|---|---|
| Professional Services (legal, accounting, finance) | Clients search 'best [service] in [suburb]' — AI Overviews now answer this directly |
| eCommerce & Retail | Product and category page visibility in AI-generated shopping answers and comparisons |
| Health & Medical | Patients increasingly use AI to research symptoms, treatments and practitioners |
| B2B & SaaS | AI assistants are now used in procurement research — brand visibility in these answers drives pipeline |
| Education & Training | Students use ChatGPT to research course options — institutions not in AI answers lose enrolments |
| Hospitality & Tourism | 'Best restaurants in Melbourne' and 'things to do in [city]' are prime AI Overview queries |
| Real Estate & Property | Buyers and renters use AI assistants for suburb comparisons and agent recommendations |
| Home Services & Tradies | 'Best plumber near me' — Google's AI Overviews dominate these local results |
How Our AI SEO Process Works
Our GSO process is strategy-first by design. We don't start with tactics — we start with understanding where your brand sits in the AI search landscape, where the gaps are, and what will make the biggest difference fastest.
We analyse your current visibility across Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and ChatGPT. We identify which queries in your niche trigger AI-generated answers, which competitors appear in those answers, and where your brand is absent. This becomes your AI search baseline.
We map both traditional search intent and AI search intent for your category. We identify the questions AI assistants are answering in your niche, the keywords driving those answers, and the entity signals your brand needs to be recognised as authoritative.
We restructure your page content for both traditional SEO and AI extraction: FAQ schema, HowTo schema, entity statements, content formats AI prefers. Your pages become the kind of source AI assistants cite.
We build the off-page authority signals that tell both Google and AI engines your brand is trustworthy: editorial backlinks, digital PR, brand mentions in publications AI engines reference, and knowledge graph optimisation.
We track your AI search visibility monthly — not just rankings. You'll see when Sentius work results in your brand being cited by AI assistants, alongside traditional metrics like traffic, positions and conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions About AI SEO
What is AI SEO?
AI SEO involves leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing to optimize website architectures, predict search intent, scale semantic content strategies, and monitor algorithmic changes rapidly.
What is GSO (Generative + Search Optimisation)?
GSO is a comprehensive approach that targets optimization across both traditional search engine indexing models and the newer generative layers powering hybrid search engines.
What is GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation?
GEO focuses specifically on structuring your site's data and information architecture so large language models (LLMs) can easily crawl, synthesize, and attribute your content as a cited source within AI-generated responses.
What is AEO — Answer Engine Optimisation?
AEO prioritizes optimizing content to target zero-click queries, conversational voice search prompts, and rapid-fire answers generated by AI smart assistants and dedicated discovery portals.
How is AI SEO different from regular SEO?
While traditional SEO emphasizes keywords, standalone backlinks, and strict URL structures for traditional web crawlers, AI SEO shifts the focus toward semantic query depth, context modeling, structured entity schema, and target optimization for LLM data pipelines.
How long does AI SEO take to show results?
Initial indexing adjustments and schema optimizations can show preliminary technical movements within weeks. However, scaling deep contextual authority across generative platforms typically takes 3 to 6 months to establish consistent visibility.
Can you get my business to appear in ChatGPT or Perplexity results?
Yes. By utilizing GEO techniques—such as maximizing context richness, structuring clear data patterns, generating high-citation counts, and optimizing technical crawling pipelines—you can dramatically increase your probability of appearing in conversational engine syntheses.
How much does AI SEO cost in Australia?
Pricing ranges based on scale and technical complexity. Core foundational implementations, entity map structures, and programmatic ongoing content optimization strategies typically vary depending on standard agency tiers and overall project scope requirements.