GEO for travel brands builds on good SEO, as described in Google’s SEO starter guide.
Travellers no longer just type “hotel Ardennes” into Google. They ask an AI assistant: “Which quiet hotel in the Ardennes suits a weekend with children?” The answer names a handful of places. If your brand isn’t among them, it doesn’t exist for that traveller.
What exactly is GEO?
With SEO you work towards a high position in Google’s results. With GEO you work towards an AI assistant including your brand in its answer. The difference: in Google the traveller chooses from ten links; in ChatGPT the assistant chooses for them. If you aren’t mentioned, there’s no second chance.
How does an AI assistant decide which brands to mention?
AI assistants combine what they have learned with information they look up on the web in the moment. They favour sources that:
- answer a question directly and clearly;
- contain concrete facts: location, distances, price level, who it suits, seasons;
- are current and regularly updated;
- are confirmed by other sites, such as travel platforms, reviews, guides and news articles.
A beautiful but vague page (“a unique experience for everyone”) helps little. A page that says “20 minutes from Bruges, with family rooms and an indoor pool” helps a lot.
Five steps for travel brands
- Collect the questions. What do travellers ask about your destination or offer? Look at questions your customer service receives, search terms in Google Search Console and what people would ask ChatGPT.
- Answer them on your site. Give each important question a clear answer, ideally in the first sentence of a paragraph. An FAQ block per page works well.
- Be specific. State facts: how far, how long, for whom, when, what’s included. Avoid empty superlatives.
- Structure your pages. Use clear subheadings, lists and structured data (schema.org) such as Organization, Hotel, TouristAttraction and FAQPage.
- Get mentioned elsewhere. AI assistants trust brands that are named in several places: travel platforms, tourism sites, press coverage and reviews.
Think multilingual in the Benelux
A Flemish, Walloon and Dutch traveller ask the same question in a different language, sometimes with different priorities. Make sure your key pages exist in Dutch and French, and in English where relevant. An assistant answering in French looks for French-language sources first.
How do you measure results?
Measuring GEO is not yet as simple as SEO. A few practical methods:
- regularly ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity your key questions and note whether you’re mentioned;
- track traffic from AI assistants in GA4 (referrals from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and gemini.google.com);
- watch whether searches for your brand name increase.
FAQ
Does GEO replace traditional SEO?
No. Good SEO is the foundation of GEO. Clear, factual pages perform well in both.
Can I pay to be mentioned in an AI answer?
No. You can advertise in ChatGPT, but those ads are separate from the answer. Being mentioned in the answer itself is earned with good content.
How quickly will I see results?
Allow a few months. AI assistants first need to find and trust your new or updated pages.
More on our Search & AI page.