How to get into AI answers: GEO for brands in Kazakhstan
AI assistants rarely link to the brand's own website. They quote what others write about the brand: directories, forums, media, rankings. So GEO is two tasks at once: make your own content easy to quote and get written about on authoritative platforms.
What is known about AI sources
- According to Ahrefs (15,000 queries), 88% of the links AI assistants cite do not match Google's top 10. A high search ranking does not guarantee a place in an AI answer.
- ChatGPT and Perplexity cite different sources: they share only about 11% of domains.
- Brands present on 4 or more authoritative third-party platforms are cited about 2.8 times more often.
- The volume of branded search queries is more strongly linked to citation frequency than backlinks are: brand awareness drives visibility in AI.
- The academic study “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” showed that proper content preparation increases its visibility in the answers of generative systems by up to 40%, with the effect depending on the topic.
AI sources change quickly: in autumn 2025, ChatGPT sharply reduced the share of links to Reddit and Wikipedia. So betting on a single platform is risky, while broad presence is not.
What to do on your own website
- The answer in the first paragraph. An AI takes short, self-contained fragments: a paragraph should make sense without context.
- Numbers, dates and sources. Concrete facts are quoted more often than general statements.
- Questions and answers at the end of pages, phrased as real customer questions.
- Your own data. Research, benchmarks, prices: things that are not available anywhere else.
- The technical side: Schema.org markup (organisation, services, FAQ, articles), an llms.txt file, fast loading and text available without JavaScript.
- Versions in Kazakh and Russian: AI assistants answer in the language of the question and prefer sources in the same language.
What to do beyond your website
- Expert publications and comments in the media and industry outlets.
- Industry rankings, directories and awards.
- Listings on Yandex Business, Google Business Profile and 2GIS with reviews.
- Mentions in Telegram channels and forums where your topic is discussed.
- The same company description everywhere: this helps AI assistants build a coherent picture of you with more confidence.
How to measure
Once a month, ask AI assistants 20–30 questions your clients ask and note whether you are mentioned, with or without a link, which competitors appear alongside you and which sources the answer cites. In your website analytics, segment traffic from chatgpt.com, perplexity.ai and other AI services.
Sources: Aggarwal et al., GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (arXiv) · 5W, State of AI Citations 2026: a summary of research by Ahrefs, Profound, Semrush and others