⏰ The 30-second version
- Customers meet AI search in roughly three places — ChatGPT (conversation), Perplexity (sources), and Google AI Overviews (top of search).
- All three build answers from web content, but they differ in how they show sources. Perplexity and Google expose source links, so you earn clicks; on ChatGPT, the brand mention itself is the win.
- Prioritize by where your customers already are — for e-commerce, start with Google AI Overviews + ChatGPT.
- Good news: all three reward the same kind of content, so write it well once and you cover all three surfaces at once.
Three surfaces, three personalities
| ChatGPT | Perplexity | Google AI Overviews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you meet it | Customer chats directly | Customer searches directly | Appears automatically when you Google |
| Answer format | Conversational recommendation | Answer + source cards | Search summary + sources |
| The seller's win | Brand mention | Cited source → click | Cited source → click |
| Monthly search vol. (tool name) | — | 368,000 | 320 (+27%) |
ChatGPT is a surface where the mention is everything. The effect is less about link clicks and more about the customer learning your brand. Perplexity is the reverse — sources are the star, so getting cited drives real traffic.
Google AI Overviews operates at a different scale. The customer doesn't go looking for AI — the Google they always use pushes AI at them first. For e-commerce sellers, it's the surface where the impact hits fastest.
Where to respond first: start where the customers are
Try to cover everything and you'll never start. Here's an order:
- Google AI Overviews — the surface most customers meet automatically. Detailed approach
- ChatGPT — the first port of call for younger and research-minded customers.
- Perplexity — volume is growing, and the source-click upside is concrete.
And here's the relief: all three engines reward content that "answers the question directly, can be cut into pieces, and exists as text." You don't have to write different content per surface — one GEO formula covers all three at once.
FAQ
Q. What about Google's AI Overview specifically?
That's exactly what "Google AI Overviews" refers to here — the AI summary Google shows at the top of search. It appears often for recommendation-style queries in e-commerce, and the same principles apply, so the formula above carries straight over.
Q. If my brand's mentions differ by engine, which do I optimize for?
The difference itself is information. If you show up in only one place, check what the source content is there, and extend that format to your other questions. That's the efficient move.
Q. Do I have to check all three by hand every time?
The principle is covered by the self-check, but repeating dozens of questions × three surfaces is real work, so a tool is the realistic option.
Originally published at en.bultibulti.com. We run a free GEO audit there — it checks one of your pages against 30 buyer questions, no signup.
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