How to Optimize Your B2B Brand for ChatGPT

If You’ve Been Putting Off GEO, Here’s Your Sign to Reprioritize

According to Forrester, 89% of B2B buyers are using generative AI (GenAI) as a primary source of self-guided information throughout their buying journey.

And yet… most teams still treat SEO like it’s 2021.

Old-school SEO won’t hurt your visibility—but it’s no longer enough to guarantee it. Tools like ChatGPT weigh more than your website. They scan third-party sources: social media, forums, expert blogs, product reviews, and more.

If you’ve been wondering how to evolve your content and tech stack to match how B2B buyers actually research in 2025, this article will walk you through a GenAI refresh.

TL;DR

• Use traditional keyword tools to inform GenAI prompt research
• Your website’s structure and technical setup still matter
• GenAI pulls from the whole internet—not just your site
• ChatGPT favors third-party mentions over your own blog
• Your content strategy must include off-site influence

Start with What You Know: Keyword Research

Most “AI brand visibility” tools aren’t tracking real-world buyer behavior. They assess how you show up in GenAI if someone already knows your brand—which isn’t how discovery usually works.

Buyers start with their problem. They look for categories and use cases, not vendor names. That’s why traditional SEO keyword research still matters.

Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google’s PAA (People Also Ask) help you surface the language real people use to explore your space. Yes, we all speak a bit more conversationally to AI tools—but habits change slowly. Keyword patterns still hold.

💡 Pro tip: Don’t shy away from aspirational keywords. GenAI doesn’t stop at your website. If your thought leaders are showing up in podcasts, roundups, or forum posts, your odds of being mentioned by ChatGPT go way up.

Prompt Research: GEO’s Version of Keyword Research

Customer interviews are still gold standard (here’s our guide)—but if you’re short on time, your call recording tool (think Gong or Jiminy) is sitting on a treasure trove of prompt-worthy questions.

Here’s how to reverse-engineer what your buyers might ask GenAI:

1. Analyze the questions from sales calls and demos
   
2. Supplement with “People Also Ask,” Reddit threads, or tools like AnswerThePublic
   
3. Ask ChatGPT: What prompts would someone use when evaluating [your product category]?
   

Once you’ve gathered a solid list, it’s time to trick ChatGPT and run some tests

How to Test ChatGPT Like Your Buyer Would

To simulate a real buyer experience:

• Use a VPN to set your location to the country you’re targeting
  
• Open an incognito window (don’t log into your ChatGPT account)
  
• Ask one of your prompts
  
• Analyze the results
  
• Ask ChatGPT to cite sources if it doesn’t do so by default
  

You’ll notice pretty quickly that the results look nothing like a Google SERP. That’s the point. What’s showing up—and what’s missing—is your GEO roadmap.

What Actually Influences GEO Rankings?

We mentioned that ChatGPT results are typically vastly different from what you’ll see using Google. That’s because ChatGPT scans review sites, Reddit and other forums, analyst blogs (e.g., Gartner, TechRadar), industry news, and social media threads.

Yes, your website matters. It’s still one source generative AI looks at.  But it’s now one voice in a much larger conversation.

If you want GenAI to take you seriously, your strategy needs to include:

• Speaking at events
  
• Earning third-party write-ups
  
• Engaging in social conversations
  
• Investing in PR with a distribution-first mindset

Worth the Effort: Boosting On-Site Visibility for GenAI

A technically sound website still helps—especially if it makes life easier for the bots.

Improve your odds of being cited by ChatGPT by:

• Using structured data (JSON-LD, schema markup)
  
• Creating high-intent pages like product comparisons and pricing breakdowns
  
• Formatting content in clear, GenAI-friendly ways (think: semantic headers, direct answers, and clean structure)
  
• Also, make sure the content your buyers care about is easily crawlable and clearly worded. You’re writing for machines and humans now.
  

GEO is Ongoing—Not a One-Time Fix

If you’ve worked in SEO, you know the drill: success takes consistency. GEO is no different.

You’ll need to:

• Monitor GenAI tool visits (LLM traffic) to your site
  
• Track which content gets cited (and where)
  
• Look for indirect signals, like a rise in branded search volume, even if site traffic dips
  

We’ve got a guide for spotting LLM visits if you want to geek out on that. But the key takeaway is this: if ChatGPT mentions you, more people will Google you. And that’s your real visibility signal.

Final Thoughts

GEO isn’t the future. It’s already reshaping how B2B buyers make decisions.

If ChatGPT can’t name your brand when asked for “top [insert product category] tools,” you’re out of the running before the sales cycle even starts.

The smartest marketers aren’t ditching SEO—they’re leveling it up.

If you’d like help, we’ve created a free audit just for B2B marketers you can apply for by clicking here.