Teams often ask us where to start with GEO and AI search. Below is the short version we share with cross-border e-commerce sellers preparing for the Middle East.
How to report progress
Report monthly on share of mention across the prompt set, number of prompts where you are recommended, number of cited URLs from your domain, and leads that mention AI search as the source. Tag those leads in your CRM so the work can be tied to revenue rather than screenshots.
A 90-day pilot
Month one: facts page, prompt baseline, technical fixes. Month two: five to eight answer pages and directory clean-up. Month three: re-run the prompt set, compare, and decide which topics to expand. A pilot keeps the budget small and the learning concrete.
Pages that earn citations
Assistants cite pages that answer one question well. Create focused pages for pricing logic, integrations, comparisons, implementation steps and FAQs. Put the direct answer in the first two sentences, then supporting detail, dates and sources. Related reading: how to choose an AI search optimisation company.
Off-site signals matter
Assistants also read directories, review sites, documentation hubs and community answers. Make sure your company description is consistent everywhere it appears. Inconsistent names, old pricing or outdated product lists on third-party pages are a common reason an assistant describes a company incorrectly.
Build a prompt set before you change anything
Write 25 to 40 prompts a buyer in the Middle East might ask: category questions, comparisons, 'best tool for' questions and pricing questions. Run them in the main assistants every month and record three things: is the brand mentioned, is it recommended, and is your page cited as a source. This baseline turns GEO from opinion into a measurable project.
Technical hygiene
Check robots.txt and your CDN settings so AI crawlers you want are not blocked by accident. Publish an up-to-date sitemap, use descriptive titles, and add structured data only where the content is visible. Keep language versions linked with hreflang so the right market version is quoted.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing for keywords only and never stating plain facts.
- Publishing dozens of thin pages instead of a few complete ones.
- Blocking AI crawlers by default without a decision.
- Measuring a single prompt and calling it a trend.
- Forgetting to update pages when pricing or products change.
Summary
Keep the plan small, written and measurable. Start with the basics above, review after 30 days, and expand what works.
Written by the PandaWM team in Hong Kong. PandaWM helps overseas-facing companies with GEO / AI search visibility, ad account opening and management on Facebook, Google, TikTok and about 20 smaller networks, multilingual websites, AiChatSale and a crypto payment gateway that serves overseas merchants only.