GEO Case Studies: Real Results from AI Optimization [2026]

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) delivers measurable results. Across four case studies spanning SaaS, e-commerce, professional services, and healthcare, brands achieved 2x to 5x improvements in AI citation rates, GEO score increases of 25 to 45 points, and measurable traffic gains — all within 90 days of implementing structured optimization strategies.

These case studies are anonymized to protect client data, but the metrics, timelines, and strategies are real. Each case follows the same GEO measurement framework: baseline GEO score, AI citation rate across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews, and organic traffic attributed to AI-influenced queries.

Case Study 1: B2B SaaS — Project Management Platform

Industry: SaaS / Project Management

Company size: 50-200 employees

Starting GEO score: 28/100

Ending GEO score: 71/100

The challenge: Despite ranking on page one of Google for several competitive keywords, this project management platform was virtually invisible in AI search results. When users asked ChatGPT or Perplexity for project management recommendations, the brand was absent from responses — while three competitors appeared consistently.

What they implemented:

• Comprehensive Organization, Product, and FAQ schema markup across 45 pages
• llms.txt file with detailed product descriptions and differentiators
• 8 new comparison articles targeting "best project management tool for [use case]" queries
• Updated about page with clear entity definitions and competitive positioning
• Third-party mentions on 12 review platforms and 6 industry directories

Results after 90 days:

• GEO score: 28 to 71 (+43 points)
• AI citation rate: from 0 mentions in 20 test queries to 14 mentions in 20 test queries (70% presence)
• ChatGPT mentions: appeared in 12 of 20 relevant prompts
• Perplexity citations: cited with source links in 8 of 20 queries
• Organic traffic from AI-influenced queries: +34% increase

Key insight: The comparison articles had the single largest impact. Within 4 weeks of publishing, the brand started appearing in ChatGPT responses to comparison queries. The structured data provided the foundation that made citation possible.

Case Study 2: E-commerce — Sustainable Fashion Brand

Industry: E-commerce / Fashion

Company size: 15-30 employees

Starting GEO score: 19/100

Ending GEO score: 58/100

The challenge: This direct-to-consumer sustainable fashion brand had strong organic search traffic but zero AI visibility. The brand was not mentioned in any AI responses about sustainable fashion, ethical clothing, or eco-friendly brands — categories where they had significant market presence.

What they implemented:

• Product schema on all 200+ product pages with sustainability attributes
• FAQ schema covering 35 common questions about sustainable fashion
• llms.txt file emphasizing sustainability credentials and certifications
• 5 authority articles on sustainable materials, ethical manufacturing, and fashion industry impact
• Partnerships with 4 sustainability-focused publications for guest content

Results after 90 days:

• GEO score: 19 to 58 (+39 points)
• AI citation rate: from 0 in 15 test queries to 9 of 15 (60% presence)
• ChatGPT mentions: named in 7 of 15 sustainable fashion queries
• Google AI Overviews: appeared in 4 AI Overview panels for target queries
• Referral traffic from AI-cited links: 890 new sessions attributed to AI sources

Key insight: The sustainability niche benefited enormously from authority content. AI engines are cautious about making claims related to sustainability and prefer citing brands that provide detailed, verifiable information about their practices. The FAQ content was particularly effective — AI engines directly quoted FAQ answers in their responses.

Case Study 3: Professional Services — Management Consulting Firm

Industry: Professional Services / Consulting

Company size: 200-500 employees

Starting GEO score: 35/100

Ending GEO score: 68/100

The challenge: This consulting firm had strong domain authority and extensive content but was underperforming in AI search. Competitors with less content and lower domain authority were being cited more frequently. The root cause: poor technical optimization and fragmented entity definition.

What they implemented:

• Organization and ProfessionalService schema across all service pages
• Consolidated entity definition with consistent branding across 8 web properties
• llms.txt file summarizing service offerings, industry expertise, and notable clients
• Restructured 20 existing thought leadership articles with better headings, data points, and answer-first formatting
• Wikipedia article creation (the firm met notability requirements)

Results after 90 days:

• GEO score: 35 to 68 (+33 points)
• AI citation rate: from 3 in 20 test queries to 13 of 20 (65% presence, up from 15%)
• Perplexity citations: 11 of 20 queries included source links to the firm's content
• ChatGPT mentions: named in 9 of 20 management consulting queries
• Lead quality improvement: 23% increase in qualified inbound leads from prospects who mentioned AI search as their discovery channel

Key insight: Restructuring existing content was more effective than creating new content. The firm had excellent material — it was just poorly formatted for AI consumption. Adding clear headings, moving key answers to the first paragraph, and including specific data points transformed citation rates without requiring entirely new content.

Case Study 4: Healthcare — Telehealth Platform

Industry: Healthcare / Telehealth

Company size: 100-300 employees

Starting GEO score: 22/100

Ending GEO score: 64/100

The challenge: Healthcare is a sensitive category where AI engines are particularly cautious about citations. This telehealth platform needed to demonstrate medical authority and trustworthiness to earn AI mentions in a competitive space.

What they implemented:

• MedicalOrganization schema with physician credentials and certifications
• FAQ schema covering 50 telehealth questions reviewed by medical staff
• llms.txt file with service descriptions, insurance coverage details, and board certifications
• 6 condition-specific guides written by licensed physicians with clear author attribution
• Listings on 15 healthcare directories with consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data

Results after 90 days:

• GEO score: 22 to 64 (+42 points)
• AI citation rate: from 1 in 20 test queries to 11 of 20 (55% presence)
• ChatGPT mentions: appeared in 8 of 20 telehealth-related queries
• Google AI Overviews: included in 6 health-related AI Overview panels
• Appointment bookings from AI-attributed sources: +18% increase

Key insight: Author attribution and medical credentials were critical. AI engines in the healthcare space strongly prefer content with clear expert authorship. Adding physician bylines and credentials to content pages produced a noticeable increase in citations within 3 weeks.

Common Patterns Across All Case Studies

Several patterns emerged consistently:

Technical foundation matters most early on. Structured data and llms.txt implementation produced the fastest initial gains across all four cases. These are one-time investments that immediately improve how AI engines understand your content.

Content restructuring outperforms content creation. Three of four cases saw larger gains from restructuring existing content than from creating new content. Answer-first formatting, clear headings, and data points were the most impactful content changes.

Third-party mentions compound over time. The impact of directory listings and guest content grew steadily over the 90-day period as AI models encountered the brand in more contexts.

Monitoring drives iteration. All four cases used weekly GEO monitoring to identify which strategies were working and reallocate effort accordingly. Without monitoring, optimization is guesswork.

Start Measuring Your Own GEO Results

These case studies demonstrate that GEO optimization produces real, measurable results across industries. The first step is establishing your baseline. Run a free GEO scan at [prominara.com](https://prominara.com) to see your current score, identify optimization opportunities, and start tracking your own AI visibility improvement over time.