Updated
Updated What changed on
- Added a short summary at the top, so the page answers what GEO is before listing where to read about it.
- Added the UK zero-click rate from SparkToro and Similarweb: 69.5% of UK Google searches end without a click, the highest of the six countries they measured in early 2026.
The GEO field guide for UK B2B in 2026.
The site has 30+ pages on generative engine optimisation - definitions, mechanics, per-engine guides, tooling reviews, diagnostics. This page is the route through them. Start at the top and work down, or jump to the section that matches what you actually need.
The 30-second answer
Generative engine optimisation is the work of getting your pages quoted inside AI-generated answers rather than only ranked beneath them. It matters more in the UK than almost anywhere measured: 69.5% of UK Google searches now end without a click on anything, the highest rate of the six countries SparkToro and Similarweb tracked in early 2026. This page is the route through the 30-plus pages on this site that cover it, in the order the work actually runs.
The field guide is structured the way the work actually runs: get the terminology straight, understand the mechanics, optimise per engine, diagnose what is not working, follow the playbook, pick the tooling, set up measurement, then run the work. Each link below is a self-contained page. Read in any order.
Why this matters more in the UK than most places
of UK Google searches end without a click on anything, the highest rate of the six countries measured and above the United States at 68.0%.
How it was measured: Similarweb mobile and desktop clickstream panel, January to April 2026. Zero-click means no click to anywhere, including to Google's own properties and to paid results. Germany was lowest at 62.1%.
clicks reach the open web per 1,000 UK Google searches, against 287 in Germany.
How it was measured: Same panel and window. UK searches also end the session outright 43.1% of the time, the highest of the six countries measured.
more organic clicks go to a brand cited inside an AI Overview than to one that is not cited on the same query.
How it was measured: 3,119 search terms across 42 client organisations, 25.1M organic and 1.1M paid impressions, June 2024 to September 2025. Informational and educational queries only, which are the ones most exposed to AI Overviews, so this is not a whole-market figure. In absolute terms it is 0.70% against 0.52%. Paid click-through was 91% higher when cited.
1. Start here: the definitions
Get the terminology straight before you read further. These are the explainer pages that ground every other conversation.
2. The mechanics: how AI search actually works
Two underlying mechanisms - RAG and query fan-out - explain almost every content tactic that actually wins citation. The third (llms.txt) gets discussed more than it deserves, and the llms.txt vs robots.txt question is usually settled by robots.txt anyway.
3. Per-engine optimisation
Each major AI engine cites differently. About 70% of the work overlaps; the remaining 30% is engine-specific. Pick the engines that match your buyer mix. Google alone runs two distinct surfaces, and I have written up how AI Overviews differ from AI Mode before you optimise for either.
Optimise for ChatGPT
Optimise for AI Overviews- Optimise for Google AI Mode
Optimise for Gemini
Optimise for Perplexity
Optimise for Claude- Claude vs ChatGPT for research
Optimise for Microsoft Copilot
Optimise for Mistral Le Chat- Optimise for Apple Intelligence
Optimise for DeepSeek
Optimise for Grok
4. Diagnosis: why something is not working
When citation gaps appear, these pages walk through the most common reasons in order of frequency.
5. How-to: the playbook
Step-by-step practitioner guides for the work itself.
6. Tooling: what to use and what to skip
Honest tool-category reviews. No affiliate links. Pricing verified. For the big three vendors specifically, see how Ahrefs, Semrush and DataForSEO stack up for AI search tracking.
7. Measurement
How to track AI search visibility properly and how to read the GA4 signals.
8. Strategic decisions
The pages to read before you brief a consultant, split a budget, or move budget out of SEO.
9. Run the work
If you want the discipline applied rather than the explanation.
Jason Burns
Independent UK SEO, GEO and AI consultant. 17 years in search. Portfolio includes 3M, BlackRock, Unilever and E.ON. Owner of SEO Moves Ltd since 2014.
More about Jason →Want a guided route through the work, not just the reading?
The field guide tells you where to look. The applied work needs scope, sequence and someone running it. A 30-minute call is enough to scope which sections matter for your buyer mix and where to start.
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