What the data shows
Search Console now reports impressions inside Google's generative AI features. For a Lucknow jewellery brand we run SEO for, those AI impressions reached 43K in September 2026, up 47% from 29.2K in August, and daily AI impressions doubled after mid-September. 390 of the site's pages appeared in AI results, but the top ten carried about 33K of the 43K.
Two of those top pages were blog articles, and one of them also ranks #1 in normal results for "benefits of wearing gold chain". The pages AI picked were the same pages that already answered a question clearly.
What AI search picks up
From this account and our own site, the pattern is consistent: AI answers favour pages that state a specific fact plainly (a price, a cost per lead, a timeline), name the business, place and author, and match what other sources say about the business. Vague marketing copy is skipped, because there is nothing in it to quote.
What to change on your site
Answer first. Put the direct answer in the first two sentences under each heading. Publish numbers. Prices, timelines and results with a date, like our SEO plans and Meta Ads cost benchmarks. Add schema for your organisation, services, FAQs and authors. Add an llms.txt file that lists your key pages in plain language. Keep one name, address and phone everywhere on the site.
What to change off your site
ChatGPT and Google's AI both check what the rest of the web says. Keep your Google Business Profile complete with reviews, list the business on directories with the exact same name and address, and get mentioned on the "top agencies" or "best in Lucknow" lists that AI tools read. If your brand name is generic, use the same distinctive version everywhere; we use "Independent Agency Lucknow" for that reason.
More on our approach is on the SEO and GEO services page, and for Lucknow businesses, the SEO agency in Lucknow page.
Frequently asked questions
What is GEO?
Generative engine optimisation: making your pages easy for AI tools such as Google's AI answers and ChatGPT to understand, trust and quote.
Can a local business appear in Google's AI answers?
Yes. A Lucknow jewellery brand we work with had 43K impressions inside Google's AI features in September 2026, up 47% on August.
What makes a page get picked by AI search?
Clear, specific answers near the top, named business and author details, schema, and facts that match what other sources say about the business.
Does an llms.txt file help?
It gives AI tools a plain-language map of your key pages. It is cheap to add and we use one on this site, though it works alongside, not instead of, normal SEO.