Frequently Asked Questions

SEO optimizes for link-based search results — getting your pages to rank at the top of a list. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) optimizes for how your brand is represented in the synthesized narrative that AI engines produce. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity about your category, GEO determines whether you appear in that paragraph, what is said, and whether it is accurate. The two disciplines complement each other but require different signals and strategies.

AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) focuses specifically on getting AI systems to extract and present your brand's information as a direct, accurate answer to specific questions. GEO is about your brand's overall presence in AI-generated narratives. AEO is about whether AI can reliably answer "What does [Brand] do?" or "How does [Brand] compare to X?" with accurate, on-brand detail. Both matter — GEO gets you into the conversation; AEO ensures you are represented accurately when you are there.

AI engines use a fundamentally different process from traditional search. Instead of ranking a list of links, they synthesize a response from their training data and live retrieval systems. A brand can rank on page one of Google and still be invisible in AI-generated responses — or worse, be represented inaccurately. AI visibility depends on source authority, content structure, and entity clarity, not keyword placement or backlink volume.

SurfaceGX queries multiple AI providers including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT-4, Google Gemini, and Perplexity Sonar. Your account administrator controls which providers are enabled for your workspace. Results from each provider are shown separately so you can see where your brand's visibility varies across AI systems.

Most brands run the full AUDIT → DIAGNOSE → EMPOWER → REPAIR cycle monthly. AI engine behavior changes as their training data and retrieval systems are updated, so regular scanning lets you track progress and catch regressions before they compound. The Discovery Scoring Engine saves your scan history automatically, so you can see improvement trends over time without running the comparison manually.

SurfaceGX generates structures, outlines, briefs, and action plans — not final copy. The Remediation Agent produces a complete page outline with headings, FAQ structure, and schema recommendations. The EMPOWER modules produce detailed task lists. All of these are designed to brief a content writer or serve as scaffolding for AI-assisted writing. Your team reviews and refines the output to match your brand voice before publishing.

llms.txt is an emerging standard — analogous to robots.txt — that helps AI language models understand which of your pages are most important and how they should be used. Instead of blocking crawlers, it actively guides AI systems toward your best content. SurfaceGX generates your llms.txt automatically based on your page visibility scores, and includes a directive hint for each URL that tells AI systems what that page is for. Deploying it gives AI engines a trusted, curated view of your brand rather than letting them piece it together from whatever they happen to find.

A page is AI-Visible when an AI crawler can reliably read its content, extract meaningful brand information, and potentially cite it in a generated response. To be AI-Visible, a page generally needs substantive content (not just navigation and banners), a clear heading structure, and signals that establish your brand as a credible source — such as expert authorship, proprietary terminology, or external citations. SurfaceGX evaluates all three factors and assigns each page a status: AI-Visible, Partially Visible, or Not Visible.

Yes. The brand name and URL fields in most modules accept any brand, not just your own. Auditing a competitor's AI presence can reveal gaps in their coverage, narratives they are using that resonate with AI engines, and source types that are giving them authority you could pursue for your own brand.

The Discovery Scoring Engine includes an Export Report button that downloads a Markdown file containing your AI visibility summary, Quick Wins, and all fix instructions organized by Content Writer and Developer. The Developer Handoff section in the manifest generator includes a Copy Deployment Brief option that bundles deployment instructions and both manifest files for easy forwarding. For audit results, use your browser's print or PDF export functionality to capture and share the results view.

SurfaceGX is a multi-tenant platform and module access is controlled by feature flags set by your account administrator. If you expect to see a module that is not appearing, contact your admin and ask them to enable the relevant feature flag for your account. The Compliance Shield module is only available for accounts with the industry configured as Legal Services.

Audit results persist within your browser session — they survive tab switches within the app but are cleared when you close the tab or log out. The Discovery Scoring Engine saves your scan history to your browser's local storage, so your scan timeline persists across sessions on the same device. For long-term record keeping, export your results using the available export options after each session.

SurfaceGX is designed for teams that need to manage brand presence across AI channels. Marketing leaders use it to understand and report on AI visibility. Content teams use the EMPOWER modules to get specific, actionable writing briefs. SEO and digital teams use the AUDIT and REPAIR groups to measure and fix the technical signals that AI engines rely on. Agencies use it to manage GEO/AEO visibility across multiple client brands.