Guides
Notes from the citation logs.
Everything here comes from checks we actually run: real buyer questions, put to five AI engines, week after week. No recycled best-practices listicles. When the engines change behavior, these pages change too.
Pillar guide · 11 min
Generative Engine Optimization: a working guide
What GEO actually is, how AI engines pick their sources, and the playbook we run to get clients cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews.
7 min
What is an AI citation, exactly?
AI citations are the new top of funnel. Here's what counts as one, how each engine displays them, and why they don't show up in any analytics tool you own.
8 min
GEO vs SEO: what actually changes
Most of your SEO work still matters for GEO. Some of it matters more. A few habits will actively hurt you. Here's the honest breakdown.
9 min
How to get cited in Google AI Overviews
AI Overviews now sit above the #1 result on a huge share of queries. What we've learned about earning a citation box from hundreds of live checks.
8 min
How ChatGPT picks its sources
ChatGPT answers product and vendor questions millions of times a day. Here's what its citation behavior looks like in practice and what moves the needle.
7 min
Perplexity: the engine that always shows its work
Every Perplexity answer cites sources, which makes it the most measurable AI engine and the fastest feedback loop for your GEO work.
8 min
Schema markup for AI search
Structured data won't make an AI engine cite you on its own, but its absence quietly disqualifies you. The schema types worth your time in 2026.
6 min
Why stale pages vanish from AI answers
AI engines have a visible bias toward recently updated sources. What our citation logs show about freshness, and a maintenance cadence that works.
Pillar guide · 10 min
The agency playbook for AI search
How to package, price, deliver, and report GEO work for clients without overpromising. The operating model we use at Crescendo, written down.
9 min
How to track AI citations across five engines
A repeatable measurement system for AI visibility: which queries to test, how often to check, what to log, and what a good citation rate looks like.
7 min
Client reporting for the AI search era
Rankings-only reports undersell your work and confuse clients. A reporting structure that explains citations, deltas, and what you did about them.
7 min
Who do AI engines cite instead of you?
Every uncited query names the competitor who beat you. How to run a competitor citation analysis and turn it into a prioritized content plan.