Each AI platform has its own retrieval logic, audience and citation mechanism. A GEO strategy that is identical across all platforms is by definition suboptimal. This overview summarises the most effective tactics per platform — with the caveat that “what works” here means “what has the most impact potential”. No platform is fully observable or predictable.
Comparison per platform
ChatGPT
Highest impact: broad long-term web presence and technical accessibility for OAI-SearchBot. Critical factor: off-site presence — nobody can verify the training layer from the outside, so steer on what is reachable and measurable. Observability: varies per answer — ChatGPT searches automatically when it deems it useful; with a search step sources are visible, without one they are not.
Google AI Overviews
Highest impact: organic ranking and technical soundness — Google documents that the regular Search systems form the basis; structured data where it correctly describes the content. Critical factor: the SEO foundation is the base. Observability: medium — since June 2026 Search Console reports impressions and clicks from generative Search features separately.
Perplexity
Highest impact: citable claims, concrete data, high domain authority, recent content. Critical factor: technical accessibility plus factuality. Observability: high — sources are typically visible with each answer, enabling direct measurement.
Claude
Highest impact: substantive depth, nuanced analysis, well-structured content. Critical factor: quality over quantity. Observability: low to medium — depends on whether web search or source mode is active.
Gemini
Highest impact: Google Search grounding, ecosystem consistency, entity consistency via the Knowledge Graph, classic SEO signals. Critical factor: organic visibility in Google. Observability: medium — search-grounded answers often show sources, fully generative answers do not.
Microsoft Copilot
Highest impact: indexing in Bing, integration with Microsoft ecosystem (Office, Edge, Windows), enterprise content. Critical factor: Bing Webmaster Tools and presence in Bing results. Observability: low to medium — Bing citations often visible in answers, but no full platform-specific reporting available.
Practical prioritisation
For most organisations in the Belgian and broader European market, we use the following prioritisation — a Groundbase heuristic, reference date August 2026, not a market fact:
- Google AI Overviews — highest reach, best observability, builds on SEO investment
- ChatGPT — largest user base, off-site strategy is the lever
- Perplexity — smaller but high-quality audience, most transparent for measurement
- Gemini and Claude — growing importance, prioritise as enterprise usage increases
- Microsoft Copilot — relevant in B2B and in organisations deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem
What this overview does not tell you
No AI platform is fully stable. Models are updated without notice, retrieval logic changes, citation mechanisms are adjusted. A GEO strategy optimised for one platform is fragile. The robust strategy spreads across multiple platforms and builds on foundations that work generically: quality content, off-site authority, technical accessibility.