GEO courseModule 10 of 10: Measure and PlanLesson 10.2

When It Isn’t Working: The GEO Loop and the “AI Doesn’t Mention Us” Checklist

GEO isn't 40 separate jobs. It's one loop: get reachable, be clearly identified, be talked about accurately, publish useful answers, prove what you say, win the enquiry, measure honestly, fix what the measuring shows. When something goes wrong, the loop tells you where to look first.

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01What it is

A mechanic doesn’t replace the engine when the car won’t start. They check the battery, then the fuel, then the spark, in order. This is the order.

The GEO loop

Step	The question	Where in the course
1. Access	Can AI reach, read and index your pages?	Module 3
2. Identity	Does it know who you are, which branch is which and what you do?	Module 4
3. Reputation	What do reviews, profiles, portals and other sites say about you?	Modules 5 and 7
4. Content	Do your pages answer the real questions plainly, with local detail?	Module 6
5. Proof	Are your facts accurate, current, lawful and backed by evidence?	Module 8
6. Conversion	When someone arrives or phones, do you win the enquiry?	Module 9
7. Measure	What do the prompts, reports and enquiries show?	Module 2 and lesson 10.1
8. Fix	What's the next change, and who owns it?	Lesson 10.3

Access comes first because a blocked page can't be used by any AI, however good it is. In practice you'll work on several steps at once.

How problems cascade

Blocked crawler → no retrieval → your name missing from answers.
Old fees page → wrong fee in an AI answer → a customer arrives expecting the wrong price → complaint → negative review.
Inconsistent branch names → AI merges two branches → wrong phone number given → missed valuation call.

Strengths compound the same way: open access and a clear fact sheet → accurate answers → more local people searching your name → more reviews and mentions → stronger evidence next time.

Symptom, then first check

Symptom	Check first
AI never names you, for anything	Access and indexing (3.1 to 3.3), then identity (4.1)
AI names rivals, not you, for "best agent"	Business Profile and reviews (5.1, 5.2), then the sources it cites (7.1)
AI names you, with wrong facts	Your own old pages, feeds and profiles (8.1, 8.3)
AI names you, but nobody calls	Landing pages and reply speed (9.1, 9.2)
It works on one platform, not another	Normal: they use different sources. Test and fix each separately

Checklist 1: AI doesn’t mention us

1Is it real? Run your standard prompts several times, logged out, from more than one place. "2 of 10" is a finding; one blank answer isn't (2.3).
2Does AI know who you are? Ask "Tell me about [agency] in [town]". Confused with another firm? Start with your name and facts (4.1).
3Crawler access: check robots.txt for blocks on the search crawlers (3.1).
4CDN, firewall and host: check bot protection, security plugins, rate limits and UK-only geoblocking. Ask for crawler logs (3.1).
5Google's AI switch: Search Console, Settings, Search generative AI. Is your site included (3.3)?
6Indexing: are your key pages in Google and Bing, with no stray noindex (3.2)?
7What crawlers can read: key facts in the page code, no blocking snippet settings, nothing behind logins or PDFs (3.3, 3.4).
8Local profiles and reviews: complete, consistent, steady flow (5.1 to 5.3).
9Your fact sheet: one clear, dated page saying who, where, what and how much (4.1, 6.5).
10Content: do your pages answer the real prompts, with local detail (6.1, 6.2, 5.4)?
11Third-party sources: are you on the portals, lists, press and review sites AI cites in your town (7.1 to 7.4)?
12Competitors, then patience: learn what the named rivals have, close the gaps honestly, and re-test monthly with the same prompts.

Checklist 2: AI mentions us, but says something wrong

1Record it exactly: prompt, platform, date, location, the wrong statement, a screenshot and its severity (8.3).
2Check your own pages: old fees, old rules, old area lists, sold homes, old team details (6.5, 8.1).
3Check profiles and portals against your fact sheet (4.1, 7.2).
4Check for name confusion: the wrong fact may belong to a namesake or another branch (4.1).
5Check rules content: section 21, rent ranges, bidding wording (8.2).
6Check fees and terms agree everywhere (6.5).
7Check your feeds and chatbot: they speak for you (8.1, 9.3).
8Check review themes: AI may be summarising a real problem (5.2).
9Check third-party sources: comparison sites, awards and press can carry the error. Ask the owner to fix it.
10Fix the source, then publish the correct, dated, quotable fact (4.1, 6.1, 6.6).
11Use the platform's feedback route, knowing results are at its discretion (8.3).
12Re-test monthly and keep a log.

02Keep it up