{"id":708392,"date":"2026-01-19T21:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T18:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T21:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T18:35:10","slug":"geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"GEO myths: This article may contain lies"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f7ff1b94f3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2f7ff1b94f3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#Why_AI_search_advice_spreads_without_proof_how_to_evaluate_GEO_claims_and_which_recommendations_actually_stand_up_to_scrutiny\" >Why AI search advice spreads without proof, how to evaluate GEO claims, and which recommendations actually stand up to scrutiny.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#Recap_Why_we_fall_for_bad_GEO_and_SEO_advice\" >Recap: Why we fall for bad GEO and SEO advice<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#How_I_evaluate_GEO_and_SEO_advice_and_protect_myself_from_being_stupid\" >How I evaluate GEO (and SEO) advice and protect myself from being stupid<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#The_prime_example_Blinding_AI_workslop\" >The prime example: Blinding AI workslop<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#The_most_common_GEO_myths_Claims_vs_reality\" >The most common GEO myths: Claims vs. reality<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#%E2%80%98Build_an_llmstxt\" >\u2018Build an llms.txt\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#%E2%80%98Use_schema_markup\" >\u2018Use schema markup\u2019<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#%E2%80%98Provide_fresh_content\" >\u2018Provide fresh content\u2019<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/geo-myths-this-article-may-contain-lies\/#Escaping_the_vortex_of_AI_search_misinformation\" >Escaping the vortex of AI search misinformation<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_AI_search_advice_spreads_without_proof_how_to_evaluate_GEO_claims_and_which_recommendations_actually_stand_up_to_scrutiny\"><\/span>Why AI search advice spreads without proof, how to evaluate GEO claims, and which recommendations actually stand up to scrutiny.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n<p>Less than 200 years ago, scientists were ridiculed for suggesting that hand washing might save lives. <\/p>\n<p>In the 1840s, it was shown that hygiene reduced death rates, but the underlying explanation was missing. <\/p>\n<p>Without a clear mechanism, adoption stalled for decades, leading to countless preventable deaths.<\/p>\n<p>The joke of the past becomes the truth of today. The inverse is also true when you follow misleading guidance.<\/p>\n<p>Bad GEO advice (I don\u2019t like this acronym, but will use it because it seems to be the most popular) will not literally kill you.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That said, it can definitely cost money, cause unemployment, and lead to economic death.<\/p>\n<p>Not long ago, I wrote about a similar topic and explained why unscientific SEO research is dangerous and acts as a marketing instrument rather than real scientific discovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This article is a continuation of that work and provides a framework to make sense of the myths surrounding AI search optimization.<\/p>\n<p>I will highlight three concrete GEO myths, examine whether they are true, and explain what I would do if I were you.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re pressed for time, here\u2019s a TL;DR:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We fall for bad GEO and SEO advice because of ignorance, stupidity, cognitive biases, and black-and-white thinking.<\/li>\n<li>To evaluate any advice, you can use the ladder of misinference \u2013 statement vs. fact vs. data vs. evidence vs. proof.<\/li>\n<li>You become more knowledgeable if you seek dissenting viewpoints, consume with the intent to understand, pause before you believe, and rely less on AI.<\/li>\n<li>You currently:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Don\u2019t need an llms.txt.<\/li>\n<li>Should leverage schema markup even if AI chatbots don\u2019t use it today.<\/li>\n<li>Have to keep your content fresh, especially if it matters for your queries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we dive in, I will recap why we fall for bad advice.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"recap-why-we-fall-for-bad-geo-and-seo-advice\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recap_Why_we_fall_for_bad_GEO_and_SEO_advice\"><\/span>Recap: Why we fall for bad GEO and SEO advice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The reasons are:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ignorance, stupidity, and amathia (voluntary stupidity).<\/li>\n<li>Cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias.<\/li>\n<li>Black-and-white thinking.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We are ignorant because we don\u2019t know better yet. We are stupid if we can\u2019t know better. Both are neutral.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We suffer from amathia when we refuse to know better, which is why it\u2019s the worst of the three.<\/p>\n<p>We all suffer from biases. When it comes to articles and research, confirmation bias is probably the most prevalent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We refuse to see flaws in how we see things and instead seek out flaws, often with great effort, in rival theories or remain blind to them.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, we struggle with black-and-white thinking. Everything is this or that, never something in between. A few examples:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Backlinks are always good.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reddit<\/a> is always important for AI search.<\/li>\n<li>Blocking AI bots is always stupid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The truth is, the world consists of many shades of gray. This idea is captured well in the book \u201cMay Contain Lies\u201d by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/aedmans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alex Edmans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He says something can be moderate, granular, or marbled:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1201\" height=\"901\" http: alt=\"The World Isnt Black And White Its Grey\" class=\"wp-image-467620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey.png 1201w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey-768x576.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1201\" height=\"901\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey.png\" alt=\"The World Isnt Black And White Its Grey\" class=\"wp-image-467620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey.png 1201w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-world-isnt-black-and-white-its-grey-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Backlinks are not always good or important, as they lose their impact after a certain point (moderate).<\/li>\n<li>Reddit isn\u2019t always important for AI search if it\u2019s not cited at all for the relevant prompt set (granular).<\/li>\n<li>Blocking some AI bots isn\u2019t always stupid because, for some business models and companies, it makes perfect sense (marbled).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The first step to get better is always awareness. And we all are sometimes ignorant, (voluntarily or involuntarily) stupid, suffer from biases or think black and white.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get more practical now that we know why we fall for bad advice.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: Most SEO research doesn\u2019t lie \u2013 but doesn\u2019t tell the truth either<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-i-evaluate-geo-and-seo-advice-and-protect-myself-from-being-stupid\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_I_evaluate_GEO_and_SEO_advice_and_protect_myself_from_being_stupid\"><\/span>How I evaluate GEO (and SEO) advice and protect myself from being stupid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One way to save yourself is the ladder of misinference, once again borrowing from Edmans\u2019 book. It looks like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1201\" height=\"901\" http: alt=\"The ladder of misinference\" class=\"wp-image-467621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference.png 1201w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference-768x576.png 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1201\" height=\"901\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference.png\" alt=\"The ladder of misinference\" class=\"wp-image-467621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference.png 1201w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/The-ladder-of-misinference-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>To accept something as proof, it needs to climb the rungs of the ladder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On closer inspection, many claims fail at the last rung when it comes to evidence versus proof.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To give you an example:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Statement:<\/strong> \u201cUser signals are an important factor for better organic performance.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fact:<\/strong> Better CTR performance can lead to better rankings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data:<\/strong> You can directly measure this on your own site, and several experiments showed the impact of user signals long before it became common knowledge.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Evidence:<\/strong> There are experiments demonstrating causal effects, and a well-known portion of the 2024 Google leak focuses on evaluating user signals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proof:<\/strong> Court documents in Google\u2019s DOJ monopoly trial confirmed the data and evidence, making this universally true.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Fun fact<\/strong>: Rand Fishkin and Marcus Tandler both said that user signals matter many years ago and were laughed at, much like scientists in the 1800s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the time, the evidence wasn\u2019t strong enough. Today, their \u201cjoke\u201d is now the truth.<\/p>\n<p>If I were you, here\u2019s what I would do:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Seek dissenting viewpoints:<\/strong> You only truly understand something when you can argue in its favor. The best defense is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fs.blog\/bad-arguments\/#:~:text=ideological%20Turing%20test.-,Steel%20man%20arguments,-The%20most%20powerful\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">steelmanning<\/a> your argument. To do that, you need to fully understand the other side.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consume with the intent to understand:<\/strong> Too often, we listen to reply, which means we don\u2019t listen at all and instead converse with ourselves in our own heads. We focus on our own arguments and what we will say next. To understand, you need to listen actively.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pause before you share and believe:<\/strong> False information is highly contagious, so sharing half-truths or lies is dangerous. You also shouldn\u2019t believe something simply because a well-known person said it or because it\u2019s repeated over and over again.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t use AI to summarize (perhaps controversial):<\/strong> AI has<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/huggingface.co\/spaces\/vectara\/leaderboard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> significant flaws when it comes to summarization<\/a>. For example, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/huggingface.co\/blog\/davidberenstein1957\/phare-analysis-of-hallucination-in-leading-llms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prompts that ask for brief summaries increase hallucinations,<\/a> and source material can put a veil of credibility and trust over the response.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We will see why the last point is a big problem in a second.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-prime-example-blinding-ai-workslop\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_prime_example_Blinding_AI_workslop\"><\/span>The prime example: Blinding AI workslop<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I decided against finger-pointing, so there is no link or mention of who this is about. With a bit of research, you might find the example yourself.<\/p>\n<p>This \u201cresearch\u201d was promoted in the following way:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cHow AI search really works.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Requiring a time investment of weeks.<\/li>\n<li>19 studies and six case studies analyzed.<\/li>\n<li>Validated, reviewed, and stress-tested.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To quote Edmans:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cIt\u2019s not for the authors to call their findings groundbreaking. That\u2019s for the reader to judge. You need to shout about the conclusiveness of your proof or the novelty of your results. Maybe they\u2019re not strong enough to speak for themselves. \u2026 It doesn\u2019t matter what fancy name you give your techniques or how much data you gather. Quantity is no substitute for quality.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just because something took a long time does not mean the results are good.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just because the author or authors say so does not mean the findings are groundbreaking.<\/p>\n<p>According to the HBR, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2025\/09\/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI workslop<\/a> is:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don\u2019t have proof this work was AI-generated. It\u2019s simply how it felt when I read it myself, with no skimming or AI summaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few things that caught my attention:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It doesn\u2019t deliver what it claims. It purports to explain how AI search works, but instead lists false correlations between studies that analyzed something different from what the analysis claims.<\/li>\n<li>Reported sample sizes are inaccurate.<\/li>\n<li>Studies and articles are mishmashed.<\/li>\n<li>One source is a \u201csomeone said something that someone said something that someone said.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Cited research didn\u2019t analyze or conclude what is claimed in the meta-analysis.<\/li>\n<li>The \u201ccorrelation coefficient\u201d isn\u2019t a correlation coefficient, but a weighted score.<\/li>\n<li>To be specific, it misdates the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2311.09735\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GEO study<\/a> as 2024 instead of 2023 and claims the research \u201cconfirms\u201d that schema markup, lists, and FAQ blocks significantly improve inclusion in AI responses. A review of the study shows that it makes no such claims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This analysis looks convincing on the surface and masquerades as good work, but on closer inspection, it crumbles under scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Disclaimer:<\/strong> I specifically wanted to highlight one example because it reflects everything I wrote about in my last article and serves as a perfect continuation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This \u201cresearch\u201d was shared in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>letters, news sites, and roundups. It got a lot of eyeballs.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s now take a look at the three, in my opinion, most pervasive recommendations for influencing the rate of your AI citations.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: Forget the Great Decoupling \u2013 SEO\u2019s Great Normalization has begun<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color has-css-opacity has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-background\">\n<h2 id=\"the-most-common-geo-myths-claims-vs-reality\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_most_common_GEO_myths_Claims_vs_reality\"><\/span>The most common GEO myths: Claims vs. reality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-build-an-llms-txt\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Build_an_llmstxt\"><\/span>\u2018Build an llms.txt\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The claims for why this should help:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AI chatbots have a centralized source of important information to use for citations.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s a lightweight file that makes it easier for AI crawlers to evaluate your domain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When viewed through the ladder of misinference, the llms.txt claim is a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some parts are factual \u2013 for example, Google and others crawl these files, and Google even indexes and ranks them for keywords \u2013 and there is data to support that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, there is no data or evidence showing that llms.txt files boost AI inclusion. There is certainly no proof.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/llmstxt.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">llms.txt is a proposal from 2024<\/a> that gained traction largely because it was amplified by influencers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It was repeated often enough to become one of the more tiring talking points in black-and-white debates.<\/p>\n<p>One side dismisses it entirely, while the other promotes it as a secret holy grail that will solve all AI visibility problems.<\/p>\n<p>The original proposal also stated:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWe furthermore propose that pages on websites that have information that might be useful for LLMs to read provide a clean markdown version of those pages at the same URL as the original page, but with .md <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ended.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This approach would lead to internal competition, duplicate content, and an unnecessary increase in total crawl volume.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The only scenario where llms.txt makes sense is if you operate a complex API that AI agents can meaningfully benefit from.<\/p>\n<p>(There\u2019s a small experiment showing that <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7404791818594299904\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">neither llms.txt nor .md files have an impact on AI citations<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, if I were you, here\u2019s what I would do:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On a quarterly basis:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check whether companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have openly announced support.<\/li>\n<li>Review log files to see how crawl volume to llms.txt changes over time. You can do this without providing an llms.txt file.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If it is officially supported, create one according to published documentation guidelines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the moment, no one has evidence \u2013 or proof \u2013 that an llms.txt meaningfully influences your AI presence.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-use-schema-markup\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Use_schema_markup\"><\/span>\u2018Use schema markup\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The claims for why this should help:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Machines love structured data.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a>ly, the advice \u201cmake it as easy as possible\u201d holds true.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMicrosoft said so.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The last point is egregious. No one has a direct quote from Fabrice Canel or the exact context in which he supposedly said this.<\/p>\n<p>For this recommendation, there is no solid data or evidence.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is this:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>For training<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Text is extracted and HTML elements are s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>ped.<\/li>\n<li>Tokenization after pretraining destroys coherent code if markup makes it through to this step.<\/li>\n<li>The existence of LLMs is based on structuring unstructured content.<\/li>\n<li>They can handle schema and write it because they are trained to do so.<\/li>\n<li>That doesn\u2019t mean your individual markup plays a role in the knowledge of the foundation model.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>For grounding<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is no evidence that AI chatbots access schema markup.<\/li>\n<li>Correlation studies show that websites with schema markup have better AI visibility, but there are many rival theories that could explain this.<\/li>\n<li>Recent experiments (including <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:7371443709680185345\/\">this<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dejan.ai\/blog\/does-schema-help-with-ai\/\">this<\/a>) showed the opposite. The tools AI chatbots can access don\u2019t use the HTML.<\/li>\n<li>I recently tested this in Perplexity Comet. Even with an open DOM, it hallucinated schema markup on the page that didn\u2019t match what was actually there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also, when someone says they use structured data, that can \u2013 but does not have to \u2013 mean schema.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>All schema is structured data, but not all structured data is schema. In most cases, they mean proper HTML elements such as tables and lists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, if I were you, here\u2019s what I would do:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use schema markup for supported rich results.<\/li>\n<li>Use all relevant properties in your schema markup.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You might ask why I recommend this. To me, solid schema markup is a hygiene factor of good SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just because AI chatbots and agents don\u2019t use schema today doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t in the future.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne could say the same for llms.txt.\u201d That\u2019s true. However, llms.txt has no SEO benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Schema markup doesn\u2019t help us improve how AI systems process our content directly.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, it helps improve signals they frequently look at, such as search rankings, both in the top 10 and beyond for fan-out queries.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-provide-fresh-content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Provide_fresh_content\"><\/span>\u2018Provide fresh content\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The claims for why this should help:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AI chatbots prefer fresh content.<\/li>\n<li>Fresh content is important for some queries and prompts.<\/li>\n<li>Newer or recently updated content should be more accurate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Compared with llms.txt and schema markup, this recommendation stands on a much more solid foundation in terms of evidence and data.<\/p>\n<p>The reality is that foundation models contain content up to the end of 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After digesting that information, they need fresh content, which means cited sources, on average, have to be more recent.<\/p>\n<p>If freshness is relevant to a query \u2013 OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity use freshness as a signal to determine whether to use web search \u2013 then finding fresh sources matters.<\/p>\n<p>There is research supporting this hypothesis from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/do-ai-assistants-prefer-to-cite-fresh-content\/\">Ahrefs<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/generativepulse.ai\/report\/\">Generative Pulse<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seerinteractive.com\/insights\/study-ai-brand-visibility-and-content-recency\">Seer Interactive<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More recently, a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2509.11353\">scientific paper<\/a> also supported these claims.<\/p>\n<p>A few words of caution about that paper:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The researchers used API results, not the user interface. Results differ because of chatbot system prompts and API settings. Surfer <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/surferseo.com\/blog\/llm-scraped-ai-answers-vs-api-results\/\">recently published a study<\/a> showing how large those differences can be.<\/li>\n<li>Asking a model to rerank is not how the model or chatbot actually reranks results in the background.<\/li>\n<li>The way dates were injected was highly artificial, with a perfect inverse correlation that may exaggerate the results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That said, this recommendation appears to have the strongest case for meaningfully influencing AI visibility and increasing citations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, if I were you, here\u2019s what I would do:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Add a relevant date indicating when your content was last updated.<\/li>\n<li>Keep update dates consistent:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On-page.<\/li>\n<li>Schema markup.<\/li>\n<li>Sitemap lastmod.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Update content regularly, especially for queries where freshness matters. Fan-out queries from AI chatbots often signal freshness when a date is included.<\/li>\n<li>Never artificially update content by changing only the date. Google stores up to 20 past versions of a web page and can detect manipulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, this one appears to be legitimate.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Dig deeper: The rise of \u2018like hat\u2019 SEO: When attention replaces outcomes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"escaping-the-vortex-of-ai-search-misinformation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Escaping_the_vortex_of_AI_search_misinformation\"><\/span>Escaping the vortex of AI search misinformation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We have to avoid shoveling AI search misinformation into the walls of our industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, it will become the asbestos we eventually have to dig out.<\/p>\n<p>An attention-grabbing headline should always raise red flags.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I understand the allure of believing what appears to be the consensus or using AI to summarize. It\u2019s easier. We\u2019re all busy.<\/p>\n<p>The issue is that there was already too much content to consume before AI. Now there\u2019s even more because of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t consume and analyze everything, so we rely on the same tools not only to generate content, but also to consume it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a snake-biting-its-own-tail problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Our compression culture risks creating a vortex of AI search misinformation that feeds back into the training data of the AI chatbots we both love and hate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re already there. AI chatbots sometimes answer GEO questions from model knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Take the time to think for yourself and get your hands dirty.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Try to understand why something should or shouldn\u2019t work.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And never take anything at face value, no matter who said it. Authority isn\u2019t accuracy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>P.S. <\/strong>This article may contain lies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/geo-myths-lies-467617\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why AI search advice spreads without proof, how to evaluate GEO claims, and which recommendations actually stand up to scrutiny. Less than 200 years ago, scientists were ridiculed for suggesting that hand washing might save lives. In the 1840s, it was shown that hygiene reduced death rates, but the underlying explanation was missing. Without a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":708393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/01\/GEO-myths-This-article-may-contain-lies.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-708392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=708392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/708392\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/708393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=708392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=708392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=708392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}