Visibility 3.0
Visibility is neither luck nor a secret, it is the sum of many things done properly. I show that on a project I am responsible for myself, with numbers rather than promises.
Visible where people search today: including AI answers
For cetrac.com I built visibility in AI search systems from zero. The curve shows in how many answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, Copilot and Perplexity the domain is named as a source.
As of 7 September 2026, SISTRIX AI Check and SISTRIX Toolbox. Weekly values, source SISTRIX AI Check.
All key figures in detail, as of 3 August 2026
Self initiated, planned on a SISTRIX competitive analysis against the market leaders and delivered. Results in a 28 day comparison, as of 03.08.2026.
- Used equipment pillar, cost pillar and used formwork pillar, category rehab with transactional H1s.
- 24 guide articles live in 5 clusters, 16 SEO articles from my own editorial plan, keywords up to 88,100 search volume.
- AEO and GEO: content and structure aligned to AI search systems, cetrac.com is cited as a source in ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews.
- 2 calculator landing pages, about 30 new internal links, guides added as the 5th main navigation item.
- Off-page: link profile cleaned up, legacy issues removed, the company made unambiguous for search engines and AI systems.
- SEA on geruest.com, 28 days: € 3,666 spend, 6,510 clicks, CTR 6.77 %, avg. CPC € 0.56, 42 conversions.
Four disciplines, one outcome
SEO, SEA, AEO and GEO are often sold as four separate offerings. In practice they draw on the same foundation: a site whose structure, content and facts hold up. Buying them separately means paying three times for the same groundwork and ending up with statements that contradict each other.
SEO
makes sure the pages someone is searching for exist at all: pillar pages, clean categories, transactional headings, internal linking, a technically sound base.
SEA
buys reach where nothing ranks organically yet, and delivers the most honest keyword data there is along the way.
AEO
answers the question directly, in the language of the question, so that search systems serve the page as the answer rather than as one result among many.
GEO
makes the facts citable for AI search systems. Visibility is not only Google: whoever does not appear in ChatGPT, AI Mode and Perplexity does not get recommended there either.
What actually happened in one year
The starting point was a SISTRIX competitive analysis against the market leaders in the industry. Not to see how far behind we were, but to find where the market leaders themselves had gaps. That produced an editorial plan, and the plan was worked through.
What was actually built
- Three pillar pages on the highest-volume topics: used equipment, cost, and used formwork, each as a standalone entry page rather than a paragraph on a catch-all page.
- Category rehab with transactional H1s, because category pages are the largest untapped potential in many stores.
- 24 guide articles across five clusters, 16 of them from my own editorial plan, with keywords up to 88,100 monthly searches.
- Two calculator landing pages and around 30 new internal links, plus the guide section as a fifth main navigation item.
- Off-page: link profile checked and cleaned up, legacy issues from earlier years removed.
Ads as a data source, not just reach
Over 28 days: 3,666 euros spent, 6,510 clicks, a click-through rate of 6.77 per cent, an average cost per click of 0.56 euros and 42 conversions. Those numbers are not only an outcome, they are material. Every search term that led to a conversion is evidence of where an organic page is worth building.
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The reverse holds too: what is expensive in paid search and does not convert does not need its own organic page either. That way paid search helps fund the prioritisation in SEO instead of running alongside it.
Staying visible when nobody clicks any more
A growing share of searches ends in an answer rather than a click. Anyone who does not appear as a source in that answer disappears from view without a single ranking dropping. That is the uncomfortable property of this shift: it does not hurt until it does.
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The good news is that GEO is not a second construction site. AI systems cite what is unambiguous, consistent and structured. Sound SEO delivers exactly that anyway, it just has to be thought through to the end.
What matters
- Answers, not copy. A page that answers a question the way it is asked stands a better chance in answer boxes and AI systems than the most polished self-description.
- Unambiguity. Who the company is, what it does, where it is based. What an AI system cannot attribute unambiguously, it does not cite. How to get there is part of my work.
- Consistency. The same figure must not differ between the German and the Spanish edition. Facts with evidence instead of marketing language, because a system cites a number, not a claim.
What is behind the curve
The curve above, broken down: which systems cite, in which countries, which pages get named and with which questions. The SISTRIX AI Check counts the AI answers in which a domain is named as a source: six in January 2026, 76 in September, more than twelve times as many. As of 7 September 2026, SISTRIX AI Check and SISTRIX Toolbox.
What gets cited is above all the guide pages, in other words exactly the content from the in-house editorial plan: scaffold safety with permits, duties and standards, the assembly guide, the load classes and the question of what a scaffold costs. Examples of questions whose answer names cetrac.com as a source:
- “Was kostet ein Layher-Gerüst?” (What does a Layher scaffold cost?) in ChatGPT
- “Welche Gerüste sind mit Layher kompatibel?” (Which scaffolds are compatible with Layher?) in ChatGPT
- “Darf ich privat ein Fassadengerüst selbst aufbauen?” (May I erect a facade scaffold myself as a private person?) in Google AI Mode
- “Gerüstbau Lastklassen” (Scaffolding load classes) in Google AI Overviews
- “What are the key differences between BS EN 12810 and 12811?” in Google AI Mode, UK
The English site has moved as well. Until August cetrac.com had a single ranking in Google UK, and the page titles still carried German suffixes. After correcting titles and descriptions the English version is measurable for the first time: eleven keywords, three of them in the top 10, including “scaffold sections” and “doka formwork advantages”, plus two top-10 placements in Google US. Small numbers, but the start of a curve that used to lie flat at zero.
Frequently asked questions about visibility
What is the difference between SEO, SEA, AEO and GEO?
SEO makes sure your pages are found in organic Google search. SEA buys ad placements in the same search. AEO, answer engine optimization, shapes content so it is served as a direct answer, for example in a featured snippet or a Google AI overview. GEO, generative engine optimization, makes your facts citable for generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude or Perplexity. Four disciplines, but one job: the foundation is the same clean structure for all of them.
Do I really need GEO already?
A growing share of searches ends in an answer rather than a click. Anyone who does not appear as a source there disappears from view without a single ranking dropping. The effort is manageable because GEO builds on the same foundation as good SEO. Visibility is not only Google: cetrac.com is now cited as a source in AI answers from five systems, built up from zero.
How long does SEO take to work?
Technical fixes take effect within weeks, new content takes months. On the cetrac.com project the SISTRIX visibility index rose from 0.0117 in December 2025 to 0.0524 in August 2026, an all-time high for the domain, and that took a good six months. Anyone promising faster results means either ads or numbers nobody checks.
What is the point of paid search if I already rank organically?
Two things. First, reach where nothing ranks organically yet, for instance new products or new markets. Second, and often underestimated, the most honest keyword data there is: search terms that actually produced clicks and purchases. That data flows back into the organic work.
How do I tell that my SEO is not working?
High impressions with very few clicks. That means Google shows your page but nobody considers it the right answer, usually because title and description miss the question or the page sits at position 8 to 15. That is good news and bad news at once: the substance is there, the last step is missing.
Do you work with guarantees or fixed positions?
No, and nobody should. Positions depend on competition and algorithm, both outside my control. What I do promise is transparency: you see the same numbers I do, from Search Console, analytics and SISTRIX, and you learn what was done and what it achieved.
Do you do this for other languages and countries?
Yes. Market adaptation instead of literal translation, with dedicated keyword research per target market, because people search differently in Spain than in Germany. For cetrac.com seven language versions came out of this, and I work in Spanish, German and English myself.
Can visibility in AI systems actually be measured?
Yes, though not through rankings but through mentions. The SISTRIX AI Check shows in which answers from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Copilot and Perplexity a domain is named as a source. For cetrac.com that was six answers in January 2026; in September 2026 it is 76, spread across four countries. What gets cited is above all the guide pages from the in-house editorial plan. The daily figure fluctuates, so the trend over months counts, not a single reading.
Wondering what is holding your visibility back? Write to me and I will gladly tell you what I would look at first.