When AI Starts Favouring "Default Brands", Make Sure You're One Of Them
Ask Any AI Who The "Best In Your Category Is".
If It Doesn't Mention Your Brand In The First 3 Places, This Page Is For You.
Brands securing AI recommendation slots early 2026 are locking in YEARS of demand.
Trusted by teams building category authority
Right now, when a potential buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity "Who's the best [X] in [market]?"
AI's don't list everyone in the market. They quietly favour 1-5 "default brands" that feel clear, safe and obviously correct for them.
2026 GEO Optimisation exists to make sure your company is one of those names.
Instead of burning more budget on ads, clicks and paid content while AI is straight recommending your competitors, we help you become the brand AI tools default to when someone asks, "Who's the best I should buy from / talk to?"
2026 GEO Optimisation exists to make sure your company is one of those names.
That's how Batz Hungary went from 13th to 1st in AI citations in their niche, ahead of Birkenstock, Berkemann, Scholl and New Balance. Same market. Same AI tools. Different outcome: AI now treats Batz as the obvious answer.
This Is For You If…
You're the one people look at when someone asks, "So… what's our AI plan?"
CMO, VP/Head of Marketing, Head of Growth or founder/CEO.
Revenue in the ~$5M–$500M+ range, already investing seriously in brand, content and SEO.
You've tried "best [your category] in [your market]" in AI tools… and didn't like what you saw.
You care about two things: owning the answer when AI says "who's best?" and not explaining to your board in 18 months why every assistant recommends somebody else.
If your growth depends on inbound, trust and being the safe choice, this is for you.
This isn't.
If you're just looking for cheap AI content or hoping your SEO agency "figures it out later", this isn't.
Why ranking #1 doesn't matter when AI gives one answer.
The old game was simple: rank on Google's page 1. → win the click → convert on your site.
The new game: buyers ask AI tools directly who they should choose → they get one tight answer with a tiny shortlist of default brands.
If your company isn't easy to find in that scan, easy to understand at a glance, and clearly safe to recommend, you don't just lose rankings - you completely fall out of the recommendation set and competition takes that client away.
Taking GEO seriously is simply deciding to play that game.
If you're not in the recommendation set, you don't compete. You disappear.
The Outcome: From "One Of Many" To Being A "Default Brand"
If this works for you, your day-to-day reality shifts in a few specific ways:
AI actually says your brand's name
When you, a CEO or a potential buyer, asks "Who's the best [X] in [market] right now?", your brand shows up in the first 1–3 spots consistently, not as a footnote under the big dogs.
Prospects arrive pre-sold on your positioning
Sales (calls) start with "we kept seeing you recommended" and "we liked how you explained X vs Y", instead of "so… tell me what you do again."
Organic feels like a growth engine again
You see stronger direct and branded demand, better-fit leads, and fewer "mystery drops" in inbound because you've secured visibility at the answer layer, not just the SERP.
CAC stops creeping up for no clear reason
You're less dependent on buying your way back into visibility with paid, because AI is already putting you in front of high-intent buyers for FREE.
You have a board-ready story about AI
You're no longer hand-waving about "AI experiments" - you can show, in screenshots and simple numbers, how often you're being recommended today vs 1–6 months ago and what that means for your pipeline.
The safest way to find out if GEO will actually move your pipeline:
The GEO Visibility & Recommendation Audit
No fluff, no retainer commitment - this is the front door, and it's complementary for a limited time.
You walk away knowing:
Where you really stand today
How often you're named (or ignored) when AI tools answer the key "who's best / who do you recommend" queries in your category – and which competitors are quietly becoming the defaults.
Whether you can become a default brand
A clear, honest view of your upside over the next 12–24 months: are you positioned to claim a default slot, or are you fighting gravity?
What would actually move the needle
A prioritised plan you can put in front of your CEO:
"Do this now if we want AI to recommend us more."
"Do this later."
"Ignore this, it's noise."
You get a picture of the playing field your competitors almost certainly don't have – and a path from "we think we're fine" to "we know exactly how to become the answer."
If the honest answer is "there's no meaningful GEO upside for you", we'll tell you. That's still a win: you stop burning cycles on it and move on with a clear head. If there is upside (and in serious categories there usually is), the audit becomes the blueprint for whether you move forward with us or hand the plan to your internal team/partners.
Book a GEO Visibility & Recommendation AuditHow we engineer AI visibility instead of chasing it.
We do not work with everyone, we start by working with the right few.
GEO is not a quick hack or a plugin you install.
It requires consistency, signal control, and time for authority to compound. That is why we only partner with businesses that have real growth potential and are willing to do this properly instead of chasing short-term tricks.
Once we commit, the system looks like this:
Precision intake and selection
We limit capacity by design. Every client is vetted for market fit, category potential, and authority upside, because recommendation engines reward clarity and consistency over volume. This is not a volume business.
AI-specific optimization layers
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and AI-powered search engines do not interpret information the same way. We build and optimize separate signal layers for each system instead of forcing one generic GEO strategy across all platforms.
Total online presence control
We do not give recommendations and walk away. We handle the full visibility surface, including website structure, content signals, social presence, and video platforms like YouTube, so AI sees one coherent, verifiable version of your brand everywhere it looks.
Proprietary acceleration tools
We use internal tools and systems that are not publicly available and not used by other agencies. These are designed to surface gaps, test AI perception, and accelerate trust signals so results happen faster than traditional GEO timelines.
Real-time feedback and accountability
You see progress as it happens. Weekly reports, regular calls, and direct access mean you are never guessing what is working. If you reach out, you hear back within hours, not days.
What Happens When You Become A Default Brand
Within 90 days, we went from being invisible in AI recommendations to consistently appearing in the top 3 across all major platforms. The impact on qualified inbound has been remarkable.
Head of Marketing
Enterprise SaaS Company
The audit alone was worth it. We finally understood where we stood and had a clear roadmap. Six months later, we're now the default answer in our category.
CEO
B2B Services Firm
Our board was asking tough questions about AI strategy. Now we have clear metrics and proof that we're being recommended over competitors 3x our size.
VP Growth
Technology Company
Case Study: Batz Hungary
That's how Batz Hungary went from 13th to 1st in AI citations in their niche, ahead of Birkenstock, Berkemann, Scholl and New Balance. Same market. Same AI tools. Different outcome: AI now treats Batz as the obvious answer.
Why "wait and see" quietly locks in your competitors as defaults.
When AI forms habits, the early brands win.
Right now, in 99% of niches, AI systems are still forming their habits.
You can either be the brand that shows up early, clearly and consistently and quietly becomes the default…
…or the brand that tries to claw its way in later while explaining to the board why you're late.
If you need the answer to:
"Where do we actually stand in AI recommendations today?"
"Who is AI already treating as default brands in our space?"
"What would it take for us to be one of them?"
…then your next move is simple:
Book a GEO Visibility & Recommendation Audit With UsFrom there, you either get a clear, defensible plan to become a default brand in AI - or the honest conclusion that this isn't your lever.
Either way, you stop guessing and start making deliberate decisions in a world where AI is already picking winners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Book Your GEO Visibility & Recommendation Audit
Find out where you stand and what it takes to become a default brand.