GEO Standard
How the GEO assessment system fits togetherOne Standard, two ways to assess it
The GEO Standard has 10 assessment areas. Professional certification tests them through 12 exam domains; agency certification assesses them through 7 evidence criteria. There is one set of requirements, not three.
Overview
- Source
GEO Standard
10 assessment areas
The requirements. The only place requirements are defined.
View - Maps to the Standard
Professional certification
12 exam domains
How an individual's knowledge of the 10 areas is tested.
View - Maps to the Standard
Agency certification
7 evidence criteria
How an organization's delivery of the 10 areas is assessed.
View
Professional exam domains → Standard areas
| Exam domain | Standard areas | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 01GEO fundamentals | 1 Discoverability4 Content Quality10 Monitoring & Measurement§3 Principles | Definitions, scope and limits; the relationship to SEO. |
| 02AI search systems | 1 Discoverability3 Technical Accessibility9 AI Retrieval Readiness | Retrieval, synthesis and attribution, and how systems differ. |
| 03Search intent | 4 Content Quality10 Monitoring & Measurement | Grouping queries by intent; why visibility differs between groups. |
| 04Entity optimization | 2 Entity Clarity7 Brand Consistency | Identity, attributes, relationships, disambiguation. |
| 05Content strategy | 4 Content Quality5 Citation Potential9 AI Retrieval Readiness | Self-contained passages, direct answers, scope and dating. |
| 06Digital authority | 6 Source Authority8 Reputation Signals | How independent sources shape representation. |
| 07Citations and sourcing | 5 Citation Potential6 Source Authority | What makes a page citable; transparent attribution. |
| 08Technical accessibility | 1 Discoverability3 Technical Accessibility | Crawl access, rendering, structure. |
| 09Structured information | 2 Entity Clarity9 AI Retrieval Readiness | Schema, tables, specifications, machine-readable policies. |
| 10Brand consistency | 7 Brand Consistency | Aligning descriptions across owned and third-party profiles. |
| 11Measurement | 10 Monitoring & Measurement | Query sets, sampling, separate measures, stating limits. |
| 12Ethical GEO practices | 8 Reputation Signals§8 Ethical requirements | The code of conduct and how to apply it with clients. |
Agency criteria → Standard areas → evidence
| Criterion | Standard areas | Evidence assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 01Strategy | 10 Monitoring & Measurement4 Content Quality2 Entity Clarity§3 Principles | Engagement plans that start from a measured baseline and prioritise by dependency. |
| 02Technical | 1 Discoverability3 Technical Accessibility9 AI Retrieval Readiness | Redacted technical audits and the fixes that followed. |
| 03Content | 4 Content Quality5 Citation Potential | Redacted content briefs and published examples. |
| 04Entity | 2 Entity Clarity7 Brand Consistency | Entity inventories and profile-alignment records. |
| 05Measurement | 10 Monitoring & Measurement | Client reports showing query sets, systems, dates, sample sizes and limits. |
| 06Ethics | 6 Source Authority8 Reputation Signals§8 Ethical requirements | Written policy, leadership acceptance and delivered work free of prohibited tactics. |
| 07Process | 10 Monitoring & Measurement§9 Documentation | Documented workflow that different team members can repeat. |
Coverage check: every area is assessed
| Standard area | Professional exam domains | Agency criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 1Discoverability | GEO fundamentals, AI search systems, Technical accessibility | Technical |
| 2Entity Clarity | Entity optimization, Structured information | Strategy, Entity |
| 3Technical Accessibility | AI search systems, Technical accessibility | Technical |
| 4Content Quality | GEO fundamentals, Search intent, Content strategy | Strategy, Content |
| 5Citation Potential | Content strategy, Citations and sourcing | Content |
| 6Source Authority | Digital authority, Citations and sourcing | Ethics |
| 7Brand Consistency | Entity optimization, Brand consistency | Entity |
| 8Reputation Signals | Digital authority, Ethical GEO practices | Ethics |
| 9AI Retrieval Readiness | AI search systems, Content strategy, Structured information | Technical |
| 10Monitoring & Measurement | GEO fundamentals, Search intent, Measurement | Strategy, Measurement, Process |