First, how does an AI choose?
An AI assistant has never set foot in your museum. It forms a view from what it has read: your website, the press, guidebooks, reviews, your Google listing, Wikipedia, travel blogs. The more clearly, consistently and recently these sources talk about you, the more likely you are to be mentioned. That is what GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) is about: looking after your presence in those sources, not just your Google ranking.
1. Run the test yourself
Take ten minutes and ask the main assistants the questions your visitors ask: “what to see in [city] with kids?”, “a museum to visit on a rainy day in [city]?”. Are you mentioned? How? And who appears instead of you? Write it all down: that is your starting point.
2. Make your website easy to read… for a machine
- One clear page per audience: families, schools, groups, overseas visitors.
- Practical information as text, not hidden in an image or a PDF: opening hours, prices, access, visit length.
- An FAQ built on your visitors’ real questions, with short answers.
- Structured data (schema.org “Museum” and “Event” markup) for your opening hours and exhibitions.
3. Get talked about where AI assistants read
Assistants trust outside sources. A complete, up-to-date Google listing, recent reviews that you reply to, an accurate Wikipedia page, a few articles in the local press or travel media, a good spot on the tourist board’s website: every signal counts.
4. Make the most of temporary exhibitions
An exhibition is news, which means articles, cultural listings and social media posts. For each one, plan a dedicated page, a press release and listings in online event calendars. That is all fresh content AI assistants can pick up.
5. Measure, then start again
AI answers change. Repeat your little test every quarter to track your progress. And rest assured: GEO does not replace Google SEO, it complements it. Each strengthens the other.
