"GEO is great, but what does it deliver?" — The question every CMO asks (and it's normal). Unlike SEO where Google Analytics gives everything, measuring GEO requires a more structured approach.
This article gives you the exact metrics to track, calculation formulas, and industry benchmarks to prove the value of your GEO strategy.
The 3 levels of GEO measurement
GEO ROI is broken down into 3 levels, from most strategic to most operational:
Level 1: Visibility
Are you present in AI responses?
Mention rate
% of prompts where you're cited
Target: > 30%
Average position
Rank when you're mentioned
Target: Top 3
Share of voice
Your % vs competitors
Target: > Competitors
Sentiment
Positive / Negative / Neutral
Target: > 70% positive
Level 2: Traffic
How many visitors come from AI?
Visits from Perplexity
Traceable direct traffic
Target: MoM growth
AI referral visits
ChatGPT, Claude, etc.
Target: > 5% of traffic
Pages/session
AI traffic engagement
Target: > Site average
Bounce rate
Traffic quality
Target: < 50%
Tip: Use Senthor.io to precisely identify visitors from AI engines and track their journeys.
Level 3: Conversions
What impact on business?
Leads from AI
Forms, demos, trials
Target: > 10% of leads
Conversion rate
AI visitor → Lead
Target: > Site average
Average value
Revenue per AI customer
Target: = or > other channels
CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
Cost per acquired customer
Target: < Google Ads
Calculate GEO ROI
The basic formula is simple. The challenge is correctly identifying revenue and costs.
GEO ROI FORMULA
ROI = (GEO Revenue - GEO Costs) / GEO Costs × 100
A 300% ROI means that for every $1 invested, you generate $3 in revenue.
GEO Revenue
- • Revenue from customers acquired via AI traffic
- • Value of generated leads
- • Savings vs other channels (if CAC is lower)
- • Brand value (awareness, positive mentions)
GEO Costs
- • Team time (optimized content creation)
- • GEO tools (Atyla, etc.)
- • Content production cost
- • Consulting/agency if outsourced
Concrete example
$15,000
Revenue attributed to GEO
$3,000
GEO costs (3 months)
400%
ROI
Calculation: (15,000 - 3,000) / 3,000 × 100 = 400%
Industry benchmarks
Here are benchmarks based on our observations (aggregated and anonymized data):
| Sector | Avg mention rate | % traffic from AI | Avg ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 25-40% | 8-15% | 250-400% |
| E-commerce | 15-30% | 3-8% | 150-300% |
| Financial services | 20-35% | 5-12% | 200-350% |
| Health/Wellness | 30-45% | 10-20% | 300-500% |
| Tech/Dev | 35-50% | 12-25% | 350-600% |
Note: These benchmarks vary depending on GEO maturity, competition and content quality.
The attribution challenge
The biggest challenge of GEO ROI: correctly attributing conversions. Someone who discovers your brand on ChatGPT can convert later via Google or direct.
The real customer journey
1. User asks ChatGPT "Best CRM for SMB"
2. ChatGPT mentions your brand
3. User Googles your brand (attributed to SEO)
4. They return directly to sign up (attributed to direct)
Result: GEO gets no credit, even though it initiated the journey.
Attribution solutions
Direct Perplexity tracking
EasyPerplexity generates traceable referral. It's the easiest source to attribute.
Post-conversion survey
Medium"How did you discover [Brand]?" with option "Recommended by an AI".
Brand search analysis
MediumAn increase in "[Brand]" searches correlated with an increase in AI mentions suggests impact.
Multi-touch attribution
AdvancedUse a model that credits all touchpoints, including the AI "first touch".
Build your GEO reporting
Here's a GEO dashboard template to present your results:
Mention rate
34%
+8% vs previous month
AI traffic
2,450
+23% vs previous month
Generated leads
47
+15% vs previous month
Period ROI
340%
+50% vs previous month
Example dashboard • Fictional data
Conclusion
Measuring GEO ROI is not simple, but it's essential to justify your investments and optimize your strategy. Start with visibility metrics (the easiest), then progressively build your attribution stack.
Immediate action: Set up Perplexity tracking in your analytics and add a "source" question in your forms. That's 80% of the way to measurable ROI.