SEO, AI Visibility & GEO

The center website is designed for search engines (SEO), Local SEO (local search), GEO (AI visibility), and AI visibility. This page explains the terms and what cockpitOS implements.

Important – do not confuse:

• GEO = Generative Engine Optimization = visibility in AI-generated responses (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews). It concerns machine-readable, citable content for AI.
• Local SEO (local search) = discoverability in location-based search results and maps (geo-coordinates, Schema.org GeoCoordinates, meta tags like icbm/geo.placename). It answers “Where can I find the center?” in Google Maps and local search.

Both are important and are represented separately in the system.

Note about templates: All center website templates (MEC ShopBox, HBB, Goldbeck, Social Lounge, Event Lounge, CEV-AI-Theme, Default) use the same SEO/GEO/AI pipeline. The routes are centrally located under [slug]/; meta, structured data, and Umami apply regardless of template. No template-specific adjustments are necessary.

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SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO ensures that center websites are easily found and displayed in search engines (Google, Bing, etc.).

What the center website offers

• Meta tags: Dynamic title, description, and keywords per page
• Canonical URLs: Unique, stable URLs for all important pages
• Open Graph & Twitter Cards: Optimized preview when sharing on social media
• Structured Data (JSON-LD): Schema.org for ShoppingCenter, Store, Event, NewsArticle, Offer, Breadcrumb; on listing pages ItemList and BreadcrumbList (Shops, Dining, News); optional FAQPage/HowTo helper in seo-utils for relevant content
• Sitemap & Robots: Dynamic sitemap.xml and robots.txt per center; typical WordPress/Yoast sitemap paths (e.g., attachment-sitemap.xml) are redirected via 301 to /sitemap.xml to prevent crawlers from hitting abandoned paths
• Technology: Server-Side Rendering (SSR), slug-based URLs, custom domain, fast loading times

Configuration in the dashboard: Center → Website → SEO (meta title, description, keywords, social media images).

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Local SEO (Local Search / Geo Coordinates)

Local SEO (not to be confused with GEO) improves visibility in location-based search results and maps (e.g., “Shopping Center in City X”).

• Geo-coordinates: Latitude and longitude from center master data
• Schema.org: GeoCoordinates in the center's JSON-LD
• Meta tags: geo.region, geo.placename, icbm for search engines

Coordinates are managed in the Center Profile (master data) and appear automatically in meta and structured data. In the dashboard: Center → Website → SEO & AI Visibility (under “Local Search”).

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GEO – Generative Engine Optimization (AI Visibility)

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the optimization for visibility in AI-generated responses – e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity. It does not concern local search or maps, but rather that AI systems utilize and cite your content as a source. For this: machine-readable, concise, and trustworthy content (JSON-LD, clear entities, canonical URLs, crawlability).

What cockpitOS implements

Measure	Benefit for GEO
JSON-LD (Schema.org)	AI systems use structured data for facts and sources (ShoppingCenter, Store, Event, NewsArticle, Offer).
Canonical URLs	Unique, stable URLs for citations.
Publisher/Organization	In NewsArticle and Center schema – trust and source attribution.
Crawlability	Robots.txt does not block AI crawlers; content is indexable.
Clear entities	Name, address, opening hours, contact in schemas – good for Q&A citations.
Meta description / title	Concise descriptions increase the chance of citations in snippets.
ItemList on listing pages	Shops, dining, news provide ItemList + BreadcrumbList – lists machine-readable for AI.
FAQ/HowTo helper	In seo-utils: generateFAQPageStructuredData, generateHowToStructuredData – usable for FAQ or instructional content.
HowTo on directions	Route /anfahrt delivers HowTo schema (steps from MEC direction blocks or generically from address).
Event-Organizer / News Author & Date	Event schema with organizer; NewsArticle with datePublished, optional dateModified, author.

Optionally expandable: short fact-rich paragraphs in additional content types; FAQ schema where FAQ pages are present.

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AI Visibility (Crawlers & Chatbots)

AI visibility describes how well search engines and AI crawlers (e.g., for ChatGPT, Perplexity) can capture and cite the center.

• JSON-LD on the homepage: ShoppingCenter including address, opening hours
• Geo in JSON-LD: GeoCoordinates (utilizes both Local SEO and AI responses with location reference)
• Crawlability: Robots.txt allows crawlers (except protected paths like /api/, /_next/)
• Chatbot: Optional AI assistant on the website (can be activated in the dashboard under Center → Website → Chatbot)

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Central Overview in the Dashboard

Under Analytics & Insights → SEO & AI Visibility there is a central view per center:

• Center dropdown for switching (without going through Center → Website)
• SEO status: Meta, structured data, geo, sitemap, robots
• GEO: JSON-LD, publisher, crawlability, canonical URLs
• AI visibility: JSON-LD, geo, chatbot status
• Local search: Coordinates status and notes
• Umami & capturing: Analytics active, website ID, captured events
• Data & usage: Umami numbers (page views, visitors, sessions, duration) of the last 7 days

Additionally, the tab Center → Website → SEO & AI Visibility remains available for the same content in the context of website configuration.

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Umami: Capturing for SEO & AI

In Umami, for each center (via website ID or center slug), the following are captured:

• Page views (standard)
• Chatbot consent and chatbot result clicks
• Wayfinding: Deep-link, show route, select entrance
• Shop view / phone click / website click

This allows for evaluation of whether AI-relevant content (chatbot, wayfinding, shops) is utilized and how visibility translates into user actions. Configuration: Center → Website → Analytics (Umami Website ID) and tab SEO & AI Visibility.

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Quick Overview

Topic	Significance	Where to configure / view
SEO	Discoverability in Google & others	Center → Website → SEO; meta, sitemap, structured data
Local SEO (Local Search)	Location-based search, maps (“where can I find the center?”)	Center master data (coordinates); Dashboard: Local Search (Geo Coordinates)
GEO (AI Visibility)	Visibility in AI responses (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Overviews) – citations, sources	Keep content machine-readable; status under “GEO – Generative Engine Optimization”
AI Visibility	How well crawlers/AI capture and cite the center	JSON-LD, crawlability, chatbot; overview under SEO & AI Visibility
Umami	Evaluation of usage & events	Center → Website → Analytics; central data under Analytics → SEO & AI Visibility

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Template tabs: All templates use the same SEO/GEO pipeline (meta, JSON-LD, geo). Which dashboard tabs are visible per template and that the data are used from the templates is described in the app documentation: see apps/center-website/docs/TEMPLATE-SEO-GEO-CHECK.md.

AEO alignment: A detailed comparison with the HubSpot AEO Best Practices (Answer Engine Optimization) and which points the center websites cover or where gaps exist is documented in docs/center-website/AEO-ABGLEICH-HUBSPOT.md.

FAQs on the Services Page: A guide for editors and colleagues on filling the FAQ section per center (for better visibility in search engines and AI responses) can be found under FAQs on the Services Page (AEO/GEO/SEO).

Status: Documentation of the center website. Technical details can also be found in the Feature Catalog and the source documentation in apps/center-website/docs/ (SEO-STATUS.md, GEO-GENERATIVE-ENGINE-OPTIMIZATION.md, TEMPLATE-SEO-GEO-CHECK.md).