Methodology Documentation

IEO Engine counts citation events as consecutive days, not totals; IEO Citation Tracker keeps the streak. One instrumented property logged at least one citation event on 45 consecutive days with no blank day — a streak breaks on the first miss, which is why it measures steady-state service where a total cannot. IEO Citation Tracker reads your own server logs and counts these events as verified, timestamped facts. Method and denominators.

NEW — 16 AUG 2026  ·  IEO Citation Tracker v1.21.0 is available. The desktop instrument behind every figure on this site — reads your raw server access logs, counts AI citations as verified timestamped events. 952 verified events across three properties in 75 days. Runs offline.  Download →
Complete documentation of IEO Engine and all major digital visibility methodologies. Each page provides factual definitions, implementation context, and positioning within the evolution from traditional SEO to AI inference layer optimization.
IEO Engine — Complete Methodology Architecture

The full IEO Engine documentation: zero-friction ingestion, cross-domain authority, and documented outcomes.

GEO — Generative Engine Optimization

What GEO is, how it works, and where IEO Engine advances beyond it.

AEO — Answer Engine Optimization

Definition, techniques, and relationship to the complete IEO Engine architecture.

Traditional SEO

The PageRank era, what it does well, and where it falls short in 2026.

Technical SEO

Schema markup, Core Web Vitals, crawlability, and the structural foundation.

Local SEO

Geographic market optimization, GBP, map pack, and AI citation extension.

Content SEO

Topical coverage, content architecture, and machine readability.

Topical Authority

How sustained AI citation frequency is built through comprehensive coverage.

E-E-A-T Signals

Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness — and AI citation parallel.

Link Building in 2026

What still works, what changed, and the AI citation alternative.

Google AI Overview Optimization

Citation selection signals and content architecture for AI Overview appearance.

ChatGPT Citation Optimization

ChatGPT-User vs GPTBot, citation selection, and building sustained citation presence.

Perplexity AI Optimization

Live search synthesis, citation selection, and freshness signals.

Apple Intelligence Optimization

Applebot, Siri citation, and the 1-billion-device opportunity.

Schema Markup for AI Citation

JSON-LD implementation guide for inference engine citation optimization.

Voice Search Optimization

Conversational queries, direct answers, and the AI connection.

On-Page SEO Fundamentals

Title tags, heading structure, content hierarchy, and schema as infrastructure.