The GSO Framework Part 1: Entity Establishment & Digital PR Strategy for AI Citations

Series Navigation: You are reading Part 3 of 5 in our Complete Guide to Getting Cited in Google AI Overviews

Part 1: Google AI Overviews Explained: Why Citations Matter
Part 2: 6 AI Overview Ranking Signals & What Disqualifies Content
Part 4: Digital PR Tactics That Generate 20+ Citations Per Quarter
Part 5: Content Optimization, Schema & Measurement

From Theory to Action: The 90-Day Implementation Roadmap

In Parts 1 and 2, we covered the why and the what. You now understand why AI Overview citations matter, how they work, and which signals determine citation success.

But understanding is worthless without execution.

This is where most brands fail. They read the research, get excited about the opportunity, then don’t know where to start. They often jump straight to content optimization—the most visible, most obvious tactic—and wonder why nothing changes. They miss the foundational work that makes all other efforts dramatically more effective.

This part introduces the GSO Framework: a systematic, 90-day roadmap that builds your AI citation strategy in the exact right order.

Here’s the truth: Most of what you’ll read about “AI optimization” is wrong because it skips the foundation. You can’t content-optimize your way to citations if you don’t have entity recognition. You can’t build brand mentions if you’re not actively pursuing them. You can’t measure success if you haven’t set up tracking.

This framework changes that. We’ll start with foundational work (weeks 1-4), move to brand-building (ongoing), then content optimization and measurement.

This part covers Phase 1 and the beginning of Phase 2: Entity Establishment and the launch of your Digital PR strategy.

The GSO Framework Overview

WEEKS 1-4: Entity Establishment (Foundation)
    
WEEKS 1-12+: Digital PR & Brand Mentions (Ongoing)
    
WEEKS 5-8: Content Architecture Optimization
    
WEEKS 9-12: Multi-Format Deployment & Measurement
    
MONTH 4+: Sustained & Scaled Citation Success

The key insight: These phases don’t end—they stack. After week 4, you’re not done with entity work; you’re just moving on to the next phase while continuing Phase 1 activities at a lower frequency.

Phase 1: Entity Establishment (Weeks 1-4)

Your first month is about making your brand recognizable and trustworthy to Google’s entity recognition systems. This isn’t sexy work, but it’s absolutely critical.

Step 1: Creating or Optimizing Your Google Knowledge Panel

If you don’t have a Knowledge Panel when someone searches your brand name, you’re starting from a significant disadvantage. The AI needs to understand what your entity is and how it relates to other entities in your topic space.

Steps to establish or improve your Knowledge Panel:

1. Claim your Google Business Profile (if you’re a local business) or create one (for all brands)

Visit business.google.com
Verify ownership through phone, email, or postcard
Complete all profile sections: hours, services, photos, description
Regularly update with posts and respond to reviews

2. Create or update your Wikidata entry at wikidata.org

Wikidata has lower notability requirements than Wikipedia
Include your official website URL
Link to all social media profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram)
Add your industry/category using proper Wikidata properties
Include founding date, headquarters location, key people
Add logos and images where appropriate

3. Ensure consistent NAP across major directories

Your Name, Address, Phone must be identical across all platforms
Priority directories: Yellow Pages, Yelp, Better Business Bureau
Industry-specific directories (Clutch for agencies, G2 for software, etc.)
LinkedIn company page with complete information
Facebook business page with accurate details
Run NAP consistency check using tools like Moz Local or BrightLocal

4. Implement Organization schema on your website’s homepage

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Company Name",
  "url": "https://www.yourcompany.com",
  "logo": "https://www.yourcompany.com/logo.png",
  "description": "Brief company description",
  "foundingDate": "2015",
  "founders": [{
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Founder Name"
  }],
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "City",
    "addressRegion": "State",
    "postalCode": "12345",
    "addressCountry": "US"
  },
  "contactPoint": {
    "@type": "ContactPoint",
    "telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
    "contactType": "customer service"
  },
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourcompany",
    "https://twitter.com/yourcompany",
    "https://www.facebook.com/yourcompany"
  ]
}

Place in your homepage <head> section
Validate using Google’s Rich Results Test: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
Reference: Schema.org Organization specification (https://schema.org/Organization)

5. Build initial citations in authoritative sources

Target 3-5 brand mentions in industry publications within first month
Guest post opportunities on relevant blogs
Contribute expert quotes to journalists via HARO
Speak at virtual events or webinars (event sites cite speakers)
Participate in industry roundups or expert panels

Timeline: 2-3 hours initial setup, then ongoing monitoring.

Success metric: Knowledge Panel appears within 4-8 weeks for most brands following this process.

Step 2: Building Entity Co-Occurrence Patterns

This is advanced but powerful: you want your brand name appearing alongside other established entities in your space because it creates semantic relationships in Google’s understanding of your topical authority.

The concept: When Google’s AI sees patterns like “Brand X was mentioned in the same article as [established authority A], [established authority B], and [established authority C] discussing [topic],” it infers that Brand X belongs in that expert cohort.

Practical tactics:

1. Get quoted alongside known industry experts in articles

Respond to HARO requests where other experts also contribute
Contribute to industry reports that feature multiple experts
Participate in expert roundup articles
Offer commentary on industry news alongside other sources

2. Appear on podcasts or webinars with recognized authorities

Target shows that feature panels rather than solo interviews
Speaking slots at virtual conferences with established speakers
LinkedIn Live sessions or Twitter Spaces with multiple experts
YouTube collaborations with established creators in your niche

3. Contribute to industry reports or surveys published by trade organizations

Annual “State of [Industry]” reports
Industry benchmark surveys
Trend reports and forecasts
White papers from industry associations

4. Speak at conferences where your brand appears on programs with established speakers

Even virtual conferences create valuable co-occurrence
Speaker bios typically link to company websites
Conference proceedings and materials cite all speakers
Session recordings create long-term association

5. Participate in industry discussions on LinkedIn where your comments appear near other experts

Comment thoughtfully on posts from industry leaders
Share insights in relevant LinkedIn groups
Engage in discussion threads on industry topics
Tag and engage with established authorities (when appropriate and valuable)

The goal: Create patterns where Google’s entity recognition systems see: “Brand X appears in similar contexts as [established authority], discussing [topic area]—therefore Brand X is likely also an authority in [topic area].”

Timeline: Ongoing throughout Phase 1 and beyond.

Success metric: 5-10 co-occurrence instances in first month, ramping to 15-20 per quarter.

Step 3: Wikipedia and Structured Citation Building

If your brand qualifies for Wikipedia inclusion (notability requirements are strict), it’s one of the strongest entity signals you can build. Wikipedia appears frequently in AI citations and serves as a primary source for many AI training datasets.

Wikipedia notability requirements (per Wikipedia guidelines):

Significant coverage in multiple independent, reliable secondary sources
Coverage must be sustained over time, not just momentary news
Demonstration of lasting impact or importance in your field
Sources must be reliable (major news outlets, academic journals, books, not press releases)

If you qualify for Wikipedia:

Create comprehensive, neutral article following Wikipedia style guidelines
Cite all claims with reliable secondary sources
Disclose conflict of interest on your user page
Expect editing and scrutiny from Wikipedia community
Do NOT use promotional language or marketing copy
Reference: Wikipedia Notability Guidelines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Notability)

If you don’t qualify for Wikipedia (most businesses don’t), focus on:

1. Wikidata entry (lower barrier for inclusion)

Create structured data entry at wikidata.org
Include all relevant properties: website, industry, founding date, location
Link to social profiles and other identifiers
Much easier to qualify than Wikipedia

2. Industry association directories with structured profiles

Trade association member directories
Professional organization listings
Chamber of commerce directories
Better Business Bureau accreditation
Industry certification listings

3. Crunchbase (for startups and tech companies)

Create and claim your company profile
Complete all sections: funding, team, products, news
Keep updated with recent developments

4. Professional directory listings relevant to your industry

Legal: Martindale-Hubbell, Avvo, FindLaw
Healthcare: Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals
Home services: Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor
B2B software: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius
Agencies: Clutch, GoodFirms, UpCity

Timeline: Wikidata takes 1-2 hours; directory listings take 30-60 minutes each.

Success metric: Wikidata entry created, 5+ relevant directory listings completed by end of Week 4.

Phase 1 Deliverable Checklist

By the end of week 4, you should have:

✅ Knowledge Panel appearing for brand searches (or submitted and in progress)
✅ Organization schema implemented on homepage and validated
✅ Wikidata entry created or updated with complete information
✅ Consistent NAP across top 10 relevant directories
✅ At least 3-5 brand mentions in industry publications
✅ Author pages created for key contributors with detailed bios and credentials
✅ 5-10 entity co-occurrence instances documented

This foundation makes everything in the next phases exponentially more effective.

Phase 2: Digital PR for Brand Mentions (Beginning)

With entity foundations in place, your ongoing work centers on building brand mentions across authoritative publications. Remember: brand mention frequency and distribution is the #1 predictor of AI citation success according to Ahrefs’ research.

This isn’t traditional link building focused on PageRank. You’re building brand visibility and topical association, with or without backlinks.

HARO Strategy: Your Immediate Wins

HARO (Help a Reporter Out, available at helpareporter.com) connects journalists with expert sources. It’s one of the most efficient ways to earn brand mentions in major publications.

My HARO System:

Daily routine (15-20 minutes):

Scan HARO emails for relevant queries in your expertise area
- HARO sends 3 emails daily (morning, afternoon, evening)
- Set up email filters to highlight your industry categories
- Skim through 50-100 queries to find relevant opportunities
Identify 2-3 queries where you can provide genuinely valuable expertise
- Look for queries that match your specific expertise
- Prioritize queries from major publications (tier 1 and 2)
- Avoid queries that are too broad or off-topic
Craft concise, quotable responses with specific examples or data
- Lead with your most compelling insight in the first sentence
- Provide specific numbers, timeframes, or concrete examples
- Keep responses 150-200 words unless more is requested
- Include your credentials and company in the signature
- Respond within 2-4 hours for best results (journalists work fast)

Response Best Practices:

Structure your HARO responses like this:

Subject: [Repeat their exact subject line]

Hi [Journalist Name],

[Direct answer to their question in 1-2 sentences with specific insight]

[Supporting detail with concrete example or data point]

[Additional context or second insight if relevant]

[Optional: Offer additional resources or willingness to elaborate]

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Title], [Company]
[Brief credential statement]
[Website]
[LinkedIn profile]

Example of a strong HARO response:

“Hi Sarah,

Remote work has fundamentally shifted salary negotiation dynamics—we’ve seen 34% of our clients successfully negotiate geographic pay premiums by demonstrating they’ll work hours aligned with company timezone despite living in lower-cost areas.

The key leverage point is offering specific value: ‘I’ll maintain 9am-6pm EST availability from Colorado’ is more compelling than ‘I’m willing to be flexible.’ We tracked 50 negotiations over six months and candidates who specified their availability windows had 2.7x higher success rates.

The second successful tactic is researching what competitors pay for remote roles in your skill set, regardless of location. Salary.com and Levels.fyi now show remote-specific data that wasn’t available two years ago.

Happy to provide additional detail if helpful.

Best, John Mitchell Career Negotiation Consultant, Salary Strategy Group Former HR Director, Fortune 500 companies www.salarystrategygroup.com”

Why this works:

Specific statistic in first paragraph (34%)
Concrete example with quotable language
Additional data point (2.7x, 50 negotiations tracked)
Actionable tactical advice
Credentials establish expertise
Offers follow-up without being pushy

Success metrics for HARO:

Target volume: 5-10 HARO responses per week
Expected conversion: 10-15% (1-2 mentions per week)
Higher conversion comes from: faster responses, tier 1 publications, highly specific expertise

Timeline: Continue this throughout Phase 2 and beyond (15-20 minutes daily).

Success metric: 4-6 brand mentions per month from HARO and journalist outreach combined.

Getting Started This Week

Your Phase 1-2 Action Items (This Week):

Monday:

Claim/optimize Google Business Profile
Sign up for HARO (helpareporter.com)
Create Wikidata entry

Tuesday-Wednesday:

Implement Organization schema on homepage
Validate schema with Rich Results Test
Update NAP across top 5 directories

Thursday-Friday:

Start HARO responses (aim for 2-3)
Identify 5 industry publications for future outreach
Create author pages for key team members

Weekend:

Monitor HARO for relevant queries
Complete remaining directory listings (aim for 5 total)

What’s Coming Next

You’ve now completed the foundational work. Your entity is established. Your HARO system is running. You’re starting to build brand mentions.

But Phase 2 is much larger than just HARO. In Part 4, we’ll cover:

Original Research Publication Strategy: Turn one study into 20-50 brand mentions over 6 months
Thought Leadership Guest Posting: How to get published in tier-1 publications consistently
Podcast and Speaking Strategy: Build authority through audio and video presence
Quarterly Digital PR Targets: The exact metrics you should be hitting

These tactics build on the entity foundation you just established. Without that foundation, PR is much harder. With it, each mention compounds your authority.

Your Next Step

You now have the foundation in place. Entity recognition is established. Your HARO system is active. You’re building brand mentions.

In Part 4, you’ll learn:

How to launch original research that generates 20+ citations
Thought leadership strategies for tier-1 publications
Speaking and podcast appearance tactics
Quarterly PR targets and benchmarks

Jump to Part 4: Digital PR Tactics That Generate 20+ Citations Per Quarter

Or get Part 4 in your inbox:

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Questions About Entity Setup or HARO?

What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Getting your Knowledge Panel to appear?
Finding qualified HARO opportunities?
Identifying authoritative publications in your niche?
Building entity co-occurrence?

Comment below. I respond to every question, and your question might be exactly what another reader is wondering about too.

Ready for the full framework? Part 5 shows you how to measure everything—including which signals are actually driving citations for your business, so you can optimize where it matters most.

Part 3: The GSO Framework Part 1 – Entity Establishment & Digital PR Strategy (Weeks 1-4)