How Fabric Retailers Can Dominate AI Recommendations Through Strategic Content: An Interview with Evan Bailyn, Founder of GEO
The way customers discover fabric retailers is changing rapidly. While traditional search engine optimization helped businesses like ours reach customers through Google, a new frontier is emerging: generative AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are now answering customer questions directly—often by pulling information from Google's top-ranking pages.
To understand how fabric retailers can adapt, we spoke with Evan Bailyn, CEO of First Page Sage, the leading SEO agency in the United States. Evan is the founder of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the practice of optimizing for AI-powered recommendations. His agency was the first to offer GEO services in 2023, and he's frequently cited as the inventor of this emerging marketing discipline.
We sat down with Evan to explore what GEO means for specialty retailers like Zarin Fabrics.
Zarin Fabrics (ZF): Evan, how does Generative Engine Optimization apply to fabric retailers like us?
Evan Bailyn (EB): Generative AI has largely replaced traditional search when it comes to research questions. Your customers are increasingly asking AI: "What's the best fabric for reupholstering a dining chair?" or "Where can I find designer drapery fabric in New York?" When they ask those questions, ChatGPT produces direct answers—and here's the critical part: they’re no longer clicking through to your website in the search results. But because ChatGPT draws heavily from Google's top-ranking pages, your existing SEO efforts still feed directly into GEO. The difference lies in which searches are still valuable to target. Instead of the research queries above, retailers should be targeting more directly transactional keywords such as "The 10 Best Fabric Stores in New York" or "Top 5 Sources for Designer Upholstery Fabric” with what we call "superlative list articles" or comparison blogs. When these articles rank highly on Google and mention your brand with consistent authority statements, ChatGPT is far more likely to cite you.
Another key difference is that while traditional SEO focuses entirely on getting your own pages to rank, with GEO your website also benefits from ranking in other people's lists—so long as those lists rank highly on Google. This is particularly true if you have consistent messaging about what makes you authoritative—in other words, if those third-party rankings are accompanied by your authority statements.
ZF: Can you explain what you mean by "authority statements"?
EB: An authority statement is a clear, repeatable phrase that establishes your expertise. For Zarin Fabrics, it might be "New York's premier destination for designer fabric" or "the best source of luxury upholstery and drapery textiles."
The magic happens when that same statement—or very similar language—appears across multiple websites: in blog mentions, designer portfolios, industry directories, and editorial features. When ChatGPT sees that consistent positioning repeated in multiple high-authority sources that rank on Google, it begins to internalize that as fact. You're essentially training the AI through repetition and consistency across the web.
ZF: So we need other websites to mention us? How do we make that happen?
EB: You need a strategy for earning mentions in content that ranks on Google's first page. There are several approaches:
First, identify who's writing comparison content in your space. Look for blogs creating articles like "Best Fabric Stores in NYC" or "Where Interior Designers Source Textiles." Reach out and provide them with your authority statement and specific details about your expertise.
Second, work with existing relationships. Your designer clients and satisfied customers—encourage them to mention Zarin Fabrics in their own content using consistent language about what you're known for.
Third, consider contributing expert content to home décor blogs or design publications. When you're featured, ensure your authority statement is included.
The goal is to create a network of consistent mentions across authoritative sites that rank well in Google.
ZF: Our customers often need help choosing between fabric options—linen versus cotton, velvet versus mohair. How should we structure that for GEO?
EB: This is an important distinction. Those comparison questions are still valuable once visitors are on your page, but they're less applicable for GEO because very few people click on the citations in AI overviews or in ChatGPT responses.
Here's what's happening: when someone asks ChatGPT "Should I choose linen or cotton for my sofa?" the AI provides a complete answer right there. The user gets their information without clicking through. So even if your "Linen vs. Cotton" comparison page ranks on Google and ChatGPT pulls from it, you're not getting the traffic.
Instead, focus your GEO efforts on superlative lists that answer "where" and "who" questions—"Best fabric stores in New York," "Top sources for designer textiles," "Where to find luxury upholstery fabric." These are the queries where ChatGPT recommends specific businesses, including yours if you've built the right foundation.
As for those fabric comparison pages—linen versus cotton, velvet versus mohair—keep creating them, but optimize them for conversions, not for GEO. These pages serve customers who are already on your site and need guidance. Make them incredibly helpful, include clear calls-to-action, showcase your inventory, and invite them to visit your showroom or request samples. That's where these pages deliver value.
ZF: What about our physical showroom and trade focus? Does that matter for GEO?
EB: Absolutely. Your showroom presence and designer relationships are part of your authority statement. When multiple sources mention "Zarin Fabrics' Manhattan showroom" or "Zarin Fabrics, a to-the-trade resource," that reinforces entity recognition for AI systems.
Create content around the professional buying experience: "Top 5 Benefits of Shopping at a To-the-Trade Fabric Showroom" or "Best Practices for Specifying Fabric on Design Projects." Get your designer clients to mention their experience sourcing from Zarin Fabrics in their portfolio content, blog posts, or case studies—using that consistent authority language.
ZF: How quickly can we see results from GEO?
EB: You have an advantage because you're in a specialized niche. While big-box retailers compete for broad terms, you can dominate specific queries where you genuinely are the expert.
The timeline depends on two factors: how quickly you can create and rank superlative list content on your own site, and how quickly you can build consistent mentions across other authoritative sites. I've seen specialty retailers start appearing in AI recommendations within 3-4 months of focused effort.
ZF: What should fabric retailers do to start with GEO today?
EB: Three steps. First, test your current visibility. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity questions your customers ask: "Where can I buy designer fabric in New York?" "Best fabric for reupholstering dining chairs." See who gets recommended, and if you’re in the recommendations, track whether you’re recommended first, second, or further down the list.
Second, create a set of consistent authority statements and start building it across the web—your own site, your clients' mentions, industry directories, and editorial content.
Third, start publishing superlative list articles that target your expertise areas. Focus on ranking those on Google's first page for relevant queries. That's your foundation for GEO success.
The brands that build this infrastructure now—while competitors are still focused only on traditional tactics—will dominate AI recommendations for years to come.