Generative Engine Optimization (GEO):

The Future of SEO

What is GEO?​ 4
GEO vs. SEO: Similarities and differences​ 4
How is GEO similar to SEO?​ 4
How is GEO different from SEO?​ 5
Integrating GEO with SEO​ 6
Why GEO is important​ 7
Impact on organic search​ 8
Evolution in user search behavior​ 8
What are the benefits of GEO?​ 9
GEO benefits in action​ 10
Evaluated tactics​ 10
Visibility improvements​ 10
Domain-specific optimization​ 11
Critique and validation​ 11
How generative AI/answer engines work​ 12
How does GEO work?​ 13
1. Generative AI research and analysis​ 13
2. Content quality and relevance​ 14
3. Content structure and clarity​ 15
4. Content distribution and engagement​ 16
5. Brand authority and credibility​ 17
6. Technical SEO​ 18
7. Experiment and iterate​ 18
8. GEO is ongoing​ 19
Future potential of GEO​ 19
Discover actionable tips for aligning your content with AI algorithms and boosting your
brand’s presence in an AI-driven world.​ 21
1. Generative AI research and analysis​ 21
GEO keyword research​ 22
AI Overview response analysis​ 24
Competitor research and analysis​ 29
Brand perception intelligence​ 31
2. Optimizing content for generative AI​ 33
Content quality and relevance​ 33

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 Content structure and clarity​ 35
3. Technical optimization for AI accessibility​ 38
Structured data for AI understanding​ 39
Technical SEO enhancements​ 40
4. Content distribution and engagement​ 40
5. Building brand authority and credibility​ 42
Key takeaways for mastering GEO strategies​ 43
The Progression of Search: from SEO to SGE to GEO​ 44
SEO​ 44
SGE​ 45
GEO​ 45
SEO to SGE: From Ranking to Understanding Users​ 47
SGE to GEO: Optimizing for AI-powered Search​ 47
What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and How Does It Work?​ 48
Your Search Transforms into a Conversation :​ 49
Optimizing for Gemini & ChatGPT​ 49
Performance Metrics​ 50
Optimization Strategies for GEO​ 51
Intent-Specific Optimization​ 53
Domain-Specific Optimization Efficacy​ 53
How to Do GEO Optimization​ 54
Research Topics Your Customers Care About:​ 54
Create or Improve Specific Content:​ 54
Use Structured Data:​ 54
Focus on User Intent:​ 54
Share Your Content:​ 55
Use Multimedia:​ 55
Utilize Social Media:​ 55
GEO and SEO, What’s the Difference?​ 55
1. Response Generation:​ 55
2. Content Contextualization:​ 55
3. Information Synthesis:​ 56
4. User Intent Understanding:​ 56
5. Algorithm Adaptation:​ 56
6. Content Formatting:​ 56
7. Research-Driven Strategy:​ 56
8. Performance Tracking:​ 56
Future Potential of GEO​ 56
Improving AI Abilities:​ 57
Voice and Visual Search Integration:​ 57
Unified Experience:​ 57

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 Deep Personalization:​ 57
Advancements in Multimodal AI Search:​ 57
FAQ​ 58
What are the benefits of using GEO over SEO?​ 58
Can GEO and SEO be used together?​ 58
Is GEO More Important than SEO?​ 58
How Can I Measure the Success of My GEO Efforts?​ 58
Will GEO Replace SEO in the Future?​ 58

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According to Search engine Land

What is GEO?
GEO stands for “generative engine optimization” which means the process of optimizing
your website’s content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search engines such as
ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google AI Overviews.

GEO positions your brand to appear in AI-generated results when users search for
queries related to your products, services or areas of expertise.

As search behavior evolves, achieving better visibility in AI-generated responses is key

to your brand being discovered in this new era of digital marketing. It’s not just about
being seen; it’s about engaging potential customers, clients and audiences in
meaningful ways, regardless of where they begin their search journey.

Ultimately, the goal of GEO is to increase your website’s visibility, attract more targeted
traffic and turn visitors into loyal fans of your brand who return time and time again.

GEO vs. SEO: Similarities and differences

Both GEO and SEO are cornerstones of modern digital marketing.

While SEO has traditionally helped brands increase visibility on search engines like
Google and Microsoft Bing, GEO is transforming how brands appear on AI-driven
platforms.

Understanding how GEO and SEO align and differ will help you optimize your content
for both traditional and AI-driven searches.

Let’s break down the similarities and differences and how using both can enhance your
online presence.

How is GEO similar to SEO?

GEO and SEO share several key objectives and methodologies:

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 ●​ Visibility objectives: Both aim to enhance the visibility of content online, ensuring
it reaches the intended audience effectively.
●​ Keyword strategy: Both involve the strategic use of keywords to improve
discoverability and relevance.
●​ User experience: Both prioritize creating content that is engaging, easy to find
and navigate.
●​ Content quality and relevance: Both emphasize the importance of high-quality,
relevant content that meets user needs and adheres to E-E-A-T (experience,
expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) principles.
●​ Data insights and analytics: Both use data insights and analytics to refine
strategies, understand user behavior and market trends and optimize content
performance.
●​ Technical optimization: Both require attention to technical aspects like load speed
and mobile friendliness, as well as ensuring content can be effectively crawled
and understood by search engines.
●​ Authority building: Both build authority through credible content and relationships,
focusing on enhancing trustworthiness and reliability.
●​ Continuous adaptation: Both involve ongoing adaptation to changes in algorithms
and technology to maintain and improve content visibility and performance.

How is GEO different from SEO?

SEO primarily targets traditional search engines like Google, whereas GEO is designed
for the dynamic world of generative AI and answer engines.

These engines use advanced algorithms to gather and present information in a more
contextually relevant way, which means we need different strategies to optimize for
them.

Here are some key aspects that set them apart:

●​ Response generation: SEO optimizes for traditional search engines that provide
a list of links in response to user queries. GEO optimizes content for AI systems
to synthesize and prioritize information, generating quick and comprehensive
responses.

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 ●​ Content contextualization: SEO optimizes meta tags and content with keywords
to improve search rankings. GEO ensures that content is clear and contextually
relevant, enabling AI algorithms to generate accurate and comprehensive
responses.
●​ Information synthesis: SEO aims to improve the ranking of individual pages.
GEO focuses on how AI integrates and synthesizes content from multiple
sources to provide comprehensive answers.
●​ User intent understanding: SEO matches keywords to user queries to drive
traffic. GEO uses advanced AI to interpret and anticipate user intent more
accurately, delivering more nuanced and precise responses.
●​ Algorithm adaptation: SEO practitioners continuously adapt to updates in search
engine algorithms. GEO requires ongoing adaptation to the evolving capabilities,
preferences and methodologies of AI technologies.
●​ Content formatting: SEO optimizes content for traditional search engine formats.
GEO crafts content that can be easily parsed and utilized by AI, including
structured data and formats friendly to natural language processing.
●​ Research-driven strategy: SEO relies on keyword research and technical
analysis to inform optimization strategies. GEO requires analyzing AI-generated
content structures, topics and citation patterns and how they evolve over time to
refine strategies, ensuring alignment with AI content processing and prioritization.
●​ Performance tracking: SEO tracks keyword performance, rankings and other
organic search metrics to apply to optimization strategies. GEO tracks referral
traffic from AI engines, cited sources and response structures to understand how
AI-driven platforms prioritize and display your content, informing optimization
tactics.

Integrating GEO with SEO

While GEO can be considered a digital marketing strategy with its own set of processes,
it should be integrated with SEO as the baseline methodology for effectively increasing
online visibility.

There is a significant overlap between GEO and traditional SEO, as they share many
core principles and practices.

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Traditional SEO techniques often lay the essential groundwork for GEO, and when
combined, they can create a powerful digital marketing strategy that maximizes your
online presence.

Strategies for effectively combining GEO and SEO:

●​ Unified content strategy: Create content that works for both traditional search
engines and AI-driven platforms. Ensure your content is high-quality, relevant
and aligned with principles like E-E-A-T.
●​ Holistic keyword research: Conduct keyword and semantic research that covers
traditional search terms, long-tail keywords, natural/conversational queries and
contextual phrases relevant to AI algorithms.
●​ Technical excellence: Keep your website technically sound to meet the needs of
SEO and GEO. This includes optimizing for load speed, mobile friendliness,
structured data and natural language processing.
●​ Continuous learning and adaptation: Stay updated with the latest developments
in both SEO and GEO. Adapt your strategies to align with changes in traditional
search engine algorithms and AI technologies.
●​ Data-driven decisions: Leverage integrated insights from SEO and GEO
research and data analysis to refine and enhance your optimization strategies.

By leveraging both GEO and SEO, brands can deliver an unparalleled user experience.
SEO ensures your content is easily discoverable and ranks high in traditional search
engine results.

GEO enhances your content by presenting it in a relevant and engaging way on

AI-driven platforms. This ensures users receive precise and comprehensive answers,
attracting and keeping them engaged, which fosters loyalty and trust.

Dig deeper: How research on learning can help you understand advanced SEO
concepts

Why GEO is important

GEO is becoming increasingly vital as AI-driven search continues to grow.

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The initial excitement surrounding AI in search has settled, and we’re now witnessing a
phase where public trust is stabilizing and technologies are reaching maturity.

In this competitive landscape, Google, once the undisputed leader, now faces serious
competition from Bing’s AI integration, ChatGPT, Perplexity and other innovative
AI-driven platforms.

Impact on organic search

AI is reshaping the landscape of organic search, forcing businesses to rethink their
marketing strategies.

Gartner predicts a significant drop in traditional search volume by 25% by 2026, with
organic search traffic expected to decrease by over 50% as consumers embrace
AI-powered search.

Additionally, 79% of consumers are expected to use AI-enhanced search within the next
year and 70% already trust generative AI search results.

Traditional SEO alone won’t cut it anymore. Brands must adapt by integrating GEO into
their strategies to effectively capture and retain user attention on AI-driven platforms.

Evolution in user search behavior

GEO is essential because AI-driven search is transforming how people find and
consume information. Users are now starting their searches on AI platforms for
information, product research and purchases.

For example, ChatGPT has over 180.5 million monthly active users, while Perplexity
AI’s search volume has surged by 858% in the past year and it now has around 10
million active monthly users.

This shift shows the growing trust in AI to give accurate, personalized and relevant
information quickly. As AI becomes a bigger part of our daily lives, these platforms are
becoming the go-to place for people to find information.

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By optimizing for AI engines, you can make sure you’re meeting users where they are
and providing the high-quality, relevant content they expect. This is crucial for staying
visible, engaging users and staying competitive.

What are the benefits of GEO?

Here’s why GEO is essential and the key benefits it offers:

●​ Increased reach: Optimizing for generative AI increases your visibility

beyond traditional search engines. As users turn to AI platforms, having
optimized content ensures you capture a broader audience.
●​ Enhanced user experience: GEO optimizes content so AI can provide
quick, relevant and personalized answers, improving user satisfaction and
loyalty. By understanding context and user intent better, AI platforms offer
more personalized information.
●​ Competitive advantage: Early adoption of GEO can position your brand as
a leader in this new landscape, setting you apart from competitors and
establishing your brand as a forward-thinking authority.
●​ Brand authority and credibility: Optimizing for AI platforms helps establish
your brand as a trusted source. As these platforms synthesize information
from multiple sources, having your content included enhances your brand’s
credibility. Additionally, focusing on entities (specific topics, people, places,
things) ensures your content is accurately represented by AI, further
reinforcing your brand authority.
●​ Data-driven insights: GEO offers nuanced metrics and insights to refine
strategies and improve engagement, providing a deeper understanding of
how users interact with your content. By leveraging this data, you can
refine your strategies to better meet user needs, improve content
relevance and drive more effective engagement.
●​ Future-proofing your SEO strategy: As search technologies evolve,
adopting GEO ensures your digital marketing strategies remain effective

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 and adaptable, safeguarding your brand’s online presence and
competitiveness.

GEO benefits in action

To illustrate the potential of generative engine optimization, let’s dive into the initial study
conducted by researchers from Princeton, Georgia Tech, The Allen Institute of AI and IIT Delhi.

This extensive study, analyzing 10,000 search queries, aimed to pinpoint key factors influencing
GEO effectiveness and offer actionable insights for content creators (Aggarwal et al., 2023).

The research explored various tactics specifically designed to enhance content visibility.

Evaluated tactics
●​ Keyword enhancement: Integrating relevant keywords naturally throughout
content.
●​ Citing sources: Enhancing credibility by linking claims to reliable sources.
●​ Adding statistics: Supporting arguments with quantitative data.
●​ Including quotations: Using expert quotes for depth and authority.
●​ Simplifying language: Making complex concepts understandable.
●​ Fluency otimization: Ensuring smooth and error-free text.
●​ Using unique words: Enriching content with specific vocabulary.
●​ Incorporating technical terms: Showcasing expertise in niche queries.
●​ Authoritative content: Using persuasive language to build credibility.

Visibility improvements
The study found that certain tactics could significantly boost source visibility:

“Specifically, our top-performing methods, Cite Sources, Quotation Addition, and

Statistics​
Addition, achieved a relative improvement of 30-40%… These methods require minimal
changes​
but significantly improve visibility in GE responses, enhancing both credibility and
richness of​
content.”

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– GEO: Generative Engine Optimization (Aggarwal et al., 2023)

Domain-specific optimization
The study also highlighted that the effectiveness of these strategies varies across
different domains, emphasizing the need for domain-specific optimization:

●​ Debate, history and science: Adding technical terms and authoritative style
adjustments increased visibility.
●​ Business, science and health: Fluency optimization made content clearer and
more engaging.
●​ Statements, facts and law and government: Credible citations were crucial for
factual and legal accuracy.
●​ People and society, explanation and history: Quotations from reputable sources
enhanced visibility.
●​ Law and government, debate and opinion: Relevant statistics provided valuable
insights.

Critique and validation

Despite this study’s promising results, it has faced some criticism regarding its
methodology and conclusions.

Concerns include potential biases, the use of simulated data and the introduction of new
content, which might have skewed the results. Sandbox SEO’s critique raised concerns
about the study’s findings and noted the overlap between GEO and traditional SEO
practices, challenging the uniqueness of GEO (Sandbox SEO, 2023).

Nevertheless, it provides a valuable starting point. Both research and practical

applications show that leveraging GEO strategies can significantly enhance visibility and
engagement.

Advanced methods and key strategies beyond those covered in the study can further
optimize your results, and this guide will delve into additional tactics that can be
implemented to maximize your success.

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How generative AI/answer engines work
Generative AI engines synthesize vast amounts of data to provide concise,
comprehensive responses to user queries.

Using advanced machine learning models that understand and process natural
language, these engines deliver relevant and contextually rich answers. Unlike
traditional search engines, which simply list web pages, generative AI engines create
conversational and nuanced responses.

Here’s a breakdown of how generative AI engines work:

●​ Data collection: The engine gathers huge amounts of data from various sources
to create a comprehensive knowledge base.
●​ Preprocessing: The collected data is cleaned and formatted to be ready for
training. This stage involves standardizing data, removing noise and ensuring
consistency.
●​ Model training: Machine learning models are trained on this preprocessed data to
understand and process natural language. This involves teaching the model to
recognize patterns, understand context and interpret language.
●​ Inference and fine-tuning: The trained models are fine-tuned for specific tasks to
improve their performance on certain queries. Fine-tuning adjusts the model
parameters to better handle specific types of questions or topics.
●​ Content generation: The AI engine takes the trained model and uses it to
generate responses to user queries. During this process, the AI synthesizes
information from its vast knowledge base, combining relevant data points,
contextualizing them and forming coherent, comprehensive answers. The output
is not just a list of facts but a well-structured, conversational response that
directly addresses the user’s question.
●​ Evaluation and optimization: The content generated is evaluated for quality and
relevance. Feedback from this evaluation is used to further refine the model,
improving future responses.
●​ Prioritization: The AI prioritizes content based on its relevance, quality and
context.

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Understanding this process allows content creators to tailor their strategies to meet AI
requirements, ensuring their content is effectively synthesized and ranks highly in
AI-generated responses.

How does GEO work?

GEO is a cutting-edge strategy designed to optimize content specifically for generative
AI platforms. GEO aims to ensure content is high-quality, contextually relevant, easy to
understand and highly accessible to AI, increasing its likelihood of being prioritized.

Here’s a high-level overview of the fundamental elements that make GEO work:

1. Generative AI research and analysis

Generative AI research is the foundation of GEO, offering critical insights into content
prioritization, structure performance, keyword strategies and the competitive landscape.
Understanding how AI systems prioritize and interact with content allows you to
fine-tune your GEO strategies.

Key areas of research to enhance GEO strategies include:

●​ Keyword and semantic research: Identify and target keywords relevant to

generative AI queries. Focus on long-tail keywords, natural language
queries and conversational phrases. Use semantic analysis to extend
traditional SEO research and identify related concepts, addressing user
intent more effectively and enhancing content relevance.
●​ AI Overview response analysis: Determine key queries that trigger
AI-generated overviews. Study topics, response structures and cited
sources to identify trends and preferred answer formats, such as
paragraphs, lists, videos or tables.
●​ Competitor research: Identify businesses featured in AI search responses
for your top queries. Analyze their strategies to uncover strengths,
weaknesses and growth opportunities.

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 ●​ Brand perception research: Evaluate how AI platforms like ChatGPT and
Perplexity perceive your brand, using this understanding to positively
influence AI-driven perceptions and enhance your brand’s reputation.
●​ Content research: Analyze preferred content types and formats prioritized
by AI-driven search engines. Align your content with these preferences to
ensure prominence, focusing on structures and formats that resonate with
AI algorithms.
●​ Response analysis: Monitor the evolution of AI-generated response
structures, topics and citation patterns. Refine strategies based on these
insights to maintain alignment with AI content processing and prioritization.

Once you’ve gathered key insights from your research, use them to align your content
with the preferences of AI algorithms.

Continuously update and refine your strategies based on ongoing research, evaluating
how generative responses evolve over time to keep your content effective and
prioritized.

2. Content quality and relevance

GEO enhances your content by aligning it with the specific criteria that AI algorithms
use to determine relevance. Key factors to consider when creating and optimizing
content are:

●​ Contextual accuracy: Ensure your content directly addresses the user’s query
and intent. Provide relevant and meaningful information, free from off-topic
details, to improve the relevance and quality of search results.
●​ Semantic relevance: Use keywords and phrases that are semantically aligned
with the topic and user’s intent. Understanding the relationships between words
and entities ensures your content matches search intent and enhances relevance
for semantic search.
●​ Comprehensive responses: Provide thorough and detailed answers that fully
address user queries. AI-driven search engines will more likely prioritize
high-quality content offering in-depth information.

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 ●​ Informative and engaging: Create content that is informative, engaging and easy
to digest. Focus on comprehensive guides, detailed articles and interactive
content that provide clear answers and actionable insights.
●​ Multimedia integration: Diversify your content by incorporating visual and
interactive elements like videos, infographics and quizzes to engage both human
readers and AI-driven search engines.
●​ User intent focus: Always prioritize user intent in content creation. Understand
the different types of queries (informational, navigational, transactional) and tailor
your content to meet these needs. Aligning with user intent enhances your
visibility on AI platforms.
●​ Content freshness: Regularly update your content to signal to search engines
that the information is current and relevant. Fresh content improves rankings and
visibility by demonstrating alignment with current trends and user interests.
●​ Authority and credibility: Establish your site as a trusted source through reputable
citations and demonstrated expertise. Cite reliable sources, include expert
quotes and use relevant statistics and data in your content to build credibility and
improve site ranking.
●​ Entity optimization: Focus on key entities (people, places, concepts) in your
content. Use precise terminology and provide context to help AI understand their
relevance. Link to authoritative sources, use descriptive language and mention
entities meaningfully to enhance AI recognition and prioritization of your content.

3. Content structure and clarity

GEO ensures your content meets AI algorithms’ standards for understanding,
interpreting and prioritizing information. Here’s how to structure your content effectively:

●​ Content clarity: Ensure your content is clear and concise, emphasizing the most
important information early on. This helps AI quickly grasp the core message and
improves user engagement. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon to
communicate your key points effectively.
●​ Introductory sentence: Start each page with a clear and concise introductory
sentence that highlights the main purpose or topic. This sets the context for both
AI and users, improving engagement and understanding.

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 ●​ Content readability: Enhance readability by using headings, bullet points and
multimedia elements. This structure satisfies both user queries and AI’s need for
organized, relevant information.
●​ Structured data: Use structured data, such as schema markup, to help AI
understand your content better. Markup elements like articles, reviews and
products to improve how your content is displayed in search results and increase
the chances of appearing in prominent features like knowledge panels and
snippets.
●​ Direct answers to queries: Provide direct and concise answers within the first few
sentences of your content. AI favors content that quickly addresses user
questions, increasing the likelihood of being featured in AI-generated responses.
●​ Highlight key information: Use bullet points, numbered lists and tables to
emphasize important points, making it easier for AI and users to scan and
understand your content.
●​ Optimize headers: Use clear, descriptive headers to organize your content. This
helps AI algorithms understand the hierarchy and main points, improving
relevance and readability.

4. Content distribution and engagement

GEO enhances your content’s reach and impact by ensuring it is distributed and
engaged effectively.

In the era of AI, content distribution is not just about getting your content out there but
about strategically placing it where AI systems can easily access, process and prioritize
it. Here’s how to implement these strategies:

●​ Distribute across platforms: Large language models (LLMs) like those used by
AI-driven search engines are trained not just on content found in blog posts but
also within communities like Reddit and Quora. Distribute your content through
these channels to maximize your ability to influence the stories and responses
generated by AI systems.
●​ User-generated content (UGC): Encourage reviews, testimonials and social
media posts to add authenticity and diverse perspectives to your content. UGC
makes your content more relatable and trustworthy, boosting engagement and

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 signaling activity to AI platforms. Regular updates with UGC align with user
queries and improve search discoverability, as AI systems prioritize fresh and
relevant content.
●​ Leverage social media: Share your content on social media platforms to increase
its reach and engagement. Generative AI also uses signals from social media to
rank and index content. By maintaining an active presence on social media, you
can ensure that your content is being picked up and promoted by AI-driven
platforms, enhancing your visibility and engagement.
●​ Community building: Create and nurture a community around your brand through
forums, social media groups or dedicated platforms. Engaging with your
community can lead to more user-generated content, feedback and brand loyalty.
Active communities provide a steady stream of fresh content and interactions
that AI systems can analyze and prioritize, further boosting your content’s
visibility.

5. Brand authority and credibility

GEO enhances your content’s visibility and trustworthiness by building and maintaining
brand authority and credibility, which appeals to AI’s emphasis on authoritative and
credible sources.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

●​ Consistency: Ensure your brand’s messaging, data points and key information
are uniform across your website, social media profiles and other online platforms.
Consistent information builds trust and authority, helping AI algorithms generate
accurate responses and reinforcing your credibility.
●​ Offline reputation: Maintain a positive offline reputation, as it directly influences
your online presence. Just as Google’s algorithm factors in offline brand
reputation for online rankings, AI platforms also consider your brand’s overall
reputation. Strong offline credibility enhances your authority in the GEO space,
ensuring your content is perceived as trustworthy and authoritative.
●​ Backlinking: To boost your content’s credibility, acquire high-quality backlinks
from authoritative and relevant sites. Engage in content marketing efforts like
guest blogging, creating shareable infographics and publishing original research

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 to attract organic backlinks. A robust internal linking structure also helps AI
understand content relationships on your site.
●​ Ethical and transparent practices: Ensure all content is ethically created, avoiding
manipulative practices that could lead to penalties. Be transparent about data
sources, affiliations and sponsorships to build trust and credibility with users and
AI.

6. Technical SEO
GEO integrates with traditional technical SEO practices to ensure your site is technically
sound and accessible, which is essential for it to be discovered and prioritized by AI
algorithms. Key components include:

●​ Optimizing HTML tags: Using appropriate HTML tags like title tags, meta
descriptions and header tags to improve content structure.
●​ Mobile optimization: Ensuring the website is fully responsive and provides a
seamless user experience across all devices.
●​ Improving loading speed: Implementing best practices for faster loading times,
such as compressing images, leveraging browser caching and optimizing code.
●​ Fixing crawling and indexing issues: Regularly checking for and resolving issues
that could prevent search engines from crawling and indexing the site effectively.
●​ Enhancing site security: Using HTTPS to ensure a secure connection, which is
favored by search engines and provides better user trust.

7. Experiment and iterate

GEO will continue to evolve, requiring marketers to stay flexible and creative. Here’s
how to keep up:

●​ Try different content types: Mix things up with various formats, such as articles,
videos, infographics and interactive elements. If you usually write blog posts, try
creating a video series or infographics to see what resonates best with your
audience and AI platforms.
●​ Continuous testing: Use A/B testing to find what works best and keep tweaking to
improve visibility on AI-driven platforms. Continuously experiment with different
content formats and structures and stay informed on how AI algorithm

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 preferences and response patterns are evolving for your key queries.
Additionally, AI favors fresh content, so frequent testing provides more updates,
which can enhance your visibility.
●​ Learn and adapt: Pay attention to which content gets the most engagement,
refine your strategies based on these insights and make data-driven decisions to
stay effective. Be prepared to quickly adapt to new trends and changes in AI
algorithms.
●​ Stay updated: Follow industry blogs, attend webinars and join forums to keep up
with the latest trends and technologies in AI and GEO. Engage with the
community to exchange insights and stay informed about emerging practices and
developments.

In essence, continue to experiment, learn and adapt. Approach each challenge with
curiosity, seeing it as an opportunity for improvement and growth.

8. GEO is ongoing
GEO is an ongoing process that requires continuous exploration, tweaking and
fine-tuning. It’s not a one-time task but a dynamic journey to ensure your content stays
sharp, relevant and ahead of the curve in the fast-paced digital world.

Regularly review your content’s performance to see if you’re meeting your goals. Stay
flexible and adapt your strategies to keep up with ever-evolving AI search algorithms,
using data and user feedback to fine-tune your content.

Bottom line?

Listen to your audience because they know what they want.

Future potential of GEO

The potential of GEO is vast as AI technology continues to advance and more people
integrate generative AI into various aspects of their lives.

A recent McKinsey survey shows that 65% of organizations now regularly use
generative AI, almost double the number from ten months ago.

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A glimpse into the future of AI search

●​ Sophisticated AI capabilities: Imagine a future where AI not only answers queries

but also anticipates user needs before they arise. Advanced natural language
processing capabilities will deliver increasingly precise and nuanced responses,
transforming our interactions with information. AI will become proactive, providing
suggestions and insights that users may not have explicitly searched for,
enhancing the overall search experience.
●​ Voice and visual search: The integration of GEO with voice and visual search
technologies will revolutionize user interactions. Voice search will become more
prevalent as AI improves its ability to process and understand spoken queries.
Similarly, visual search will enable users to obtain information by simply capturing
images, making information retrieval more intuitive and accessible. Optimizing
content for these formats will be essential for maintaining visibility and relevance.
●​ Seamless integration: The fusion of GEO with technologies like augmented
reality (AR) and voice search will further enhance user interactions. Envision
users receiving AI-enhanced, real-time visual guidance, making information more
accessible and engaging. This seamless integration will blur the lines between
online and offline experiences, creating a more cohesive and interactive digital
environment.
●​ Hyper-personalization: AI will offer deeply personalized experiences, tailoring
responses to individual user preferences, behaviors and contexts. This level of
personalization will redefine user engagement, making each interaction feel
uniquely tailored and impactful.
●​ Multimodal search evolution: The expansion into multimodal search will enable AI
to integrate text, images, audio and video seamlessly, providing users with richer,
more comprehensive search results. This approach will cater to diverse user
preferences and learning styles, offering a more versatile and engaging search
experience. Content creators will need to optimize across multiple formats to
ensure their visibility in these enhanced search environments.

The journey of GEO is about more than keeping pace with AI; it’s about pioneering the
future of digital engagement. The future belongs to those who are willing to harness the
full potential of generative AI and transform their digital presence.

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Learn More: What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

Discover actionable tips for aligning your content with AI

algorithms and boosting your brand’s presence in an
AI-driven world.
Generative AI is transforming how consumers discover and engage with content,
making it essential for brands to rethink and adapt traditional SEO strategies.

Leading this shift is generative engine optimization (GEO) – an evolution of SEO that
leverages AI-driven insights to optimize content for visibility and authority across
platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews.

This article will dive into the five key strategies to help you implement GEO effectively:

●​ Generative AI research and analysis.

●​ Optimizing content for generative AI.
●​ Technical optimization for AI accessibility.
●​ Content distribution and engagement.
●​ Building brand authority and credibility.

Let’s explore these strategies so you can boost engagement, increase visibility and
achieve lasting success, positioning your brand as a leader in AI-driven search.

1. Generative AI research and analysis

Generative AI research is the foundation of your GEO strategy, focused on gathering
insights to optimize your content and enhance visibility.

By knowing what your audience is looking for and how your brand matches up with AI
algorithms focusing on relevance and authority, you can ensure your content meets
their needs.

Let’s break down GEO research into these core components:

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 ●​ GEO keyword research.
●​ AI Overview response analysis.
●​ Competitor research and analysis.
●​ Brand perception intelligence.

GEO keyword research

GEO keyword research identifies the keywords, queries and conversational phrases
that AI-driven search engines prioritize.

AI algorithms favor content that mirrors natural language and comprehensively

addresses user intent, so creating contextually rich, conversational content has become
more essential than ever.

With over a billion voice searches occurring every month and 8.4 billion voice assistants
expected to be in use by the end of the year, optimizing for natural language is no
longer optional – it’s crucial.

By effectively leveraging GEO keyword research, you can ensure your content gives
users what they’re looking for and aligns with AI preferences, enhancing user
engagement and creating stronger connections with your audience.

Actionable tips:

●​ Understand your target audience:

○​ Start by gaining a deep understanding of what drives your audience’s
searches – are they looking for information, products or solutions?
○​ Focus on the words, phrases and questions they use to craft content that
effectively meets their needs.
●​ Identify relevant keywords, phrases and entities:
○​ Find keywords and phrases that resonate with your audience while
aligning with AI’s focus on natural language processing:
■​ Long-tail keywords and conversational queries: Longer, more
specific phrases that capture user intent and reflect natural,
conversational search behavior.

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 ■​ Semantic keywords: Related terms, synonyms or variations that
add context and depth to your main keyword, making your content
more meaningful and relevant.
■​ Entities: Recognizable people, places, things or specific concepts
that enable AI to accurately categorize and reference your content.
■​ Contextually relevant phrases: Phrases that naturally occur within
discussions around a topic and reinforce your content’s overall
theme, helping AI understand the overall context of your content.
○​ Incorporating these elements into your content will help meet user needs
while making it easier for AI to interpret and categorize effectively.
■​ Example: “best wireless headphones”
■​ Long-tail keywords: best wireless headphones under $200,
best wireless headphones for working out, wireless
headphones with long battery life
■​ Conversational queries: what are the best wireless
headphones in 2024, which wireless headphones are best
for noise cancellation?
■​ Semantic keywords: Bluetooth headphones, wireless
earbuds, over-ear wireless headphones
■​ Entities: Apple, Bluetooth, Bose, Sony
■​ Contextually relevant phrases: crystal-clear sound quality,
long-lasting battery, comfortable fit for all-day wear
■​ Example: “digital marketing strategies”
■​ Long-tail keyword: best digital marketing strategies in 2024,
digital marketing strategies for small businesses
■​ Conversational query: what are the most effective digital
marketing strategies, what type of marketing is best for small
businesses
■​ Semantic keywords: digital marketing channels, digital
marketing tips, online advertising strategies, inbound
marketing strategies
■​ Entities: search engine optimization (SEO), content
marketing, email marketing

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 ■​ Contextually relevant phrases: grow your business, increase
brand awareness, drive qualified traffic, reach your target
audience
●​ Explore SERP features and use AI tools:
○​ Explore SERP features: Use tools like Google’s “People Also Ask” and
Autocomplete to find long-tail queries and related search terms. Tools like
AlsoAsked can extract additional insights from this data.
○​ Leverage AI tools for topic research: Use platforms like ChatGPT to
generate relevant concepts, phrases and queries. This will deepen your
content’s relevance and align with AI’s understanding of the topic.
○​ Prompt example
■​ “Generate a list of long-tail keywords, conversational queries and
contextually relevant phrases related to ‘[KEYWORD]’ that address
different types of user intent (informational, navigational,
commercial, transactional). Include common user queries,
semantically related terms and key entities that should be
emphasized to create comprehensive, user-focused content. Also,
highlight areas where users often seek deeper insights, specific
pain points or actionable solutions.”

AI Overview response analysis

AI Overview response analysis involves:

●​ Identifying the queries that trigger AI-generated overviews in Google.

●​ Understanding the prioritized topics and structures.
●​ Ensuring your brand is well-represented.

As these overviews grow in popularity and become the go-to choice for users seeking
personalized, quick and concise answers, they are becoming critical touchpoints with
the power to significantly influence your content’s visibility and credibility.

●​ Expanded visibility: AI Overviews are visible to all U.S. users, including those in
incognito mode, offering broader visibility and new opportunities for content

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 discovery. Google also expanded AI Overview availability to six new countries,
increasing its global reach and potential impact on content visibility.
●​ Semrush AI Overview tracking enhancement: Semrush has enhanced its tracking
for AI Overviews, simplifying large-scale analysis. While not all keyword data is
fully integrated, the Organic Research report can help track the performance of
queries triggering AI Overviews.

Actionable tips:

●​ Track your key queries triggering AI Overviews:

○​ Pinpoint the queries that trigger AI Overviews using a combination of tools
to assess content performance and prioritize topics in your GEO strategy.
■​ Keyword rank tracking tools: Use tools like Semrush, BrightEdge
and others to track keywords, keeping in mind that visibility may still
be limited for less frequent triggers.
■​ Google Search Console: While it lacks direct AI Overview tracking,
GSC provides valuable insights when used alongside other tools.
■​ Google Chrome extensions
■​ Google AI Overview Impact Analysis: This free extension
tracks AI Overviews and cited sources across multiple

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 keywords. You can export data, identify trends and refine
your strategy.
■​ Google AI Overview Citation Analysis: Use this free
extension to compare links cited in AI Overviews with
traditional SERPs, allowing for side-by-side comparisons,
competitor tracking and trend identification.
●​ Analyze your brand’s placement in AI Overviews:
○​ Ensure your content appears in AI Overviews for key queries, especially if
it ranks well organically. AI doesn’t always pull from top-ranking SERP
content, so being featured in overviews is essential for maintaining
visibility.
○​ A recent seoClarity analysis by Mark Traphagen revealed that 99.5% of AI
Overview citations now match one or more of the top 10 Google search
results. However, the correlation can vary, making it essential to monitor
regularly.
○​ Tip: Use a regex pattern with ChatGPT to filter top queries from a ranking
export likely to trigger AI Overviews. As seen below, run these keywords
through the AI Overview Impact Analysis extension to identify which
queries generate overviews and the sources cited.

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●​ By combining the downloaded report with your ranking data using VLOOKUP,
you can effectively analyze AI Overviews in relation to your organic performance.

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●​ With conditional formatting, you can easily track your brand’s placement and
monitor the sources being cited.

●​ Analyze AI Overview response structures and content elements to:

○​ Optimize your content for AI Overviews, it’s essential to understand how
AI structures its responses to your key queries.
○​ Identify the common formats – whether lists, tables or videos – and tailor
your content to incorporate elements like data points, topics, multimedia
and key phrases that AI deems relevant.
○​ Examples:
■​ “What is SEO” AI Overview: Begins with a concise paragraph,
followed by headings and lists that cover the reasons SEO is
important and ways to improve a website’s SEO performance. To

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 increase chances of being featured, content should
comprehensively address these core aspects.
■​ “Best digital marketing strategies for small businesses” AI
Overview: Combines text, images and a bulleted list that covers
specific digital marketing channels, strategies and actionable tips. If
you aim to target this AI Overview, adjust your content to mention
similar topics and actionable tips.

Competitor research and analysis

GEO competitor research helps you identify how competitors perform in AI-driven
search results. By analyzing their successes, you can uncover effective strategies, spot
content gaps and refine your approach to improve visibility and stay competitive.

This research is an opportunity to learn from those excelling in AI-driven search.

Analyze how competitors are referenced, then adapt their strategies to improve your
own content.

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Focus on areas where you can offer more insights or add value while always
showcasing your brand’s unique perspective.

Actionable tips:

●​ Track competitors cited by AI:

○​ Start by identifying competitors frequently appearing in AI-generated
overviews for your target keywords.
■​ Use monitoring tools: Use the free tools mentioned above, like the
AI Overview Impact Analysis and Citation Analysis Chrome
extensions, to track competitors.
■​ Leverage Advanced AI Tools: Integrate tools like the ChatGPT API
with Google Sheets to build custom solutions that allow you to
efficiently track and analyze your brand’s visibility in AI-driven
responses.
●​ Monitor trends and shifts in sources cited over time:
○​ Stay updated on AI’s evolving content preferences, such as shifts toward
newer publications or specialized sources and adjust your strategy to
maintain relevance and competitiveness.
●​ Analyze competitors’ source content and adapt successful strategies:
○​ Analyze competitors’ content to uncover gaps and opportunities where
you can offer more value.
○​ Look at both the structure and depth of their content and adapt successful
strategies to improve your own.
■​ Evaluate structure and format: Identify the content formats
competitors consistently use (e.g., lists, tables or multimedia) that
AI may favor.
■​ Assess the depth of coverage: Determine if competitors provide
comprehensive coverage of key topics or if there are gaps you can
fill by expanding on neglected areas.
■​ Incorporate multimedia: If competitors frequently use visuals like
infographics or videos, enhance your content by including similar
elements to engage both AI algorithms and users.

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 ■​ Adopt effective formats: Pay attention to how competitors use
structures like bullet points, QandA sections or visual elements that
improve AI-driven content discoverability.
■​ Enhance with your unique perspective: While adopting successful
strategies, maintain your brand’s voice and insights to stand out
from competitors.
■​ Example:
■​ For the keyword “benefits of content marketing,” if AI often
references competitor content with numbered lists and
visuals, consider using similar elements while incorporating
your unique perspective to increase your chances of being
featured.

Dig deeper: Entity-based competitor analysis: An SEO’s guide

Brand perception intelligence

Brand perception intelligence involves gathering insights from AI platforms on how both
AI systems and users perceive your brand.

In an AI-driven world, brand perception and customer sentiment heavily influence

search visibility. AI systems favor brands viewed as authoritative, credible and
trustworthy, improving visibility and building customer trust.

Actionable tips:

●​ Conduct research about your brand on AI platforms:

○​ Regularly assess how AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity portray
your brand.
○​ Analyze AI-generated summaries, user queries and brand representation
in user-generated content (UGC) to identify gaps and areas for
improvement.
●​ Use UGC insights:
○​ Analyze how AI platforms use UGC to gauge customer sentiment and
overall brand perception.

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○​ Automate UGC collection and analysis with AI tools to refine your brand
strategy.
○​ Tip: Use tailored prompts and custom-built GPT solutions to automate the
collection and analysis of brand perception data.
■​ Example research output: Showcases a comprehensive sentiment
analysis report, including key elements like general sentiment,
specific aspects of product/service perception, comparisons with
competitors, emotional connection and communication
effectiveness.
■​ Why this is useful: Helps quickly assess where your brand excels
and where it needs improvement. By leveraging these insights, you
can make data-driven improvements to your brand’s strategy, both
in terms of product/service offerings and customer communication.

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 ●​ Adapt to customer sentiment:
○​ Monitor AI-generated queries and responses to understand customer
sentiment. Adjust your content and communication strategies to maintain
a positive brand image across digital platforms.
●​ Monitor brand perception on AI platforms over time:
○​ As AI systems evolve, so will the perception of your brand. Continuously
track how AI platforms represent your brand and adjust strategies to
maintain a consistent and positive narrative as AI systems evolve.
●​ Integrate insights into your brand strategy:
○​ Use AI-driven insights to inform your overall content and brand strategy.
Ensure consistency across all channels to enhance your brand’s
perception, visibility and credibility.
○​ Example: If AI frequently mentions your brand in connection with specific
keywords or topics, analyze these mentions to ensure they align with your
desired brand image. Adjust your content strategy as needed to
emphasize key aspects of your brand.

Dig deeper: How to become a recommended solution provider on Google entity lists

2. Optimizing content for generative AI

Once your research is complete, the next step is putting those insights into action by
optimizing your content and applying insights to ensure your content is relevant,
structured and accessible for AI systems.

Today, high-quality content alone isn’t enough. Your content must be optimized for AI
algorithms to maintain visibility and authority.

Content quality and relevance

Crafting credible, contextually rich and engaging content that meets user needs is
essential. By aligning your content with AI systems, you ensure it remains relevant and
trusted by both AI platforms and users.

Actionable tips:

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●​ Expand contextual relevance:
○​ Incorporate relevant keywords: Use long-tail, conversational and semantic
keywords identified during research to optimize your content. Integrate
these keywords naturally to match how users search and interact with
AI-driven platforms.
○​ Expand related concepts: Apply insights from research to deepen your
content, making it more comprehensive and valuable to users. Align with
AI’s preference for in-depth content by filling market gaps and offering
unique value.
○​ Integrate key entities and phrases: Use key entities, phrases and concepts
identified during research to build a narrative that resonates with AI’s
contextual algorithms, ensuring relevance and authority.
●​ Establish authority and credibility:
○​ Citations: Reference credible, up-to-date sources to validate your claims
and connect your content with established research.
○​ Quotations: Incorporate authoritative quotes from industry experts to add
depth and authority.
○​ Statistics: Include relevant and timely data points presented in impactful
formats like graphs or charts.
○​ Align with E-E-A-T principles: Build websites demonstrating experience,
expertise, authority and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
●​ Craft comprehensive and engaging content:
○​ Provide thorough, engaging and varied content that fully addresses user
queries and aligns with AI preferences for diverse content types.
○​ Provide comprehensive responses: Offer thorough answers that fully
address user queries, as AI favors in-depth content.
○​ Make content informative and engaging: Focus on creating content that is
informative, easy to understand and provides clear, actionable insights.
○​ Use varied multi-modal formats: Incorporate a mix of formats – blog posts,
guides, videos and interactive content – to keep your audience engaged
and align with AI’s preference for diverse content.
●​ Maintain content freshness:

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 ○​ Regularly update your content to signal to search engines that the
information is current and relevant. Fresh content aligns with current
trends and user interests, improving your content’s relevance.
■​ Example: Update a blog post on “2023 Digital Marketing Trends” to
reflect the latest trends in 2024, ensuring it remains relevant, timely
and more likely to be prioritized in results.

Content structure and clarity

A well-organized, clear structure is essential for engaging users and ensuring alignment
with AI.

Simplifying language, maintaining logical flow and integrating visuals make your content
more accessible to both AI systems and users.

Actionable tips:

●​ Improve content clarity and readability:

○​ Simplify language: Use clear, straightforward language, avoiding jargon
and complex sentences.
○​ Break down complex information: Use bullet points, lists and short
paragraphs to make ideas more scannable and understandable.
○​ Highlight key information: Emphasize important points with bold text,
callout boxes or summaries to ensure they stand out.
○​ Incorporate visuals and multimedia: Use high-quality images, infographics
and other visuals to break up text and illustrate key concepts, enhancing
engagement and readability.
○​ Consistent formatting: Maintain uniform font sizes, styles and colors
across all content elements to enhance readability.
●​ Enable quick comprehension of your content:
○​ Optimize your content to make key details easily accessible, ensuring that
AI and users quickly grasp the most important points.
○​ State what to expect: Clearly articulate the main purpose or topic at the
beginning of the content.

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○​ Summarize key points: Include brief summaries or lists of key takeaways
at the top of your content and throughout relevant sections.
○​ Incorporate FAQ sections: Add FAQs to longer content to address
common questions, increasing the likelihood of AI using it to answer
specific queries.
○​ Deliver quick answers: Provide direct answers to queries within the first
few sentences, making it easier for AI and users to find the information
they need quickly.
■​ Example: For the query “What is Generative Engine Optimization?”
AI tends to pull responses from content that provides clear,
immediate answers, like those in the examples shown below.
These examples use structured summaries and concise, digestible
points throughout each piece, helping both AI systems and users
digest the most relevant information.

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●​ Optimize content structure and fluidity:

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 ○​ Prioritize content fluidity: Create a smooth, logical progression throughout
your content. Use clear transitions and well-structured paragraphs to
enhance readability and engagement.
○​ Use clear and descriptive headings: Organize your content with headings
that logically guide readers and AI through the material.
○​ Design effective navigation: Create a clear hierarchical structure using H1
to H5 headings and distinct sections like FAQs or step-by-step guides to
enhance usability and relevance.
●​ Leverage key insights from research:
○​ Use insights from your GEO research to enhance content structure and
clarity around your key queries.
○​ Refine content structure and format: Adapt your content to align with
trends observed in AI-generated responses and cited sources,
incorporating elements like lists, tables and other effective formats.
○​ Emphasize key information: Incorporate common data points, topics and
details that AI frequently emphasizes, filling gaps in your content.
○​ Integrate multimedia: Include videos, infographics or other visual elements
if AI tends to favor these in its responses.
○​ Leverage competitor strategies: Implement content structures and formats
used by top competitors frequently cited by AI for your key queries.

Dig deeper: What is content readability and how to make your content easier to read

3. Technical optimization for AI accessibility

Now that your content is well-structured and engaging, it’s crucial to ensure AI systems
can easily access, interpret and prioritize it in AI-driven search.

As the digital landscape evolves, traditional SEO must adapt to meet the sophisticated
needs of AI, ensuring your content is not only visible but also understood and valued by
search algorithms.

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Structured data for AI understanding
Think of structured data as a roadmap that helps AI navigate your content, highlighting
what’s most important and ensuring it’s interpreted accurately.

By using the right schema markup, you’re not just organizing your content – you’re
making it easier for AI to recognize, categorize and present it in relevant searches.

Whether optimizing for voice search, product listings or user-generated content, the
appropriate schema ensures AI delivers your message to the right audience.

Actionable tips:

●​ Organize and structure content: Use schemas like Article, Organization and
Breadcrumb to help AI understand your content’s structure and context, boosting
visibility in relevant searches.
●​ Support natural language queries: Implement FAQ and QandA schemas to
optimize for voice search and generative AI, helping AI find direct answers and
increasing your content’s chances of appearing in AI-generated results and
featured snippets.
●​ Highlight important elements: Apply schema markup to key content like products,
reviews and FAQs to ensure AI recognizes and prioritizes these elements in
enhanced search results.
●​ Boost visual content visibility: Use ImageObject and VideoObject schemas to
enhance the visibility of your visual and video content. Proper markup helps AI
identify and prioritize this content in search results.
●​ Showcase user-generated content: Implement Review, AggregateRating and
Testimonial schemas to highlight user feedback, increasing your content’s
credibility and visibility in AI-driven searches.
●​ Broaden schema application: Consider using additional schema types to help AI
better understand and prioritize your content in specific contexts.

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Technical SEO enhancements
Structured data is just one piece of the puzzle. A strong SEO foundation that focuses on
various technical aspects is essential to ensure your site is accessible and efficient,
giving AI the best possible framework to work with.

Actionable tips:

●​ Optimize for speed and accessibility: Ensure fast loading times,

mobile-friendliness and clean code. These factors help search engines crawl and
index your site efficiently, giving AI systems the data they need for generating
relevant responses.
●​ Enhance performance: Improve server response times, optimize images and fix
crawl errors or broken links. A well-performing site is more likely to be accurately
indexed, which leads to better search visibility.
●​ Secure your site: Implement HTTPS and maintain strong security practices. AI
systems prioritize secure sites, so ensuring your site is safe boosts credibility and
trustworthiness.
●​ Streamline site architecture: Clear content hierarchy and effective internal linking
help AI understand relationships between different pieces of content, improving
relevance in search results.
●​ Prioritize mobile optimization: As mobile search dominates, ensure your content
is mobile-friendly. AI favors content optimized for mobile, directly impacting your
visibility.

By integrating structured data and improving your technical SEO, you create a solid
foundation that allows search engines to accurately index your site. This enables AI to
access, understand and prioritize your content based on the data collected.

4. Content distribution and engagement

Your content is only as powerful as the audience it reaches.

To maximize its impact, you need to strategically distribute it across multiple platforms,
ensuring it resonates with different audience segments and meets the evolving
demands of AI-driven systems.

40
The more places your content appears, the more opportunities AI has to recognize,
elevate and share it, expanding your reach and influence.

Actionable tips:

●​ Focus on the right platforms:

○​ What to do: Identify 3-5 platforms where your audience is active (e.g.,
social media, Reddit, Quora) and tailor your content to fit each platform’s
style while maintaining a consistent posting schedule.
○​ Why: Spreading your content across these platforms signals to AI that it’s
credible and worth prioritizing. More visibility across multiple channels
increases the chances of AI recognizing and elevating your content.
●​ Incorporate UGC:
○​ What to do: Encourage your audience to share their experiences with
campaigns like hashtag challenges or reviews and feature the best UGC
on your platforms.
○​ Why: User-generated content enhances your brand’s credibility by
reflecting authentic user interactions, which AI systems prioritize. This
authenticity boosts engagement and makes your content more appealing
to both users and AI.
●​ Engage proactively on social media:
○​ What to do: Dedicate time daily to interact with your audience on social
media by responding to comments, answering questions and joining
conversations.
○​ Why: Regular engagement shows AI that your content is relevant and
valued, increasing its visibility and helping you reach a wider audience.
●​ Create shareable content:
○​ What to do: Create shareable content like infographics, tips and visually
appealing posts. Use clear calls to action and social sharing buttons to
encourage sharing.
○​ Why: Shared content gains more visibility, signaling its importance to AI,
which can lead to broader reach and greater influence.
●​ Keep content fresh and relevant:

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 ○​ What to do: Regularly update top-performing content with new keywords,
relevant links and fresh visuals. Repurpose and re-share it across
platforms to keep it current.
○​ Why: AI favors content that is consistently updated and aligned with
trends, keeping it relevant and visible.

By distributing content strategically and engaging with your audience actively, you
significantly increase your visibility across platforms.

This ensures that both AI systems and a wider audience recognize, prioritize and
interact with your content.

5. Building brand authority and credibility

In an AI-driven world, building your brand as a trusted authority means more than just
creating great content. It requires a strategic approach that combines credibility,
consistency and ethical practices across everything your brand does.

To truly stand out, your brand must deliver accurate, valuable information while building
trust through collaborations, clear communication and a consistent brand identity.

Actionable tips:

●​ Build backlinks from authoritative sites: Secure backlinks from credible websites
to signal trustworthiness to AI systems.
○​ Guest blogging: Contribute to reputable industry sites.
○​ Partnerships: Collaborate with trusted brands.
○​ Shareable content: Create content that naturally attracts high-quality
backlinks.
●​ Use ethical content practices: AI favors content that aligns with user intent and
delivers genuine value.
○​ Transparency: Be clear and honest, avoiding clickbait.
○​ User-centered approach: Create content that truly meets your audience’s
needs.

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 ○​ Fact-checking and accuracy: Always fact-check your content to ensure
accuracy.
○​ Accessibility: Ensure accessibility for all users, including those with
disabilities.
●​ Demonstrate your expertise: Consistently showcase your knowledge and insights
to reinforce your authority.
○​ Original research: Publish unique, data-driven insights.
○​ Case studies: Highlight successful strategies and innovations.
○​ Expert opinions: Include industry experts in your content.
●​ Implement consistent branding: Maintain a recognizable and trustworthy identity
across all platforms.
○​ Unified messaging: Keep your brand messaging consistent.
○​ Visual identity: Ensure cohesive use of logos, colors and design elements.
●​ Foster relationships with influencers and thought leaders: Collaborations with
recognized influencers and thought leaders can significantly amplify your brand’s
authority. Focus on:
○​ Content collaboration: Co-create content with industry influencers.
○​ Endorsements: Seek testimonials from respected figures.
○​ Guest appearances: Participate in industry podcasts and panels.

By focusing on credibility, ethical practices and consistent expertise, you can build
lasting authority and trust. Aligning your brand with AI systems and maintaining a
strong, cohesive identity will pave the way for long-term success.

Key takeaways for mastering GEO strategies

Adapting to AI-driven search isn’t just beneficial. It’s essential to your brand’s long-term
success.

Here’s a quick recap of the actionable strategies you need to lead in this evolving
landscape:

●​ Embrace GEO as the future of SEO: Traditional SEO is evolving. GEO ensures
your brand remains visible and competitive in AI-powered search.

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 ●​ Leverage AI research: Success starts with understanding how AI interprets
content. Dive into semantic analysis, user intent, competitor strategies,
AI-generated responses and brand perception insights to align your content with
AI algorithms and position your brand as authoritative.
●​ Optimize content for AI prioritization: High-quality content is just the start.
Structure it for AI by making it clear, relevant and designed to be prioritized in
AI-driven results.
●​ Master technical SEO: Keep your site technically sound with structured data, fast
load times and mobile optimization to ensure AI can easily access and rank your
content.
●​ Strategically distribute and engage: Amplify your content across platforms and
engage with your audience regularly. The more visible and active your content,
the higher AI will prioritize it – so stay consistent and share often.
●​ Build and maintain brand authority: Trust is everything. Focus on securing
high-quality backlinks, consistent branding and ethical, value-driven content to
build credibility with both AI and users.

Learn More: How to implement generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies

According to dstudio

SEO can be a tricky field to navigate. It can feel like trying to hit a moving target as new
algorithms and best practices pop up frequently. But there’s good news!

A new approach called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is here to simplify things.
Imagine search engines that can anticipate a user’s intent and deliver the perfect
results. GEO acts as a high-tech upgrade to traditional SEO. This approach uses
artificial intelligence to understand user intent and craft better content.

Want to master SEO with GEO? Buckle up! We’ll take you through the basics, explain
why it’s the next big thing, and offer practical steps to put it to work for you.

The Progression of Search: from SEO to SGE to GEO

GEO is a recent idea that comes from the connection between digital content and
search engines. To really understand GEO, we must look into how things have been
changing.

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SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO focuses on optimizing website
content for specific keywords to rank higher in SERPs.

Website owners use techniques like keyword research, on-page optimization, and
backlink building as their SEO strategies to improve visibility in relevant searches.

SGE
SGE stands for search generative experience. SGE utilizes AI to understand user intent
and generate summaries of information from multiple sources.

SGE responses are more comprehensive and informative, aiming to answer a user’s
query directly, rather than just providing links.

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GEO
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a new concept compared to the
well-established Search Engine Optimization (SEO) we all know.

Image Source: Research Paper

Generative engines use AI to analyze information from various sources and synthesize
a comprehensive answer directly on the search engine results page (SERP).

Image Source : Research Paper

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SEO to SGE: From Ranking to Understanding Users
The shift from SEO to SGE isn’t just about algorithms; it’s about a smarter search
experience. SEO focused on getting websites to the top of results pages, often through
keyword manipulation.

SGE, powered by AI, prioritizes understanding user intent. Instead of just showing links,
SGEs aim to directly answer queries with informative summaries, focusing on user
interaction and satisfaction.

SGE to GEO: Optimizing for AI-powered Search

Website owners face a new challenge with the rise of google’s Search Generative
Experience. In response, GEO steps up to tackle this challenge.

GEO brings new optimization techniques to optimize content beyond keywords. It

highlights the significance of arranging content effectively, making it reliable and
appealing to AI. This ensures that websites can be noticed and included in SGE
summaries in an effective manner.

Aspect SEO SGE GEO

Definition It’s the practice of SGE is a next-level GEO is optimizing

improving your search engine that uses content for
website to show up AI to understand user AI-powered search
higher in search intent and provide engines (SGEs) to
results. answers directly. be included in their
informative
summaries.

Goal Increase website Provide comprehensive Improve content

visibility in search answers to user visibility in SGE
results. queries. summaries.

Key Keyword research, Understanding user Content structure,

Techniques on-page intent, AI-powered citations, clear
optimization, information retrieval writing
backlinks

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 Focus Area Keyword ranking improving user making content
interaction with AI more compatible for
driven results AI search

Outcome Higher website Improved user Increased content

traffic experience visibility in
AI-powered search
engine (SGE)
summaries

Metrics Organic search Click-through rate SGE result position,

ranking position (CTR), user content featured in
engagement metrics summaries

What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and How

Does It Work?
(This article is inspired by a research paper on GEO )

Generative search engines are a big advancement in search engines. Unlike regular
search engines that just give a list of websites, generative engines can make their own
responses using information from different sources.

Overview of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO):

Concept: GEO means making online content better for search engines that use
generative AI technology. This could mean understanding how generative AI models
look at and choose content, and then changing content to fit those standards.

Applications: This includes making content easier for AI to understand and use,
organizing content so generative models can prioritize it, or making content that
answers questions directly so it’s more likely to be chosen by AI-generated results.

Focus: GEO is for people who make and promote content and want it to do well in
search results, especially now that search engines use AI to make responses.

The recent successes of large language models (LLMs) have resulted in the creation of
better systems like BingChat and Google’s SGE.

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These systems, known as generative engines (GE), bring together the strengths of
regular search engines with the flexibility of generative models. They don’t just find
information, but also generate responses using various sources.

Your Search Transforms into a Conversation :

Image Source : Research Paper

If you look at the picture above, you’ll see two different search results.

On the left side is a traditional search engine, where you would get a list of links when
searching for “things to do in New York”. The top three results were (1) Central Park, (2)
The Statue of Liberty, (3) New York style pizza. This is what we’re used to seeing.

However, things have changed a bit with the new generative engine. Now, the results
are more personalized and helpful. Instead of just a list of links, it gives you suggestions
and recommendations.

For example, it might say, “Hey, here are all the things you can do in New York! Check
out this pizza place, or you could go visit Central Park, or whatever.”

Optimizing for Gemini & ChatGPT

The rise of large language models like ChatGPT and Gemini has brought about a new
era of search engines.

To improve your online visibility, it’s important to optimize your content for ChatGPT and
Bard. This means making your content more persuasive, authoritative, and packed with
relevant keywords and statistics.

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 Image Source : Np Digital

Performance Metrics
The research paper suggests impression metrics to measure how well generative
engines work, and offers a framework for determining the effectiveness of those GEO
strategies.

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Based on the metrics provided, it is clear that methods like Keyword Stuffing, which are
commonly used in SEO, do not work very well.

On the other hand, using quotations, citing sources, adding statistics, optimizing fluency,
using technical terms, and being authoritative are effective strategies.

Statistics and quotations significantly improve performance across all metrics

considered. The top-performing methods enhance the baseline results by 41% in
Position-Adjusted Word Count and by 29% in Subjective Impression.

Optimization Strategies for GEO

Studies have shown that using GEO strategies can improve the number of times your
content is seen by about 30%.

This improvement highlights that it’s important to adapt your content to meet the
preferences of search engines. This means using reliable sources, using statistics, and
writing in a clear and easy-to-understand way.

These ideas aren’t really new. At the end of the day, it’s just about writing well. Here are
some strategies that content creators should use for their content optimization.

Using relevant keywords: Include words in your content that are important for SEO.
Make sure the keywords fit naturally and are easy to read so you don’t get penalized.

Citing sources: Make your content more trustworthy by mentioning where you got your
information from. This shows that your claims are supported by reliable research or
facts.

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Adding statistics: Include numbers and data to support your arguments. This makes
your content more convincing and informative.

Using quotes: Include quotes from experts or other sources that are relevant to your
topic. This adds credibility and can give your audience different perspectives.

For example, the GEO research paper said:

“Interestingly, websites ranked lower in search results pages, which usually struggle to
get noticed, benefit a lot more from GEO than higher-ranked websites… This led to a
big 115.1% increase in visibility for websites ranked fifth in SERP.”

Making it easy to understand: Use simple language to explain complex ideas. This
makes your content accessible to a wider audience and keeps them interested.

Making it flow well: Make sure your writing is smooth and doesn’t have any grammar
mistakes. Well-written sentences make it easier to read and understand.

Using unique words: Include specific and original vocabulary to make your content
stand out. This makes it more interesting and memorable.

Using technical terms: When appropriate, include specialized words to show your
expertise in the subject. This can help you reach a more specific audience and improve
your SEO for specific searches.

Creating authoritative content: Make your content more persuasive and trustworthy by
using strong language and making confident claims. This builds credibility with your
audience and makes your website a reliable source of information in your field.

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These performance improvement stats from GEO research paper show the impact of
making additions (shown in green) and deletions (shown in red).

By using GEO methods, the visibility of the source content can be greatly improved
without adding much new information.

Intent-Specific Optimization
Informational Queries: When people search for knowledge or information, using
citations, quotes, and statistics can really improve how visible that content is. This
method meets the users’ need for trustworthy and detailed answers, making the content
more credible and reliable.

Navigational Queries: If users are trying to find a specific website or page, research
shows that making the content easy to read and ensuring it directly points to the desired
destination can increase visibility in search results.

Transactional Queries: For searches where users want to buy a product or sign up for a
service, having clear calls to action and making the content easy to understand and
persuasive are important strategies for boosting visibility.

Domain-Specific Optimization Efficacy

Science and Technology: Adding technical terms and using a formal writing style
worked really well in these fields. This is probably because the audience prefers clear
and trustworthy information.

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Arts and Humanities: In these areas, using quotes and referring to respected sources
helped make the content more visible. This approach matches the audience’s interest in
detailed and cultural information.

Business and Finance: Including statistics and data-based insights greatly boosted
visibility, showing that the audience needs factual and useful information to make
decisions.

How to Do GEO Optimization

To successfully use Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), you need to understand
how generative AI works and use that knowledge to create content that appeals to both
people and machines.

Research Topics Your Customers Care About:

Use keyword research tools to find out what subjects your target audience is interested
in and the questions they are asking. Check how often these questions are searched on
Google and see if they are likely to ask these questions to an AI tool.

Create or Improve Specific Content:

Write or enhance high-quality, relevant, and engaging content that answers the
questions and topics you found. This content should be based on ideas from academic
research about GEO.

Make sure to include reliable sources, quotes, and industry terms, and write in a way
that shows trust and expertise.

Use Structured Data:

Add schema markup to your content to give it context and organization, which helps
generative AI understand and index it better.

Focus on User Intent:

Think about why a user is searching for something and adjust your content to meet their
needs. This will also help you stay ahead of changing algorithms.

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Share Your Content:
Generative AI learns from more than just blog posts; it also looks at communities like
Reddit and Quora. Share your content on these platforms to increase your influence on
related questions.

Use Multimedia:
Make your content more interesting by adding visuals and interactive features like
videos, infographics, and quizzes to engage both readers and AI search engines.

Utilize Social Media:

Post your content on social media to boost its visibility and interactions. Generative AI
also considers signals from social media to rank and index content.

By using these strategies, you can effectively optimize your content for both human
readers and AI-driven search engines.

GEO and SEO, What’s the Difference?

SEO mainly focuses on traditional search engines like Google, while GEO is meant for
the fast-changing world of generative AI and answer engines.

These engines use complex algorithms to collect and show information in a way that
makes more sense in context. This means we need different strategies to optimize for
each type.

Here are some important differences between SEO and GEO:

1. Response Generation:
SEO is about getting traditional search engines to provide a list of links based on what
someone searches for. GEO, on the other hand, prepares content for AI systems to
quickly assemble and highlight key information, giving users fast and complete answers.

2. Content Contextualization:
SEO focuses on optimizing meta tags and including keywords to help improve search
rankings. GEO makes sure that the content is clear and relevant with search queries,
that allows AI algorithms to create accurate and thorough responses.

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3. Information Synthesis:
SEO works to make individual pages rank better. GEO looks at how AI combines and
summarizes information from different sources to give users well-rounded answers.

4. User Intent Understanding:

SEO connects keywords to what users are searching for to increase traffic. GEO uses
advanced AI to better understand what users really want, providing more detailed and
precise responses.

5. Algorithm Adaptation:
People who work on SEO always have to adjust to changes in search engine
algorithms. GEO needs to be flexible too, adapting to the changing abilities and
preferences of AI technologies.

6. Content Formatting:
SEO optimizes content for traditional search engine styles. GEO creates content that is
easy for AI to read and use, including structured data and formats that work well with
natural language processing.

7. Research-Driven Strategy:
SEO relies on keyword research and technical analysis to shape optimization
strategies. GEO needs to analyze how AI-generated content is structured, what topics
are popular, and how citation patterns change over time to improve strategies and align
with how AI processes and prioritizes content.

8. Performance Tracking:
SEO tracks keyword performance, rankings, and other metrics from organic searches to
refine optimization strategies. GEO monitors referral traffic from AI engines, sources
cited, and response patterns to understand how AI-driven platforms prioritize and
display your content, which helps guide optimization efforts.

Future Potential of GEO

As AI technology keeps advancing and more people start using generative AI in their
everyday lives, the opportunities for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) are
limitless.

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A recent survey by McKinsey found that 65% of organizations regularly use generative
AI now, which is almost double what it was just ten months ago.

Looking Ahead to the Future of AI-Powered Search

Improving AI Abilities:
Imagine a future where AI doesn’t just answer questions, but also predicts what users
might need before they even ask. With improvements in natural language processing,
AI will provide more accurate and detailed answers, changing how we find information.

AI will take a more active role, giving suggestions and insights that users didn’t explicitly
ask for, making the search experience better.

Voice and Visual Search Integration:

Combining GEO with voice and visual search will change how users interact with
information. As AI gets better at understanding spoken questions, voice search will
become more popular.

Similarly, visual search will let users find information just by taking pictures, making it
easier and more intuitive to access data. To stay relevant, it’s important to optimize
content for these new ways of searching.

Unified Experience:
The combination of GEO with technologies like augmented reality (AR) and voice
search will enhance how users engage with digital content. Picture getting real-time
help from AI, making information not only easier to get but also more interactive.

This mix of technologies will create a smooth digital experience that connects online
and offline worlds.

Deep Personalization:
AI will provide highly personalized experiences, adjusting responses to fit each user’s
unique likes, habits, and situations. This level of personalization will change how users
engage, making every interaction feel specially designed for them.

Advancements in Multimodal AI Search:

The move towards multimodal search will enable AI to combine text, images, audio, and
video in a smooth way, offering richer and more diverse search results.

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This change will cater to different user preferences and learning styles, making the
search process more engaging. To succeed in this new environment, content creators
will need to optimize their work across different formats.

GEO isn’t just about keeping up with AI progress; it’s about shaping the future of how
we interact online. Those who fully embrace the potential of generative AI and rethink
their digital strategies will be at the forefront of this changing landscape.

FAQ

What are the benefits of using GEO over SEO?

●​ Increased visibility in AI-powered search results.
●​ Improved content discoverability for relevant user queries.

Can GEO and SEO be used together?

For sure! It’s actually a good idea to use both strategies to make sure your content can
be seen by all kinds of search engines.

Is GEO More Important than SEO?

Not yet. SEO is still crucial, but GEO becomes increasingly important as AI search
evolves.

How Can I Measure the Success of My GEO Efforts?

Track your website’s inclusion in AI search summaries and user engagement metrics
within those summaries.

Will GEO Replace SEO in the Future?

It’s unlikely. SEO will likely adapt alongside GEO as search technology continues to
develop.

Learn More: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): The Future of SEO

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