GEO Explained in 5 Minutes

The playbook for content visibility is changing, and it’s changing fast. If you were a marketer working in the noughties, you might be thinking, “well, I’ve been here before”, thinking back to the introduction of social media into the marketing mix, which felt like a whole new world to explore and understand. Right now, increasing your visibility is feeling a little like the wild west again, with new acronyms and tactics for optimizing content for AI-powered engines or large language models (LLMs) springing up every week. Don’t worry, we’re here to explain it all, and quickly!

What is generative engine optimization? 

There’s a new acronym on the block, so before we dive in, let’s define what we’re talking about: 

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing the content on your website so that it’s more likely to be used or “cited” by a generative engine, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s Gemini (AI Overviews), or Anthropic’s Claude. This is separate from traditional search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on ranking on Google search or, less commonly, Microsoft Bing.

Is generative engine optimization replacing search engine optimization?

Fear not, SEO is not dead or being replaced, it’s simply evolving. Traditional Google search still drives the majority of web traffic globally — but a new era is moving into focus, and forward-thinking SEO and content marketers are working to implement GEO tactics into their search visibility strategy to capture AI engine traffic. The two actually complement each other!

How do you optimize content for a generative engine? 

The good news is that a lot of the traditional SEO tactics are still relevant for optimizing for large language models (LLMs). Here are five top content tactics for generative engine optimization:

1. E-E-A-T principles
   • Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. Google describes it as (opens in a new window) evaluating your content to ensure it is “helpful, reliable, [and] people-first”
   • Include author bios and their credentials
   • Link to trusted sources when citing research or data — LLMs favour information that is well cited (opens in a new window)  
2. Content accuracy
   • Update any content on your website that includes outdated information, such as pricing
   • Refresh old or outdated statistics — LLMs prioritize data that is as recent as possible
   • Cover new topics before your competitors to build your credibility 
3. PR & brand mentions
   • Like with traditional SEO, trustworthy links to your brand across the web are still important for visibility
   • Even mentions that aren’t linked help to associate your brand with a topic
4. Structured content
   • Headings, subheadings, and bullet points
   • Q+A formats or tables, where the formatting can be lifted directly by a generative engine
   • Use schema markup to provide context to the AI engine 
5. Visibility testing
   • Do your own testing using a generative engine or LLM —  test target queries or prompts to see if your brand is cited 
   • Adjust your content structure or copy to fill gaps in AI-generated answers  
   • Track your brand mentions in generative engines over time

The key, above all, is to always add value with your content. Understand the questions your audiences have and aim to answer them as clearly, comprehensively, and succinctly as possible.

Your technical GEO checklist

Here’s a handy technical generative engine optimization checklist for your website: 

1. Structured data and metadata
   • Implement JSON-LD schema markup
   • Create multiple schemas (opens in a new window) for each content type on your site (e.g., Product, Event, Article, FAQ, etc.) and ensure that each includes all relevant and required fields for that type
2. Structured content
   • Ensure semantic HTML <h1> <h2> hierarchy including proper heading hierarchy and image descriptions
3. LLMS.txt file (opens in a new window)
   • A markdown file that includes all the relevant content in a LLM-friendly format
4. Server-side rendering over client-side rendering
   • Ensure your site loads as quickly as possible (opens in a new window) and all content is rendered on the page
5. Use a headless CMS to ensure GEO-friendly content implementation
   • A headless CMS offers a significant advantage over a monolithic CMS: it decouples presentation from data, supporting structured data by design
   • The composable architecture of headless means you can display the data on your website in a way that works perfectly for both humans and AIs — display it on the frontend for humans while generating a JSON-LD schema/"llm.txt" file for bots!

How to measure your brand’s visibility in generative engines

The tools are new, the tactics are evolving, and the AI companies aren’t exactly divulging their data to study just yet. But, there are some tried-and-tested methods that you can use right now to measure your brand’s AI-search visibility:

1. Testing prompts in LLMs — using your target keywords, most-asked customer questions, and any queries you know you should be turning up for. Track: your brand mentions, if your content is paraphrased or cited, the position in the generated answer (first mention, middle, or bottom.) Keep a spreadsheet or document for historical comparison
2. Use an AI visibility tracking tool — there are already companies and platforms out there offering this service. Some are well-known SEO tracking platforms that have launched new capabilities, while others have sprung up as a result of this new window of opportunity in the search visibility market. Track: brand mentions and citations in generative engines
3. Create custom scripts — automate queries to AI APIs. Track: whether and/or how often your brand appears 
4. Brand mentions — another traditional SEO tactic that’s still proving valuable right now. Set up alerts for mentions in Google Alerts, or your preferred brand visibility tool. Track: unlinked mentions of your brand across the web
5. Website conversion rate — as website traffic declines, and users find their answers without ever clicking to your website, your conversion rate will become even more crucial for knowing how effective your content is in generative engines for those that are actually ready to buy

Marketing for the “zero-click internet”

You still need a website — even in a “zero-click” world, where users get answers before ever reaching your website.

Don’t forget:

• Be machine findable: LLMs need a source to pull from, and if your content doesn’t exist, AI models can’t find it or cite it for users
• Control your brand: An updated website = a protected brand. Make sure AI doesn’t cite outdated or totally incorrect information about your brand
• Quality over quantity: Even if fewer people click, those that click will have higher intent, and are often much more likely to download, start a free trial, or contact you. Without a website, the user has nowhere to complete those actions
• Use the right tools: An API-first CMS is essential for creating easy to find, structured content. Find out why your current CMS might not be ready for the age of AI and take action!