Search develops. And it happens quickly.
When you ask Google a question, you often get an AI-generated response (not just a list of sites to explore).
This shift creates a new reality for marketers. To remain competitive, your brand must appear in AI-generated answers, not just traditional search results.
This is where generative engine optimization (GEO) comes into play.
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
GEO is the practice of optimizing content to appear in the answers generated by AI-driven search engines such as Chatgpt, Google, Perplexity, Claude and others.
Instead of focusing solely on traditional search engine rankings (like SEO do), GEO is about ensuring that your content becomes part of the answers that generative AI systems provide when users ask questions.
Here is an example of what I mean.
When I asked confusion who provides the best VPN service, Chatbot pulled information from multiple sources across the web and synthesized it for a comprehensive answer.
The most important difference is that your content does not necessarily compete to be the top result – it competes to be part of the answer itself.
Why does Geo mean something?
AI-driven search explodes in popularity.
Chatgpt hit 100 million users faster than any app in history. Google’s AI listings now appear for billions of searches each month. People are increasingly turning to AI assistants for everything from product recommendations to research help.
Like good sales staff, these AI assistants can swing purchase decisions. If AI-Generated Answers mention your brand or product, you are instantly part of the consideration set. Without mention, you might not even be seen.
Here are some other benefits of investing in GEO:
- You get organic visibility without paying for ads
- You drive qualified traffic back to your site
- Your brand can be promoted 24/7
- Your brand becomes more credible in your industry
With all the benefits, you may think that GEO requires completely new skills and strategies. But here things get interesting.
Geo & SEO is closely linked
The strategies that make you visible in search singers are pretty much the same that get you mentioned in AI response.
Traditional SEO is about creating high quality content, making it available for search engines and building backlinks.
Geo works out of a similar foundation.
If you consistently publish content on topics closely linked to your brand make it easy to access and understand and earn credible reviews on the web, you are already making geo – at least partially – whether you are aware of it or not.
Think about it: AI assistants also want to provide useful, accurate information to users. And they draw this information from the same internet as your SEO-focused content lives on. The more your brand is associated with the items you love, the more likely it should be referred to in an AI-generated response (generally).
If you’ve been doing solid SEO for years, you’re already a lot of the way there with GEO. The basic elements have not really changed.
But are there any tactics that are unique to geo?
I think there will be some interesting tactics that will appear specifically for AI systems, especially when we better understand how they pick up, interpret and synthesize information. Research in Geo is still in its early stages.
Based on what we learn, there are a few specific ways AI systems can behave differently:
- Unlinked fire mentions appear to carry more weight. AI systems can give a fire mention more weight even when they are not attached. This is a kind of a big thing because even relaxed mentions of your brand on the web can increase your AI visibility.
- Content with quotes and statistics tends to work well in AI assistants. A study analyzed 10,000 real queries and found that pages containing quotes and statistics had 30-40% higher visibility in AI-LIGHT compared to content without them.
- Rendering on the server side can be important for AI visibility. At least for now, it seems that many AI crawlers have trouble performing JavaScript, so if your content is very dependent on the reproduction of the client side, it can be invisible. So it may not be picked up, processed or included in AI-generated answers.
- Fresh content is likely to benefit from AI tools. This is pretty straightforward: AI tools want to provide the most current information that is possible.
- Wikipedia -Presence room can potentially increase your AI visibility. Since Wikipedia seems to be a significant part of AI training data, having an accurate Wikipedia post for your brand can increase the likelihood of being mentioned in AI response. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s worth considering.
- UGC platforms appear to affect generative engine visibility. Platforms that allow user-generated content (UGC) -Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, etc.-with high exposure in generative engines. So Brand -Presets on these platforms can be an important factor in GEO.
Much of what we “know” so far is based on educated guesses. We are still in the early stages of geo. And there’s still a lot to find out.
A mindset shift for marketing people
To succeed in the AI ​​landscape, you can refresh your mindset about SEO. Many of the old best practices are still relevant. But new research coming out will definitely shape how we are approaching GEO in the coming months.
For decades, marketers have optimized for clicks, locations and SERP features. But generative engines are different – they give answers directly. This can change how people discover and consume online content.
In this new era, visibility often means to emerge in the answer itself. So you have to start tracking how often AI actually draws from your content as a source.
To track your AI visibility, try Semrush’s AI Toolkit. It helps you monitor your visibility in tools such as chatgpt, confusion, gemini and others.
Sign up to get started today.