Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

What Is Generative Search Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Search Optimization (GEO) refers to the practice of optimizing a website or online content to improve its visibility and ranking in generative search engines developed using AI technology. It involves various strategies and tactics to enhance the website’s relevance, authority, and trustworthiness in the eyes of generative engines. GEO focuses on many of the same tactics of SEO with a few known exceptions:

• Media Links: Generative Engines place very high importance on links from Public Relations outlets and media sites.
• Schema Markup: How your content is structured, and schema markup are prominent in being discovered by generative engines. 
• Sitemaps: While a large percentage of SEO is staged around Google’s ability to read your pages, generative engines prefer Bing. Ensure your sitemap is submitted to Bings Webmaster tools.   

Why Is GEO Important?

Since the inception of generative engines and large language models, adoption has caught on like wildfire. While it doesn’t seem like Google and SEO are going anywhere, search engines are losing traffic to generative search and zero-click searches at a fast pace. If you want your content to be discoverable by generative engines, it’ll mean adopting GEO alongside SEO. Luckily, most core GEO tactics are the same as traditional SEO tactics. So, anyone deploying SEO best practices should not see as much disruption with the adoption of generative engines as those who have not.     

Can You Use GEO In A Sentence, Please?

“Implementing effective GEO strategies can help your content be discovered in ChatGPT and Perplexity. Think of it this way: you may create a future in which the Terminator arrives and spouts off something you wrote!”