You’ve heard about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), but have you heard about Generative Engine Optimisation or GEO? If not, read up. Here’s what you need to know about Generative Engine Optimisation and why you must include it in your digital marketing strategy today.
What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
GEO, pronounced Gee·EE·Oh, stands for Generative Engine Optimisation. GEO is the practice of optimising for AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, and Gemini (a key component of Google AI Overviews). The goal is to improve content visibility and accuracy in AI-generated search results.
Greater brand visibility in AI-generated search results increases brand credibility and authority, among other benefits.
Why do we need GEO?
Users worldwide are increasingly turning to Gen AI for research, citations, content creation and more.
“Perplexity referral traffic from its search engine to brand websites has grown 40% month-over-month since January.” Said Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge (SEO platform), in April 2024. He added that “60% of its citations match the top 10 organic Google results, meaning that those using Perplexity are shown similar and relevant answers to queries like they would get when using traditional search.
Most searchers still use traditional search engines but limit their attention to the AI overviews provided by Google and Microsoft’s Bing— for the time being. In some instances, users may skip conventional search altogether and go directly to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and other generative Large Language Models (LLMs), meaning they won’t even see all of your hard SEO work on the SERPs.
How is GEO different to SEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation uses strategies tailored to how LLMs process information, making content easier for these AI models to understand. GEO and SEO techniques overlap quite a bit, so it’s hard to tell the difference, but they aren’t the same.
SEO focuses on optimising content for search engines, like Google, to appear (rank) higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). The process involves creating high-quality keyword-rich content with backlinks and strategic metadata used by bots and spiders that crawl websites.
GEO targets AI-driven search engines, which go beyond information retrieval. Instead, they analyse multiple data sources to manufacture comprehensive responses to a user’s query. Optimising for GEO involves understanding how generative engine algorithms gather information and process it to present more contextual, relevant, and human-like responses. Key distinctions of Generative Engine Optimisation are using clear, simplified language, structured data, and LLM-friendly content formatting.
“Successful Generative Engine Optimisation relies heavily on understanding how LLMs work and how generative engines process and synthesise information.”
– Famous Digital Media –
Generative Engine Optimisation Benefits
- Increased visibility: your brand will appear in more AI-generated search results, over and above SERPs, social media and paid advertising.
- Broader reach: GEO exposes your brand to users who may have used different search terminology or phrases for which you are not optimised and otherwise wouldn’t have found your content.
- Enhanced user experience: your content will be more relevant and informative when structured for GEO.
- Enhanced brand reputation: being featured in AI-generated responses improves credibility and the likelihood of your content being quoted or cited as a trusted source.
- Competitive advantage: getting ahead on emerging technology positions your brand as a trailblazer and cements a notable lead on competing brands.
The Really Great News about GEO
GEO enhances your content in several ways, directly impacting user experience and SEO performance. This, in turn, helps PPC and your overall Digital Marketing results, as mentioned in this blog: SEO and PPC Working Together for Total Online Brand Visibility.
Optimising for Generative AI and generative search forces you to include helpful content and structure your content in a way that is more comprehensible, accessible and—therefore—enjoyable to read. This can ONLY bode well for business.
The best news yet is that GEO is relatively
easy to implement
An Easy Way to Start Generative Engine Optimisation
You will find that, for the most part, many of the SEO techniques that you already have in place will help GEO. These include:
- Following a keyword strategy,
- Prioritising User Experience (UX),
- Clear formatting using headings and lists,
- Following the E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness) framework
- Using natural language and
- Providing unique, helpful content.
Generative Engine Optimisation takes things a little further, requiring:
- Relevance: writing specifically for user intent, answering a user’s query directly.
- Semantic relevance: focusing on topic clusters and related concepts.
- Comprehensiveness: content should be thorough and informative.
- Accuracy: ensuring the content is correct and up to date.
- Structure: following a logical layout for enhanced UX and using scheme markup to indicate the nuance of the content.
Best practice tips for GEO
- Quote a cite credible, authoritative sources in your content. Always attribute.
- Include facts and figures, preferably from your own research, so that you will be credited.
- Add visual aids like graphs and infographics, making your content even more comprehensible and expanding your reach (AI-engines search and use ALL your content, not only text, to provide appropriate responses).
- Write conversationally, with exceptional spelling and grammar and no errors.
You Don’t Have to Study the Tech—That’s What We Do
It requires a commitment to staying abreast of this rapidly evolving landscape. That means that you are always studying and adapting. Few B2B marketing managers have the time, let alone other resources, to invest in research before implementing any learning.
That’s why Famous Digital Media is here. We stay on top of emerging digital marketing strategies for you. Our team is here to support and improve your digital marketing using the latest technology and techniques underpinned by decades of collective experience.