How to use generative engine optimisation (GEO) to win AI search

From the explosive popularity of apps like ChatGPT to the recent rollout of Google’s AI Overviews feature, the rise of generative AI has fundamentally changed how users answer queries – and businesses that aren’t willing to adapt to this shift risk getting left behind. 

Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is a practice businesses can use to ensure their content is discoverable and referenced in AI answers. While traditional SEO strategies are far from null and void, adapting your strategy to embrace AI is essential for remaining competitive in this shifting landscape. However, with GEO still in its relative infancy, you’ll be forgiven if you don’t have all the answers yet. 

This guide provides a deep dive into the practice, exploring its core principles, how it differs from traditional SEO and how businesses can successfully optimise their content for generative engines in simple, actionable steps.

What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)?

Standing for ‘generative engine optimisation’, GEO is the digital marketing practice of optimising content to be recognised and featured on AI-driven search engines and large language models (LLMs).

As chatbots and generative engines become the first point of contact for many users, the ultimate aim of GEO is to have your business or website quoted as the source of an AI-generated summary, establishing your brand as a trusted expert.

Unlike traditional search engine optimisation (SEO), which focuses on improving website ranking in search engine results pages, GEO is about getting your content leveraged by AI models to directly answer a user’s query. 

What’s more, while traditional SEO is limited to search engines, GEO extends its focus to the full range of emerging AI search engines and chatbots, including Google Search Generative Experience, ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity AI and Claude.

GEO is no longer a niche marketing tactic; it’s fast becoming one of the best ways for people to promote their business in 2025. This is driven by a fundamental shift in the way AI is shaping user search behaviour, as developments in the technology are providing increasingly convenient ways of retrieving information.  

According to research from management consultancy Bain & Company, 80% of consumers are embracing “zero-click searches”, where they’re able to receive AI-synthesised answers to queries without needing to click on a link to a separate website. 

On top of this, over a quarter (27%) of users are trading out traditional search engines for AI chatbots altogether, with even higher adoption among younger generations. 

While this data doesn’t mean that traditional search is going to be obsolete anytime soon, it indicates clear challenges for businesses that fail to adapt to this evolving landscape. Organic traffic has provided a lifeline for many small businesses for decades, but now, even if you’ve secured a top rank in search results, your click-through rate could be decimated by an AI overview.  

The good news? For early adopters of GEO, this new direction isn’t a threat – it’s a significant opportunity. By strategically optimising your content for generative AI engines, your business can become a go-to source, cited by leading platforms like Google SGE and Perplexity AI. 

Getting the ball rolling early is crucial, though, as it gives you the chance to overtake competitors who are still heavily prioritising traditional SEO. Aside from gaining valuable clicks, mastering GEO also helps you build brand trust and authority in a way that SEO can’t.

GEO vs SEO: what’s the difference?

GEO and SEO are both marketing strategies designed to help your content get seen. However, a number of core differences distinguish the two. 

SEO helps form the foundation of our online presence. By following its set of guidelines, you can ensure your website is technically sound, deemed reputable, and structured with keywords to help it rank well on traditional search engines to drive organic traffic and clicks. 

GEO builds upon this foundation, adapting the strategy for the age of AI search. Engaging in the practice helps optimise your content for a new type of search result, as it competes for inclusion in AI-generated answers, rather than just traditional search ranking.

The key to success isn’t about choosing one or the other. By integrating GEO into your existing SEO strategy, you can ensure your content remains visible in both traditional search and AI-driven search, helping you capture the attention of a wider range of users as a result. 

Learn more about the differences between SEO and GEO in our comparison table below:

How does GEO work?

GEO is still in its early days, but there are already some clear best practices to follow to maximise your chance of getting discovered by AI engines. Here are practical strategies to kick-start your GEO journey.

Focus on topical authority

AI models are trained to understand concepts holistically. So, to increase your chances of getting picked above competitors, writing a couple of great articles isn’t enough.

Instead, you need to establish yourself as an authority on a given subject. This can be done by building a network of interconnected content that covers all aspects of a topic, using ‘content clusters’. Simply start with a long-form ‘pillar’ page, providing a broad summary of the topic, before creating shorter pages that explore specific subtopics in detail.

We also recommend linking the pages together using descriptive anchor text, as this sends clear navigational clues for the AI to pick up on. 

Optimise for natural language queries

One of generative AI’s key advantages over traditional search is its ability to respond to users in a conversational, even friendly manner. This understanding of natural language also applies to the way AI engines process and capture content. 

So, instead of relying on keywords, like you would with traditional SEO, optimising content for natural language is crucial for a successful SEO strategy. 

There are several ways to make it easier for AI models to parse and cite your content, including structuring your content to include question-based headings, writing in a conversational tone and providing concise, scannable summaries wherever it makes sense. 

Use schema markup and structured data

In addition to using natural language, leveraging structured data like schema markup is a valuable GEO practice. 

Schema markup is a type of code you add to your website, which provides a machine-readable language that defines what your content is about. It essentially acts as a blueprint, telling AI models or LLMs what each piece of information represents, from how-to guides to FAQs. 

Providing this clear, verifiable data significantly increases the chances of your content being selected for a featured snippet, rich result or even citation within an AI overview. While it might sound complex, plugins or third-party tools can simplify the process for beginners. 

Maintain consistent tone and clarity

Just like with traditional SEO, developing a consistent tone in your content helps to establish your brand as an authoritative and reliable source. 

Generative AI models are capable of quickly identifying inconsistencies, so writing your content in a consistent voice helps signal that your brand is trustworthy. Conversely, a jumble of inconsistent, unclearly defined information can confuse AI models and narrow the chances of your content being favoured. 

If you haven’t already done so, we’d advise creating a brand style guide that clearly defines your brand’s voice, tone and terminology. That way, you can ensure that every single piece of content you produce is written in a consistent tone.

Include evidence and sources

Backing up your content with evidence and sources should already be standard practice, but it’s all the more important when it comes to boosting your GEO strategy. 

To prevent responding to users with inaccurate or misleading information, AI models prioritise trustworthiness and authority. So, you’ll maximise the chances of your content getting picked up if you ensure all of your content is thoroughly researched and backed up by credible sources, like academic studies or industry reports.

Publish under a named author

Another way you can boost your experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (EEAT) score, and increase the chances of being cited by AI as a result, is by publishing your content under a named author.

As part of their mission to only source trusted information, Google and other AI models are considerably more likely to cite content that appears to be written by a verifiable expert, rather than an anonymous source. Therefore, publishing your content under an author, with a clear bio and a history of writing on the topic, establishes you as a credible source in the eyes of AI.

The practice also has the knock-on effect of building trust with human readers and traditional search engines, making it an important string to add to your digital marketing bow. 

Where do AI engines get information from?

The main way AI engines retrieve information is by scraping the web. They use advanced algorithms to scan publicly available data like articles, blog posts and scientific papers. This means that as long as the content on your website is publicly accessible, it’s already a potential source of information for AI engines like Google SGE, ChatGPT and Gemini. 

While both AI and traditional search engines rely on web crawlers to collect text, images and videos from other websites, the similarities essentially end there. Instead of just showcasing established content, AI engines process and synthesise the information to form original, direct answers. 

This is why creating clear, accurate and authoritative information dramatically boosts your content’s chances of getting snapped up.

Will GEO replace SEO?

No, GEO won’t replace SEO entirely. SEO is a foundational strategy for digital marketing and remains a vital way for businesses to boost website traffic and brand discovery. 

It’s more accurate to say that, as artificial intelligence keeps evolving and AI platforms continue to challenge traditional search dominance, GEO will only become a more powerful tool for businesses to stay relevant online. 

While both strategies are necessary for maximising visibility, businesses can’t afford to ignore this shift. The digital landscape has changed drastically in just a matter of years. 

So, investing in GEO now is one of the best ways to future-proof your business against the ever-evolving search environment. This blended approach will ensure your brand isn’t just discoverable, but also a trusted source in the new era of generative AI.

Conclusion

Boosting your brand’s online visibility isn’t easy, especially as the rules appear to be changing as you go. However, while the fast pace of AI may appear to be throwing out the tried-and-tested SEO rulebook, it just marks another chapter in the ongoing evolution of digital marketing. 

GEO doesn’t pose a threat to your digital marketing strategy; it offers you the chance to redefine it and make quick, effective wins. You don’t need to be an AI expert to have your content favoured by the biggest AI engines, either. 

By producing clear, concise and well-structured content, you’ll stand a good chance of being picked up over competitors, especially those who are still heavily focused on traditional SEO.