From SEO to GEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility when people search for products, services, or information on search engines like Google. The goal is to appear higher in the search results for relevant queries, which in turn drives more traffic to your site. 

While traditional SEO has been the gold standard for improving visibility, it's not always enough in today’s evolving digital ecosystem. One of the biggest shifts we're seeing is how users are increasingly turning to generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity for answers, product recommendations, summaries, and decision-making support. 

These AI engines don’t function like traditional search engines. They don’t crawl the web in real time and return a ranked list of links. Instead, they synthesize information from their training data, sometimes enhanced with live data, and deliver answers directly to users in a conversational format. This means your brand or content might not appear as a clickable link in a search results page, it might appear (or not appear at all) in a sentence within an AI-generated response. 

Traditional SEO strategies have also historically focused on optimizing content around specific keywords and phrases. But that strategy assumes customers search in a predictable, one-size-fits-all way. In reality, search behavior, particularly within these AI-powered search engines, is far more complex. People don’t just type in static keywords; they ask questions, use conversational phrases, and phrase things differently depending on their intent, location, or even mood. If your content is stuck chasing exact matches instead of understanding the bigger picture, you’re missing out on opportunities to show up for the searches that actually matter. 

And let’s not forget how fast search behavior changes. Sticking to a rigid set of keywords means you’re optimizing for yesterday’s searches instead of adapting to what people are looking for today and tomorrow. 

Simply put, your content might be well-optimized for SEO, but invisible to GenAI systems if you’re not thinking about how these models understand and reproduce information. This is where GEO—GenAI Engine Optimization—comes in. 

GEO stands for GenAI Engine Optimization, and it refers to the process of making your content more discoverable, interpretable, and quotable by generative AI systems. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on pleasing algorithms that rank and index websites, GEO focuses on creating content and metadata that AI models can easily absorb, understand, and surface in response to user queries. This means structuring information in a way that aligns with how large language models (LLMs) process data and generate responses. 

GEO helps to ensure that your brand, product, or insights show up in the AI-generated summaries, recommendations, and responses that users are increasingly relying on instead of traditional search results, and bridges the gap between human-readable content and machine-generated answers. 

And if you think it’s too early to start incorporating GEO into your online strategy, think again; nearly 60% of consumers already use AI when they shop, and 77% say genAI helps them make a faster purchase decision. Businesses that ignore GEO risk falling behind as more users seek answers from GenAI assistants instead of browsing through a dozen websites. 

Optimizing for GenAI engines requires a different mindset than traditional SEO. Rather than only targeting search engine rankings, you’re shaping your content to be accurate, attributable, and easily integrated into AI responses.  

Let’s take a look at a few of the steps you can take now to start adapting your digital strategy to the future of AI-powered search and discovery. 

1. Focus on Data Clarity and Authority 
   AI models are trained to identify and reproduce content that is clear, factual, and authoritative. Make sure your content answers common questions directly and concisely. Use plain language, define industry terms, and write with a tone that reflects trust and expertise.  

2. Use Structured, Organized, and Well-Labeled Product Content 
   Break content into well-defined sections with headings, bullet points, and lists. This format makes it easier for AI systems to extract relevant information. Even though genAI doesn't crawl the web like Google, LLMs “see” content during training in ways that reward well-organized, easily digestible information. 

3. Publish Authoritative, Original Content 
   Generative AI systems tend to draw from reputable, high-authority sources. If you want to be included in responses, your content should be original, well-researched, and backed by evidence or expert opinion. Cite sources when applicable and publish under a real author or brand name with clear credentials. 

4. Optimize for Attribution and Mentions 
   When AI tools are sourcing data, they often pull from sites that are frequently referenced or cited across the web. Encourage backlinks, mentions, and citations of your content on authoritative sites, databases, or knowledge graphs that AI models may reference during training or real-time generation. 

5. Embrace Structured Data and Semantic Markup 
   Use schema markup and structured data to help clarify what your content is about. While LLMs don’t always read schema the same way search engines do, structured content still supports broader machine readability and can make your content more compatible with AI-enhanced tools and answer engines. 

6. Create “AI-Friendly” Summary Content 
   Include succinct summaries, FAQs, and definitions in your content. These are particularly useful for AI models that aim to provide quick answers or definitions. A well-written paragraph or bullet list that answers a question in 2–3 sentences is more likely to be surfaced by a genAI engine than a long, unstructured article. 

7. Track Mentions in AI Responses 
   Tools such as Akeneo’s AI Discovery Optimization can help you understand how your products are being discovered (or not) across a range of AI-powered commerce experiences. Use these solutions to understand what AI is saying about you, and identify opportunities to improve the clarity or prominence of your messaging. 

The rise of genAI is changing how users find and consume information. While traditional SEO remains essential, it's no longer the whole picture. As more people turn to AI tools to answer questions, make decisions, and find recommendations, your visibility depends on more than just your position on a search engine results page. 

GEO is the next evolution of digital strategy. By making your content more understandable, reputable, and quotable by large language models, you can position your brand to appear in the AI-generated experiences that are quickly becoming the new default. 

But it’s important to remember that GEO isn’t about abandoning SEO; it’s about expanding your visibility into the world of AI-driven content. The businesses that start optimizing for GenAI now will be the ones that lead in the digital spaces of tomorrow, so if you’d like to start understanding how you’re performing on these new digital platforms, reach out today.