Have you done a Google search lately? The results look a little different from what they looked like a year or two ago. That helpful AI Overview summarizing information almost always dominates the top spot these days, often even before the sponsored results.
For example, if you search “What is GEO in marketing?” you will see a summary with information and excerpts selected from a variety of websites. Essentially, these resources are being recommended by AI as having the answers users are looking for. That can be a real boost for a website, but how do those websites get chosen?
Perhaps the more important question: How do you get your website to appear in those AI results? The answer is generative engine optimization, or GEO.
What Is GEO in Marketing?
In the simplest terms, GEO is a marketing practice that helps your business become the answer that AI gives people.
You’re probably already familiar with search engine optimization (SEO). Where SEO optimizes your digital content for traditional search engines like Google and Bing, GEO optimizes it for generative AI systems and assistants like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity AI. Basically, GEO is SEO but for AI answers.
Why Does GEO Matter?
Online search behavior is shifting quickly. Users are increasingly asking full questions and seeking out AI and conversational answer engines. According to Statista research, 15 million US adults used generative AI search tools first for their online research in 2024. This number is expected to more than double, reaching 36 million, by 2028.
By relying on generative AI first, rather than traditional search engines, users are clicking on fewer links and being more heavily influenced by AI recommendations. Brands that appear in AI answers benefit enormously from this additional visibility.
How Can GEO Help Your Business?
It’s important for businesses to stay flexible and agile in their marketing. Otherwise, you might miss out on huge opportunities. Incorporating GEO into your marketing plan is one of those opportunities.
What can GEO do for your business? When AI systems cite or reference your company’s information, it:
- Increases your visibility in AI-driven searches and other emerging search experiences
- Signals trust and expertise to users, positioning you as an authority in your field
- Attracts high-quality visitors who are searching with intent and closer to making a decision
- Complements traditional SEO strategies to ensure your content performs well in both search rankings and AI-generated searches and conversational answer engines
As the use of AI tools continues to grow, search is evolving quickly. Businesses that can adapt and incorporate both SEO and GEO to improve their visibility across the board can dominate their niche before their competitors can catch up. Think about it as future-proofing your marketing.
What Key GEO Strategies Should You Incorporate?
GEO is built around how AI systems gather and synthesize information. Keeping that in mind, there are several key GEO strategies that can help you optimize both your content and your website to increase the likelihood of being cited and referenced.
Create “Answerable” Content
AI prefers content that clearly answers questions and can be quickly formatted into a summary, list, comparison, or step-by-step explanation. Blog posts are an excellent way to include this type of content on your website.
For example, you could generate AI-friendly blog posts that offer:
- Definitions: “What is GEO in Marketing?”
- How-to guides: “A Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer”
- Comparisons: “Which Is Better: Getting a Home Loan Through a Bank or a Credit Union?”
- Summaries and recommendations: “Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in 2026”
- Lists: “5 Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Lawn All Summer Long”
In addition to blog posts, authoritative, in-depth guides, case studies, customer stories, original data, surveys, and FAQs work well, especially if they’re written in the conversational tone that AI prioritizes. Each of these types of content increases your credibility and offers verifiable information.
Write Clear, Structured, Machine-Readable Content
It’s easier for AI to read pages that are clearly organized and structured. Your webpages should include:
- Descriptive headings and subheadings
- Bullet points and lists
- Question-and-answer sections, such as FAQs
- Definitions and summaries
This type of organization and formatting makes it easier for AI systems to identify key facts and pull out relevant information when forming responses.
Use Technical GEO to Make Sure AI Can “See” Your Website
The same way that AI loves organization in your content, it also loves it in your website. Add schema markup so that AI systems know exactly what each section of your website is about. Labeled information removes ambiguity and enhances the extractability of your website.
Don’t forget about metadata. The right metadata can help AI quickly understand your content. Consider adding:
- Alt tags to all images
- Detailed title tags and headers
- Clear meta descriptions, using conversational language
A clean, logical structure, descriptive HTML headings, accessible code, and internal links to map relationships can all work together to make it easier for AI to read your website.
Establish Your Business as an Authority in Your Niche
AI platforms generally prioritize information coming from credible, expert sources. When you build topic clusters, instead of just posting random information, it helps signal deep expertise. For example, you could post several articles exploring different aspects of a larger topic, such as a bank publishing a series of informative articles about purchasing a home and obtaining a mortgage.
Include citations and credible references in this content to increase the likelihood of AI recognizing you as a reliable and trustworthy source. You should also highlight any professional credentials you have that further establish your expertise.
Earn Trust Signals
In most cases, AI models are trained to look at multiple sources. When you earn consistent mentions across the web and backlinks from reputable websites, AI will view your brand as reliable enough to include in generated responses.
You should actively seek out mentions, reviews, and backlinks from:
- News sites
- Industry blogs
- Research reports
- Review platforms
GEO vs. SEO: Which Is Better?
So, which is better, GEO or SEO? Neither. Both GEO and SEO are important for your marketing. GEO doesn’t replace SEO. It amplifies it. Both strategies help increase your business’s visibility and reach potential clients.
Here’s a quick comparison that might help:
Traditional SEO:
- Optimizes for search rankings
- Focuses on keywords
- Aims for first-page ranking
- Increases click-based traffic
GEO:
- Optimizes for AI answers
- Focuses on questions
- Aims for AI citations
- Increases recommendation-based visibility
Don’t Wait to Add GEO to Your Marketing Strategy
So, what is GEO in marketing? It’s the next step in marketing that reflects a changing digital marketplace. Even if you already have a strong SEO marketing strategy in place, users who are relying on AI-generated search results and conversational answer engines might never get to your content. Incorporating GEO will help your business increase visibility in emerging search experiences, build credibility, and capture high-intent traffic that SEO might miss. And doing it now instead of waiting until later just might give you a leg up on your competition.
If it feels a little daunting to step into this brave new world, it can be useful to work with digital marketing experts who can walk with you every step of the way. Why wait? Stay ahead of the game by adding GEO to your marketing strategy today.
