The rise of Generative Engine Optimization. Is GEO worth your time?

Since the beginning of the AI revolution, the phrase “SEO is dead” has been appearing more often than before. The idea is that since AI allows you to find answers faster and more effectively than the traditional “Google it” approach, then the businesses will lose the incentive to invest in their visibility in search results. This concern has led to the emergence of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), a discipline focused on optimizing websites and content for AI chatbots.

Some experts believe that the future of online businesses lies in GEO rather than SEO—but is that really the case?

• In this article, we share our insights and experiences with AI-powered search and its future in the industry. 
• We will also provide a link to a custom Looker Studio report to help you track how much traffic your business is receiving from AI. 
• Additionally, we’ll explain why we believe it’s best to wait before investing in services to improve your visibility on AI chatbots—at least for now.

What is GEO?

GEO stands for “Generative Engine Optimization”, a discipline focused on optimizing content and websites to enhance their visibility in AI chatbots and AI-powered search engines, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity etc.

In other words, just as SEO improves a business’s visibility in search results, GEO does the same—but for answers provided by AI chatbots.

For those who have been in digital marketing long enough, the term ‘GEO’ might sound familiar, as it suggests a connection to geo-targeting. However, the similarity is only in the name, as geo-targeting refers to advertising directed at users based on their location and has no relation to AI.

SEO vs GEO

The basic advantage of GEO over SEO is simple: GEO provides direct answers, eliminating the need to look through search results.

While the differences and similarities between SEO and GEO are nuanced, they primarily revolve around seven key aspects:

A Notable mention: Search Generative Experience (SGE)

In response to growing interest in AI, Google has introduced Search Generative Experience (SGE), a hybrid approach that blends elements of SEO and GEO. SGE enhances visibility in search results but is limited to sections that summarize the results for users. In Google’s search results, this summary appears at the very top, making it a highly valuable position for businesses aiming to improve their visibility.

Will GEO replace conventional search?

If the AI removes the need for users to enter your website, does it mean your business is doomed? Not necessarily. 

The answers AI generates are based on multiple sources, which are listed in the chat window. For example, if you run a motorcycle parts business and a potential customer asks an AI chatbot a question related to that topic, they might see your website cited as one of the sources. This increases the likelihood that users will perceive your brand as an expert in motorcycle parts.

Is GEO worth your time… and money?

If you’re wondering how you can increase your chances of being cited by AI, we have good news for you: your website is probably already ranking within popular LLMs. Some practices are beneficial for both SEO and GEO purposes, for example: producing high-quality content, making data-driven decisions, and staying on top of the latest trends. So, if your business has implemented an optimized SEO strategy, it’s likely that this strategy also impacts your GEO rankings.

How can your business take advantage of GEO right now?

Again, we advise to refrain from large investments in GEO right now, however the exception to the rule are businesses that provide digital products and technology services worldwide. These highly competitive industries often have no other choice than to try to stay on top of the newest technologies, even if they are in their early stages.

However, if you’re in a position where hiring the right provider isn’t within your budget, there are still things that you can do to get ahead in the GEO race, namely:

1. Take care of your digital PR

LLMs have their own internal search mechanisms (for example, SearchGPT) that, similar to Google, rely on their own internal indexes. These databases are built from information crawled from across the internet. Therefore, the best way to maximize the chances of your business appearing in AI-generated results is to ensure your brand appears in multiple relevant places through strategic backlink building and digital PR. How you implement this strategy depends on the type of business you run. For instance, if you run a marketing agency, you might want to have your brand mentioned on platforms such as Clutch, Wikipedia, and technology blogs.

However, for this strategy to succeed, you must ensure your brand’s name appears within the right context. Continuing with our example, we aim to ensure the brand name “Delante” consistently appears alongside phrases such as “SEO agency in Poland”. The same goes to the context in which your brand name appears on your own website, so when LLM uses your content for training, it will know exactly what your business is doing.

2. Learn how to conduct AI-keyword research

If your website or digital PR doesn’t provide sufficient information about your brand, the LLM model will likely base its answers on its training data, which might already be outdated. In this case, you can conduct simple AI keyword research: ask ChatGPT or other LLMs about queries you’re interested in (for example, “What are the best SEO agencies in Poland?”). Repeat this multiple times, and note the percentage of responses in which your brand appears.

3. Be present on multiple channels

There’s no way to tell for sure how to best optimize for GEO since AI is a black box. However, we have seen some positive results for brands that are present in multiple channels, including social media and Youtube. We believe that brands with such visibility are more likely to be cited as a source by AI algorithms. The idea is that LLMs are picking their sources based on multiple factors, multi-channel presence being one of them.

Is the future of search AI-powered?

Despite the incredible progress AI technology has made, it is still not yet a significant marketing channel. It may just be a matter of time and scale, but for now, all businesses can do is observe how this technology evolves. 

At least, that’s what we at Delante plan to do. We continuously share our insights through our newsletter—sign up to stay on top of the latest trends with us!