For nearly two decades, businesses have fought to capture the #1 top spot on Google search results. Being #1 meant more visitors and, hopefully, more sales.
That goal fueled the rise of the $2.8 billion SEO industry.
But in recent months, AI has claimed that top spot on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
If you type a query in the search box, you’ll now see an AI-generated overview above the search results. Often, the answer is so thorough that you don’t need to click through to a website.
This can benefit the user, but it utterly upends the internet from a business perspective.
How Are We Supposed to Bring Traffic to Our Websites Now?
This shift is forcing businesses and content marketers to rethink SEO and ask new questions:
- How is AI changing search?
- How does SEO work with AI?
- Is content marketing still relevant?
- What’s the future of SEO?
In this article, we’ll look at the answers to those questions, and I’ll introduce Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and how it relates to traditional SEO. You’ll come away with a better understanding of how AI models affect search results and how you can adapt to these changes in your work to stay visible in an AI-driven world.
What Is GEO?
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. This is the process of optimizing content for AI-generated search results.
Traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on keywords, backlinks, and technical SEO to rank on Google. GEO focuses on how AI models like Google AI Overview, Bing’s Pilot, and Perplexity pull and synthesize information from multiple sources to deliver a succinct response.
In short:
- SEO prioritizes website clicks through Google rankings
- GEO aims to get AI recognition and cite your content
I’ve been writing for the Web since 2005, and GEO is the biggest shift I’ve seen in SEO. While Google regularly updates its algorithm, the core fundamentals have remained the same.
But now, GEO adds new layers.
How AI Impacts SEO
When Google rolled out AI overviews in 2023, many websites saw their traffic drop overnight. Unfortunately, this drop shows no sign of letting up.
The online learning site Chegg is suing Google, saying the “use of AI-generated summaries in search engine results has crushed its website traffic and revenue.”
They’re not alone. Reports suggest heavy-hitters like Investopedia and Healthline have also taken hits.
The reason? AI answers the user’s question directly, so there’s no need to click on a website for the answer.
Some users bypass Google altogether and go straight to Perplexity or ChatGPT to ask questions because they get the answers they’re looking for without having to wade through search results.
Today’s AI tools are answer engines pulling from millions of web pages, blog posts, research papers, and more to generate a succinct response. But sometimes, those answers don’t cite the source, or they’re incomplete.
This presents a challenge. How do you as a writer ensure your work remains valued in this new world of search? The opportunity lies in understanding the way AI selects sources and how to optimize for both SEO and GEO.
Understand How AI Chooses Sources So You Can Adapt
To better understand what makes content AI-friendly, I turned to trusted resources like Search Engine Land and Maeva Cifuentes of Flying Cat Marketing. Maeva says, “GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) significantly overlaps with SEO work and should be handled by SEO teams.”
What does this mean for you as an SEO writer? It’s a chance to understand GEO priorities so you can weave them into your work. That includes:
- Deeper context and clarity — AI picks up clear explanations and well-structured content.
- Proof and credibility — Citations, expert insights, and original research add trust.
- Explicit connections between concepts — Instead of writing, “Apple released a new product,” GEO optimization is “Apple, the tech company, released a new product.”
- Structured formatting — Subheadings, bullet points, and other formatting to make the content easy to scan.
Additionally, brands need to continue exploring what marketers are calling “surround sound” marketing. Backlinks are still important, but brands that expand beyond SEO into brand-building efforts like podcasts, original research, and partnerships will succeed. These efforts build authority, increasing the likelihood of inclusion in AI-generated responses.
The upshot? The keyword-based SEO play that helped brands dominate entire industries a decade ago is truly gone. Today’s effective SEO blends GEO to continue growing visibility.
How You Can Experiment with GEO
You can learn more about GEO by typing queries into different AI engines. For example, try the same query across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google and see how the results vary.
Make sure your content has subheadings, bullet points if applicable, and concise summaries. These help both people and machines quickly understand your point.
Prioritize authority with firsthand perspectives and expert insights.
You can think of GEO as an additional layer to your SEO writing, adding depth and nuance.
Now it’s your turn… You can start by testing AI search, adding additional formatting if needed, and unique insights to improve your chances of AI recognition.
