- What Is Generative Engine Optimisation?
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Generative engine optimisation or GEO refers to the process of optimising content for AI-shaped search channels. This includes AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, which users are using more and more for informational queries such as, ‘what are the benefits of drinking electrolytes?’.
Appearing in the AI’s response provides an opportunity to drive highly qualified organic traffic to your website. GEO also accounts for Google’s AI summaries, which now appear at the top of most of Google’s results pages. These summaries can include links, videos, comparison tables and more, which provide another opportunity to increase your brand’s visibility.
- What Is The Difference Between GEO and SEO?
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Traditional SEO strategies aim to increase a website’s visibility across Google’s search engine results pages. As mentioned above, GEO primarily focuses on AI channels and may also be referred to as AEO, AISEO or ChatGPT SEO. While appearing on Google and AI channels requires a different approach, the overall goal is to drive relevant, qualified users to your website.
- How Has AI Changed SEO?
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AI channels like ChatGPT and Gemini have aggressively disrupted the digital landscape. Whereas previously, users would turn to search engines for short and long tail searches, AI presents an alternative, particularly for long tail search queries. For example, a user interested in purchasing a new smart watch may turn to AI chatbots to ask ‘What is the best smart watch for fitness activities?’. AI’s response represents a new, prime piece of real estate in the SEO world that didn’t exist until recently. This new channel is often more trusted by users who have become more aware of traditional SEO strategies.
- What Businesses Should Be Using GEO?
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Think about the types of prompts users input into AI tools and why it’s important for your brand to be cited in the response.
Businesses in the health sector can be cited in response to informational queries such as “What are the benefits of drinking kefir?”, a strong content strategy is important as AI platforms may cite informative sources in responses. This provides an opportunity to drive for your website to be cited which could drive traffic to your site from users who want to learn more.
Businesses targeting a local area need to consider localised queries such as “What is the best Italian restaurant in Manchester?”. Localised queries like this will become huge on AI search, and it’s important that your local SEO efforts can be understood by ChatGPT in order to be mentioned and recommended in responses.
Ecom businesses will need to be cited in relation to transactional queries such as “What are the best running shoes for under £100?”. As specific, long tail searches move from search engines to LLMs, recommendations will become instant, thorough and ultra specific. As a result, being mentioned in these responses will have extremely high conversion rates
These types of prompts are quickly becoming a valuable opportunity for your brand to be cited or recommended. Whether users are looking for informative, transactional or localised information, AI responses represent a new opportunity for all types of businesses.
- How Can AI SEO Increase Business Performance?
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AI SEO isn’t just a new buzzword; it’s an emerging yet powerful channel that could be a key driver of business growth, and moving quickly before AI SEO becomes a mainstream search channel is critical. So why should businesses make ChatGPT SEO part of their marketing strategy?
The obvious way in which AI SEO will benefit businesses is through product recommendations, which could have a direct impact on sales revenue. Remember, AI goes further than traditional search by not just showing products/brands but reviewing and analysing, so having AI view your business in a positive light becomes an extension of your marketing team.
It’s also important to consider GEO from a brand awareness perspective. More users are turning to AI to draw up shortlists, whether they’re choosing a new pair of gym trainers or an AI SEO agency. This is why mentions, even if they are not part of a recommendation, are still important. Being mentioned in a response could make an unaware user aware of your business, while being cited has become a new form of referral traffic.