The Changing Search Landscape

I've been watching the search world transform before my eyes these past months, and trust me, this is the biggest shift we've seen since Google first appeared. AI search tools like Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity aren't just adding to the search ecosystem – they're fundamentally changing how we all discover information online. This evolution has birthed Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), which now sits alongside our familiar friend SEO.

While traditional SEO isn't going anywhere (thank goodness!), GEO focuses on getting your content referenced directly within AI-generated responses. It's a bit like having two fishing rods in different ponds – you'd be daft to ignore either one as users increasingly split their attention between both.

What's GEO All About Then?

GEO is how we optimise content specifically for AI systems. It's quite different from SEO when you think about it. With SEO, we're trying to rank highly so people click through to our websites. With GEO, success often means your content gets cited or quoted within AI responses – even if no one ever visits your actual site!

The key distinction is really in what we're aiming for:

• SEO: Getting rankings that drive website clicks

• GEO: Becoming a trusted source that AI systems reference directly

It's a massive shift from chasing clicks to focusing on having your information extracted and attributed correctly.

Why You Should Care About GEO Right Now

I'm not one for unnecessary panic, but several things are happening that make GEO worth your attention:

AI Is Everywhere Now

Google AI Overviews are popping up across millions of queries, and their AI Mode is spreading globally. These tools are increasingly becoming the middlemen in how people find information, pulling out content snippets and presenting them directly in search results.

People Are Changing How They Search

A mate of mine hasn't used regular Google in months – he goes straight to ChatGPT or Perplexity for answers. He's not alone. More and more people are bypassing traditional search entirely, which means if you're only thinking about classic SEO, you're missing a growing audience.

Zero-Click Search on Steroids

Remember when we all worried about "position zero" stealing clicks? Well, now AI summaries are doing that but on a much grander scale, pulling information from multiple sources without sending users to any website.

Early Birds Catch Worms

The organisations getting stuck into GEO now have a brilliant opportunity to establish themselves as go-to sources for AI systems. It's like getting in on SEO before everyone and their dog knew about it.

What Makes Good GEO?

While GEO builds on SEO foundations, it needs some special consideration:

Content Structure That Makes Sense

AI systems love well-structured content they can easily extract:

• Q&A Patterns: Format your content like natural conversations

• Clear Headings: Use descriptive sections that signal relevance

• Bite-sized Information: Break complex topics into manageable chunks

• Easy Scanning: Use bullets, numbered lists and tables to organise information

Technical Bits and Bobs

The tech side matters just as much:

• Schema Markup: Implement structured data, especially FAQPage and HowTo types

• Entity Relationships: Clearly show how topics and concepts connect

• Clean Architecture: Ensure your site structure is logical and interconnected

• AI-friendly Access: Review how you're handling AI crawlers in your robots.txt

Building Trust and Authority

AI systems are picky about which sources they trust:

• Clear Authorship: Show who wrote what and their relevant credentials

• Proper Citations: Include references for facts and claims

• Consistency: Keep your information coherent across all platforms

• Factual Accuracy: Focus on verifiable content that AI can confidently cite

AI systems prioritize trusted sources that provide factual, well-structured, and properly attributed information they can confidently reference.

Depth and Comprehensiveness

AI loves thoroughness:

• Topic Clusters: Build interconnected content networks showing expertise

• Multiple Angles: Cover topics from various perspectives

• Clear Relationships: Show how concepts connect to one another

• Precise Language: Use consistent terminology with clear definitions

Measuring Your GEO Success

The traditional SEO metrics don't quite cut it for GEO. We need to look at:

• How often AI systems mention your brand or content

• Your share of voice compared to competitors in AI responses

• The range of questions where your content gets referenced

• How prominently and accurately you're cited

It's trickier to track than traditional SEO, but absolutely crucial for understanding your AI visibility.

GEO and SEO: Better Together

I should stress that GEO isn't replacing SEO – they complement each other brilliantly:

1. SEO Builds the Foundation: All that technical optimisation, quality content, and site structure remain essential for both.

2. GEO Extends Your Reach: While SEO drives website visits, GEO ensures your expertise appears even when users stay within AI interfaces.

3. Same Ultimate Goal: Both connect your expertise with audiences who need it, just through different channels.

The future of digital visibility requires both SEO and GEO working in tandem – optimizing for traditional search results and AI-generated responses simultaneously.

Getting Started with GEO

If you're keen to add GEO to your digital strategy (and you should be!), here's a sensible approach:

First: Take Stock

Test how visible you currently are in AI responses, identify your strengths and gaps, and see what your competitors are up to.

Next: Sort the Technical Side

Implement proper structured data, optimise your page architecture, and ensure AI systems can access your content.

Then: Enhance Your Content

Restructure key pages in AI-friendly formats, develop comprehensive topic coverage, and boost your factual depth.

Finally: Keep Refining

Monitor how often AI systems cite you, address any content gaps, and keep iterating based on what you learn.

Future-Proofing Your Strategy

This shift toward AI-mediated information isn't just a passing fad – it's a fundamental change in how people find information online. Those who adapt now will maintain or even grow their digital visibility, while those who ignore it risk becoming increasingly irrelevant as user behavior evolves.

GEO isn't just a tactical adjustment; it's a strategic realignment with how information is increasingly discovered and consumed.

The core principles – creating structured, authoritative, factually precise content – will serve you well even as specific technologies continue developing.

Final Thoughts

As AI transforms search, we need both traditional SEO and emerging GEO strategies working together. Understanding how AI systems select and present information helps us adapt our content accordingly, ensuring visibility across both traditional search results and AI responses.

The winners in this new landscape will be those who see GEO not as something separate but as a natural evolution of their digital strategy – creating content that works brilliantly for both human readers and AI systems while maintaining the authority that makes them valuable information sources in any context.