The digital landscape is changing rapidly and marketers are feeling this change. Generative AI is redefining how people search for and interact with content, reshaping traditional marketing strategies.
Features like Google AI Previews now provide instant, generated answers to search queries. This transformation poses both challenges and opportunities for marketers. To stay visible and relevant, brands must adapt — and that’s where generative engine optimization (GEO) comes into play.
Think of GEO as SEO’s smarter sibling. It helps brands optimize content for AI systems that think and react like consumers. By mastering GEO, brands can ensure their voice remains authentic, trustworthy and present in the AI-driven digital landscape.
Why GEO is more important than ever
Today’s consumers are overwhelmed. Information overload and loss of trust in brands have created a perfect storm in which it is more difficult than ever to be heard – and seen –.
Only 50% of consumers trust the brands they do business with, according to a recent survey by Qualtrics XM Institute. This figure has stagnated since 2021. At a time when consumer confidence is at an all-time low, brands cannot afford to let their story be told by others.
Generative AI offers marketers a significant opportunity to rewrite this narrative by owning the conversation. Instead of leaving critical brand moments to chance, GEO ensures that AI systems represent your brand accurately and authentically.
As generative search engines increasingly derive responses from branded content, marketers who adapt their strategies to GEO can:
- Increase visibility in generative search results.
- Build credibility by owning the story on AI-powered platforms.
- Build trust with consistent, authoritative digital assets.
Brands that don’t engage in GEO risk losing relevance, leaving vital touchpoints to competitors or unverified sources.
How AI Generative Search Works
Unlike traditional search engines that rely on keyword matching, generative AI systems synthesize answers based on broader contextual understanding. These systems actively collect data from the web, combining static training models with real-time content.
Here’s the game changer: Generative AI doesn’t just find answers, it creates them. This means that the quality and authority of your digital content directly influences how AI represents your brand.
This change gives marketers a unique advantage. Brands that optimize their digital presence can influence up to 52% of sources cited by generative models, according to a recent study by Terakeet. (disclosure: I am the company’s marketing director). In other words, the more control you have over your digital assets, the more likely your brand is to be presented authentically in AI-powered stories.
Dig Deeper: Google rolls out new AI-curated search results and AI feature links
How to get started with GEO
To thrive in this AI-driven world, marketers need a clear strategy for engaging in generative AI. Here are five practical tips to help you get started.
1. Understand how generative AI selects sources
Learn about how different generative AI models identify and cite digital assets. These approaches involve longer-term static training models and real-time dynamic web search.
This means that genAI prioritizes high-quality, query-relevant content, ensuring its tools and compositions provide the best user experience.
- Advice: Learn how these models work and make sure your digital assets meet their criteria. Update your content regularly to maintain its relevance and alignment with AI’s dynamic selection process.
2. Build a High-Ranking Content Web
Terakeet’s research found a strong correlation between high-ranking domains in traditional search engine results and their inclusion in Google’s AI insights. Improving your search engine ranking increases your chances of being included in certain AI-generated results.
Just as traditional SEO emphasizes relevance and quality, GEO requires a strong network of owned and managed digital assets. These include blogs, videos, white papers, and other resources that generative models can cite directly.
- Advice: Optimize your website for search engines using SEO and user experience (UX) fundamentals and a data-driven content strategy.
3. Own your digital story
Generative AI doesn’t know your brand story unless you tell it. Proactively manage your digital footprint by creating content that authentically reflects your brand’s values, expertise and solutions. This will help external sources, such as news stories and social media posts, and make it easier for AI to understand and reference your brand’s expertise.
- Advice: Inject your brand message into all owned assets and optimize them for more visibility. This ensures that generative AI models reference accurate, brand-approved content when developing their responses.
The future of GEO
Generative AI has revolutionized the way consumers search for information and is transforming the way marketers build trust. GEO is not just a strategy at the moment; it’s the foundation for long-term digital relevance.
At its core, GEO is about connection. By optimizing your content for generative AI, you can reach consumers when they need it. This means using brand-controlled content, whether they query a search engine or chat with an AI chatbot.
The nature of marketing has always been about evolution and GEO represents the next frontier. It’s not just about visibility; it’s about ensuring your brand voice is heard clearly, authentically and consistently.
Generative AI is the future and with GEO your brand will be front and center.
Dig Deeper: Reaching Consumers in the Age of AI: What You Need to Know About Search and Social Media
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