How Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is Reshaping Traditional SEO

AI is revolutionizing the way people search online. The impact of AI has become a hot topic of conversation among marketers as we see more users turn to AI tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Bing Copilot to get direct answers to their search queries instead of clicking through a list of links. All this begs the question: How does this change the way we think about SEO?

Allow us to introduce Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): a new approach to SEO that’s emerging alongside the rise of generative AI. While GEO is not a replacement for our tried-and-true SEO strategies, it is a way to reconsider how we create web content in this new AI world.

What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Sometimes confusingly referred to as SGO, AEO or AIO (among others), GEO refers to the practice of optimizing your content to be visible, authoritative and useful enough to be included in an AI-generated response. No matter what you call it, the name of the game is more about having your content appear in AI answers rather than getting your website to appear at the top of the search results.

Unlike traditional search engines like Google, generative engines generate content-based responses. When you ask ChatGPT a question or search in Perplexity, these tools scan vast swaths of the internet to construct an answer. It’s as if you have done thousands of Google searches all at once. Your content won’t just be one snippet option in the search results — it will be part of the answer itself.

References Over Ranking: An Evolution in Search Behavior

We’re already seeing the effects of generative engines on search behavior and content strategy:

• Zero-click content is on the rise. Users are getting full answers from AI tools without ever clicking a link.
• Citation visibility matters more than ranking. If AI cites your content in its answer, you gain exposure — even if your link isn’t in the top 3 of Google. This often leads to a focus on impressions over clicks and site CTR.
• Concise, factual content is king. AI tools prefer content that’s well-structured and easy to understand at a glance — ranch-style content performs better than skyscraper content.

GEO vs. SEO: What’s the Difference?

While SEO and GEO share the essential goals — help your content get in front of people — the way they achieve them is evolving. Here’s how they compare:

Search Intent vs. Answer Generation

• Traditional SEO optimizes for keywords and search intent, predicting what users are looking for and helping search engines match queries with relevant content.
• GEO focuses on ensuring your content directly answers questions clearly and concisely. While keywords still matter, the focus is on overall content topics.

Content Format & Structure

• SEO often prioritizes long-form landing pages rich with subheadings, backlinks and internal links.
• GEO favors structured, easy-to-digest content — think FAQs, bullet points, concise summaries and clearly formatted data.

Authority & Source Attribution

• Google rewards sites with strong backlink profiles and technical optimization. Proof of authority tends to be “off page” through backlinks and writer profiles.
• Generative engines favor content from high-authority, trustworthy sources with clear authorship and transparency — especially content that includes original research, statistics or expert insights. Authority must be clear on the page.

How to Future-Proof Your Content for GEO

So, what does this mean for your brand’s content? Optimizing for generative engines doesn’t mean throwing out your SEO playbook—but it does mean adapting. Here’s how:

• Focus on high-value, factually accurate content: AI models are trained on large data sets and often favor trustworthy, clear sources. Invest in quality over quantity.
• Use structured data and clear formatting: Organize your content with clear headers, bullet points and schema markup. This helps AI systems parse and understand your content (similar to Google crawlers).
• Build trust with transparency: Showcase author credentials, cite sources and fact-check your content. Generative engines want to point users to credible information.
• Include direct answers and FAQs: Don’t bury key information in long paragraphs. Offer straight answers to common questions — these are gold for AI tools.
• Adapt content for conversational queries: AI tools often respond to more natural, question-based prompts. Tailor some content to reflect how people ask questions in everyday language.
• Don’t post AI content: Perhaps the biggest irony of generative AI is that they are less likely to prioritize and use AI content in their answers. These tools want information written by humans for humans.

Don’t Panic — Just Keep Being Helpful

The world of AI and generative engines can often feel overwhelming. With ever-changing algorithms, emerging tools and the rules for visibility being rewritten in real time, it can seem impossible to keep up.

But remember, the heart of SEO hasn’t changed. SEO has always been about creating content that’s genuinely helpful to people. That principle is just as true for GEO as it is for traditional SEO.

Sure, there will be new ways to optimize, and the end result might change, but if you focus on delivering clear, trustworthy and human-centered information, you’re already doing the work generative engines — and your audience — appreciate. The medium may be shifting, but the mission stays the same.

You are the experts of your brand. Leverage that expertise to put the content into the world that only you can create. It can still be that simple.

At McDaniels Marketing, we want to help you keep what’s important at the forefront and will work with you to create a digital marketing and SEO strategy that sets you apart by highlighting what makes your brand unique. We stay on top of the changing tides of AI so you can focus on the things only you can do. Contact us today!