Define Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the practice and process of optimizing your content, brand, and digital presence to be retrieved, cited, and recommended by generative AI systems, such as Google AI Overviews, Bing Copilot, Perplexity AI, Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and other LLM-powered search engines.
Foreword:
You might have come across terms like LLMO, AI Search Optimization (AIO), AEO, or ChatGPT SEO. With the emergence of numerous new buzzwords in the AI era, it can become confusing. In this article, I’ll stick with GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), since it’s the term most industry experts use, and it helps keep things simple and consistent.
Side Note: GEO is “generative engine optimization”, LLMO is “large language model optimization”, and AEO is “answer engine optimization”. Three names for the same idea.
Traditional SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving a website’s content, structure, and authority to increase its visibility and ranking on traditional search engine results pages (SERPs), such as Google or Bing.
Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), GEO ensures your information is structured, trustworthy, and AI-friendly so that large language models can easily find, interpret, and surface it in their answers.
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring content — using schema markup, FAQs, and conversational formats, so AI systems can easily crawl, understand, and extract precise answers. The focus is on clarity, accuracy, and instant response delivery, often optimized for featured snippets and similar answer boxes.
Meanwhile, an Answer Engine is an AI-powered technology that delivers direct answers to user queries, rather than just a list of clickable blue links. Its goal is to understand the intent behind a question and provide the exact information in a clear, accessible format.
SEO is dead?
Many people think traditional SEO is becoming obsolete due to AI search, especially with the rise of zero-click searches. To address this concern, I’ve compiled 20 GEO strategies and best practices from leading industry experts such as Semrush, Ahrefs, Neil Patel, Nathan Gotch, Search Engine Journal, and RankMath.
20 GEO strategies, tactics and best practices
How to Optimize Search for LLMs
1. Get listed on trusted sources/ sites
To improve your brand’s visibility in generative search results (Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT answers), make sure your business is consistently listed and verified across trusted data sources:
- Google Business Profile
- Google Map
- Bing Places
- Apple Maps
- Yelp/ Yellow Pages
- LinkedIn Company Page
- Crunchbase
- PudMed (for scientific/ medical content)
- Wikipedia/ Wikidata
- Tripadvisor
- Mapbox/ OpenStreetMap
These platforms serve as authoritative reference points. LLMs frequently pull data and entity information from them when generating answers.
Having accurate and consistent listings not only boosts Local SEO but also increases your chances of being cited as a trusted source in AI-driven responses.
2. Participate in Social Discussions and Industry Forums
RankMath SEO suggests that Reddit (≈80%) and Quora (≈12%) have some influence on the content Google selects for its AI Overview results.
These platforms provide user-generated discussions that generative engines often treat as authentic, community-driven insights.
SEO expert Nathan Gotch advises prioritizing the optimization of all Google-owned properties, such as Google Business Profile (GBP), YouTube, and other Google platforms, as Google naturally favors its own ecosystem.
Afterward, expand into social forums like Reddit, which Google AI Overview may also pull from.
In short: own as much Google real estate as possible, then diversify into influential social platforms where conversations are shaping generative search outputs.
3. AI Keyword Research
Traditional SEO relies on marketing intelligence tools (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs, Similarweb) that reveal search volume, keyword difficulty, and user intent. These insights help marketers understand what people are typing into search engines.
However, generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity do not disclose query data or keyword volumes. This creates a gap for SEO professionals. To adapt, marketers can use reverse-engineering methods — for example:
Analyzing AI-generated answers to see which topics and entities are consistently referenced.
Tracking citations and sources in tools like Perplexity.
Monitoring Google AI Overviews for recurring queries and phrasing.
Click here for a complete guide to keyword research, covering both traditional SEO and AI-driven methods.
4. Create an llms.txt file
A simple, human- and machine-readable text file placed at the root of your domain (e.g., https://example.com/llms.txt).
It declares your preferences for how LLMs and answer engines may use, cite, and discover your content (e.g., preferred citation name/URL, licensing, important pages). It’s not an official standard and is not enforceable by itself. For actual allow/deny control, you still use robots.txt
5. Be everywhere (omnichannel marketing)
Maintain a presence on GBP, Bing Places, LinkedIn Company Page, all relevant social profiles (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord, etc), and owned YouTube channel.
6. Third-party validation
Participate in interviews, podcasts, videos, research papers, and collaborations with influencers or KOLs. Look at both “what others say about you” and “what you say about yourself”.
7. Get listed in relevant directories
Add your business to Yelp, BBB, the Chamber of Commerce, or whatever makes sense for your industry.
8. Be authoritative sources
Build authority through partnerships and mentions: Contribute to trusted websites in your niche, collaborate with high-Domain Rating sites on listicles and comparison content, and secure guest features or mentions in authoritative articles.
Engage in strategic Public Relations by earning high-quality mentions in reputable publications to build topical authority, and consistently monitor web mentions to track your brand’s presence in online discussions.
9. Listicle Inclusion
You may also target ‘Top Lists’ or ‘Best X in Y location’ articles in your niche and work to get your brand included; this is essentially a link-building approach. Identify the ‘Top X’ or ‘Best of’ listicles that AI search results frequently cite for your target keywords, then reach out to authors or earn placements so your brand is featured.
For example, an SEO agency in Bangkok should aim to appear in ‘Best SEO Agencies in Thailand’ articles that AI might reference. Being included in these curated lists increases the chances of your brand showing up in AI-generated answers.
Further Reading: Content Types That LLMs Actually Love | GEO Part 2
10. Brand Reputation & Review Management
Build a strong profile of positive reviews on key third-party platforms, including Google Maps for local searches, and on trusted review sites such as Trustpilot, Google Reviews, or other reputable review sites to establish broader credibility.
AI systems often treat reputable review platforms and business ratings as trusted sources. Maintaining excellent ratings and up-to-date profiles on these sites increases your chances of being mentioned in AI-driven results.
11. Keep your site indexed
It may sound basic, but make sure your website is always indexed in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Ensure your sitemap is submitted to both Bing Webmaster Tools and GSC.
12. Allow access to AI crawlers:
Make sure your site is accessible to OAI-searchbot and other AI crawlers (check your robots.txt).
- ChatGPT-User: Fetches live pages on user request
- OAI-SearchBot: Indexes content for ChatGPT search
- GPTBot: Gathers training data for OpenAI
- PerplexityBot: Powers Perplexity’s index
- Claude-Web: Fetches recent content for Claude
You may check server logs for these user agents actively crawling your content.
Further reading: OpenAI Crawlers
13. Publish EEAT-standard content
Create high-quality, original, relevant content that demonstrates Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
What's EEAT?
Experience: Does your brand or business have the relevant life experience?
Expertise: Does your brand have the relevant knowledge, skills, and know-how?
Authoritativeness: Is your brand or business considered a go-to source in this niche?
Trustworthiness: How reliable, honest, and accurate is the content.
14. Maintain fresh, updated content
Audit content at least once a year to ensure accuracy and consistency. Delete, consolidate, redirect, update, and upgrade existing pages and posts to keep everything current and valuable.
AI-driven search favors timely information. Refresh key pages every 3–6 months with new facts, stats, case studies, or user insights. Add a “Last Updated” timestamp to signal freshness. AI models are more likely to cite accurate, up-to-date sources over outdated ones.
15. Implement structured data (schema markup)
Schema markup still matters — Add schema markup to important webpages to present clear, fact-based information that AI can easily parse. Include key details (e.g., business info, product data, FAQs) high on the page and mark them up with the right schema. This semantic clarity helps AI search engines and generative models understand your content and increases the chances of being cited in AI-generated summaries.
16. Use visual & multimedia content
AI platforms like Perplexity and Gemini often use visually enhanced answers. Enrich your content with custom images, diagrams, infographics, and embedded videos to make it more engaging. Always use descriptive alt text and structured metadata for AI recognition. Step-by-step visual guides (e.g., GIFs or explainer videos) further increase the chance of being referenced in AI responses. Whenever possible, offer unique statistics, data, or personal experiences to stand out.
17. AI brand audit
Ask AI tools what they know about your brand, then fill in the gaps. Strengthen your online presence by securing authoritative mentions on platforms like Wikipedia, Reddit, industry forums, and news sites. The more credible mentions your brand has (not just backlinks), the more likely AI models will learn about and confidently include you in their responses.
18. AI Visibility & Referral Tracking
Monitor how your content performs in AI-driven search results and track referral traffic from AI platforms. Use analytics filters or segments to identify visits from sources like ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Perplexity, or Claude. Tracking AI-originating traffic is now essential, as it reveals which platforms are sending users to your site and how those users engage. These insights help refine your strategy and improve AI visibility.
19. Content technical structure
Make your content easily accessible to AI crawlers. Use clean HTML or Markdown with a clear heading hierarchy, and avoid relying on heavy client-side JavaScript for key content.
Server-side rendering may help with AI visibility because most AI crawlers can’t fully process JavaScript (except Google’s Gemini and AppleBot).
Ensure that important content loads directly in the initial HTML, and structure your pages with clear headings and bullet points so that AI can easily extract the information.
AI favors well-structured, clear content over complex or cluttered text. Use concise sentences, logical headings (H2/H3), bullet points, and short paragraphs.
Avoid heavy jargon and write in natural language to improve AI interpretation
Most AI crawlers can’t fully process JavaScript (except Google’s Gemini and AppleBot). Ensure important content loads directly in the initial HTML, and structure your pages with clear headings or use bullet points so AI can easily extract the information.
20. Find & Fix AI Citation Gaps
A citation gap happens when AI platforms reference web pages that include your competitors but leave out your brand. Since these cited pages are the sources AI relies on to generate answers, being absent from them means AI will recommend others instead of you. In simple terms, if you’re not mentioned on the pages AI trusts, you’re invisible in its responses.
For example, if TechRadar publishes a list of the “21 Best Collaboration Tools” and mentions Asana, Monday, and Notion, but not your brand, AI platforms like ChatGPT will repeatedly cite that article. This means your competitors show up in AI answers, while you miss the opportunity to be part of the conversation.
SEO vs GEO
Based on the 14 GEO strategies and best practices I’ve compiled, it’s clear that many of them overlap with the traditional SEO practices we’re already familiar with.
SEO vs GEO:
The similarities, overlapping and differences
Referring to the strategies and best practices I listed above, items 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15 overlap with traditional SEO or the digital marketing strategies we’re already familiar with.
Meanwhile, only items 3, 4, and 11 can be considered exclusive to GEO.
To put it simply, GEO is like an extended version of SEO. So, when people ask the common question, ‘Is SEO dead?’ — the answer is pretty clearly no.
GEO Strategies & Best Practices: Overlap vs. Exclusive
| Category | Strategies & Best Practices |
|---|---|
| Overlap with Traditional SEO / Digital Marketing | 1. Present and listed on trusted data sources 2. Participate in social discussions and forums 5. Be everywhere (omnichannel marketing) 6. Earn third-party validation 7. Get listed in relevant directories 8. Be authoritative sources 9. Get more positive reviews 10. Keep your site indexed 12. Publish EEAT-standard content 13. Maintain fresh, updated content 14. Implement structured data (schema markup) 15. Visual aids 16. Use visual/ multimedia 19. Technical content structure (clean HTML) *Sounds Familiar with all this stuff? These were the good things to have even before AI burst onto the scene. |
| Exclusive to GEO | 3. AI Keyword Research 4. Create an llms.txt file 11. Allow access to AI crawlers 17. AI brand audit 18. AI Visibility & Referral Tracking 20. Find & Fix AI Citation Gaps *These are the GEO Exclusive |
Many SEO specialists worry their skills may become obsolete with the rise of LLM chatbots. However, generative AI platforms still pull data from search results and trusted sources to compose answers. This means that strong traditional SEO remains the foundation for visibility in both search engines and AI-driven results.
Final thoughts on Generative Engine Optimization
We may treat GEO as an extension of your existing SEO strategy; it’s essentially SEO adapted for AI search. The fundamentals remain the same: high-quality content, clear structure, and topical authority. Traditional SEO is still the foundation, but GEO adds new approaches tailored to AI-driven visibility.
After all, GEO is just SEO according to Ahrefs.