Ranking number one on Google doesn’t hit as hard as it used to.
Why?
Because by the time you scroll past the AI overview and sponsored content, it no longer looks like you’re the “top” result.
We’ve known for a while that the search engine results page (SERP) is changing. AI-driven personalisation means that different users will get different results. Even your own results can change from day to day as the AI model learns more about what you find engaging.
In response to this changing landscape, generative engine optimisation (GEO) has emerged as a way for businesses to regain their SERP credibility and meet users' changing needs.
What is GEO?
GEO is the practice of making your content findable and quotable for AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini. The introduction of AI-powered search engines means that users increasingly get the “answer” to their search query without actually clicking through to a website. Instead, they refer to the AI summaries generated by these models.
So, how does this impact search behaviours?
In the past, an average user would type a keyword-based query like “SEO tips” into Google, then scan through the highest-ranked pages. In this situation, effective SEO was crucial for being among the top search results.
Nowadays, users tend to enter more detailed queries like “how to improve new website SEO performance.” They’ll then read the AI-generated summary, which aggregates the content of the pages with the best GEO relative to the query and the user. They might even skip the search engine and go straight to an AI chatbot. Either way, users are less likely to click through to any actual website, and if they do, it’ll probably be one of the pages referenced by the AI summary.
How is GEO different to SEO?
GEO and SEO are similar in many ways. Both practices focus on creating relevant, credible content that answers user questions. Both are also grounded in the EEAT framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) that Google uses to evaluate the quality of web content and its creators.
The strategies differ in that GEO focuses on optimising content for AI engines, which produce a summary as the output. SEO, on the other hand, focuses on content for traditional search engines, which produce a ranked list of sources as the output. This means that SEO strategies are centred around keywords and backlinks, while GEO focuses on content structure and answering user questions.
Who needs GEO and what’s at stake?
You might have noticed that Google only provides AI summaries for more complex search queries, especially ones that contain a question.
As such, the organisations that benefit most from GEO are those that offer complex products or services that users ask questions about and need help understanding. Common examples include not-for-profits, government agencies, and organisations responding to community care needs.
It’s fair to say that the shift towards AI summaries has taken a sledgehammer to site traffic for some of these organisations. With many users not even scrolling far enough to see the ranking pages, effective GEO is now essential for maintaining brand visibility and authority.
Failure to do so comes with the following risks:
- Invisible at the moment of decision: If the AI answer satisfies the query and you’re not cited, your brand doesn’t enter the consideration set.
- Higher cost per acquisition: As organic visibility compresses, paid channels shoulder more load. That shows up as rising CPA and a heavier reliance on brand spend to defend your own terms.
- Competitor narrative wins by default: AI systems pull from what’s clear, structured and credible. If your competitor’s content is easier to summarise, their talking points become the talking points.
- Reputational drift: When AI fills gaps with third-party sources, outdated PDFs or reviews, your positioning and facts can be misrepresented - especially for regulated or complex offers.
- Reporting blind spots: If users get answers without clicking, SEO metrics no longer tell the full story. Without GEO-aware metrics, you’ll underinvest in the very content that drives consideration.
Where GEO fits in your strategy
GEO doesn’t replace SEO; it extends it.
Treat it as a strategic layer across the content you already produce, like service pages, solution guides, service comparisons, FAQs, case studies, pricing explainer pages, and thought leadership.
Here are some ways you can start doing that:
- Cover critical questions: Ensure there’s a clear, citeable answer for the questions customers frequently ask about your organisation.
- Write for evidence density: Back claims with data, third-party validation, and clear attributions that enforce your credibility.
- Structure for summarisation: Use headings, concise paragraphs, tables, bullet lists and Q&A blocks to make your points easy to extract (and harder to misquote).
- Maintain brand safety and governance: Keep a current “source of truth” on sensitive topics (pricing, compliance, guarantees) so AI finds the right version.
Cover all your SERP bases with GEO
Do you have a question about how GEO could help your organisation gain visibility and build authority online?
We’re here to help.
Talk to our team today about optimising your website for AI search.
