Whether the ‘GEO’ acronym takes off or not, I think we will be discussing the concept a lot more in the future.
I’ve no idea if this term is going to take off, but I should probably draw your attention to it. ‘Generative engine optimisation’ is the equivalent of SEO for the new breed of tools driven by machine learning, such as ChatGPT. In a recent academic paper on the subject, the authors say: “Generative Engines typically satisfy queries by synthesising information from multiple sources and summarising them using Large Language Models.” They say that through their techniques, they can “demonstrate that GEO can boost visibility by up to 40% in generative engine responses.” If that’s true, GEO is officially A Thing.
Now, SearchGPT is on the way, and it’s thought that Google will start including generative responses to queries within its results, so optimising for this new world is something to take seriously.
If SEO is all about making our web content rank in the eyes of traditional search engines like Google, GEO focuses on optimising content for AI systems that collate and generate information. With SEO, the goal is to improve the visibility and ranking of our web pages when users search for specific keywords. But instead of just trying to rank individual pages, GEO is about ensuring our content is clear, relevant, and easy for AI to understand and use. This will involve using structured data and formats that are friendly to natural language processing. GEO also puts a big emphasis on understanding what users really want.
For GEO, the strategy is about continuously refining our content to match the evolving preferences of AI technologies. This means understanding how AI-generated content is structured and cited. Whether the acronym takes off or not, I think we will be discussing the concept a lot more in the future.