What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)? How to prepare for AI search tools

AI is supercharging search through generative engines. A new study conducted in collaboration between Princeton University, Georgia Tech, The Allen Institute for AI and IIT Delhi showed that certain generative engine optimisation tactics can have an impact of 30-40% increase on visibility for generative AI searches [Source].

While AI is taking over the content creation space, it's next goal is web search. But what does this mean for our search engine optimisation efforts? And how much will we have to adapt to generative AI search tools as digital marketers?

How does GEO work?

Like SEO (search engine optimisation), GEO is a method of optimising your website content to appear in searches. Where SEO optimised for search engine results pages, GEO focuses on getting your content sourced in generative AI responses.

To put it plainly, GEO works to get your content appearing more relevant than your competitor's to AI tools. Common SEO tactics do come into play here, for example keyword optimisation is still incredibly important however other methods can now offer a larger boost to visibility.

Cite Sources

An incredibly effect method to get your content appearing in query based AI searches is correct citation. By citing credible sources properly, you signal to generative engines that you are both authoritative and trustworthy.

Consequently, AI engines are more likely to serve your content to users.

Quantitive Data

The use of quantitive data championed qualitative in GEO testing. Whether it's adding statistics from your own study or citing other sources, the addition of quantitive data proved powerful for GEO.

Quotation Addition

Finally, quoting authoritative sources (and citing them properly) encouraged generative engines to push content to users.

Benefits of GEO

The term GEO has only been coined recently so studies on the topic are slim but there are already some solid benefits to optimising your content for generative engines. The biggest benefit being the ability to adapt to user trends and needs easier than ever.

Generative engines work by collecting information from multiple sources are personalising it to that specific user's preferences. As we are all aware, personalisation is one of the best ways to truly reach and connect with users. Generative engines and GEO for that matter, eases the job of content creators who will be able to improve their personalisation efforts without much more work.

This level of personalisation can't be achieved by SEO.

All digital marketing tactics share a goal of improving online visibility, similar to SEO a huge benefit of GEO efforts is increased visibility. Having your content served through generative AI tools places you in a much less competitive environment than a search engine landing page. All in all, meaning more views on your content and more visitors to your website.

Disadvantages of GEO

Though there are clear benefits to GEO, the method doesn't come without its shortfalls. Mainly being the lack of measurability.

Measuring SEO success is relatively easy through search engine results page rankings; aiding the digital marketer to conclude whether their SEO efforts are working or not. Unfortunately GEO isn't as easy.

During the initial study of GEO, investigators knew they needed to find a way to track success as generative search engines are unlike search engine results pages where you are ranked. Instead AI search tools amalgamate multiple sources into one answer.

So it was concluded that a combination of metrics would be required to analyse the success of GEO tactics. This combination includes, but was not limited to:

• Word count (how many words of your content were included or cited to you)
• Influence of the citation on the single response (is your content the main citation?)
• Relevance of the cited material to the user query
• Probability of the user clicking though via your citation

These metrics are pumped into a complex equation which then gives a measurable benchmark that the investigators coined 'subjective impression'. This is clearly much more complex and to further the complexities, marketers would need to use a generative search tool, or their own coded tool to get these KPIs.

Is Generative Engine Optimisation the Future of SEO?

Currently GEO is incredibly difficult for the average marketer to implement so, while it's take-over is on the horizon, there's probably still some time before we all start to optimise our websites for generative AI.

However, GEO does put power into the hands of marketers, pushing their content to be more visible to AI tools. This study is just one step towards a generative search tool future and hopefully soon measuring GEO will become easier, allowing more marketers to tailor their tactics towards AI tools.

The new age of search engines is on its way...

Read the full article.

Sources

Aggarwal, P., Murahari, V., Rajpurohit, T., Kalyan, A., Narasimhan, K.R. and Deshpande, A., 2023. GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. arXiv preprint arXiv:2311.09735.