What is Generative Engine Optimization?
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the latest digital marketing toolkit required to respond to the way people search and interact with information online.
According to Christina Adam of Search Engine Journal:
“GEO stands for ‘generative engine optimization’ which means the process of optimizing your website’s content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google AI Overviews.”
How does Generative Engine Optimization differ from Search Engine Optimization?
Both Generative Engine Optimization and Search Engine Optimization are fundamental to modern digital marketing, but they operate in distinct ways.
GEO strategies aim to surface your content in a summary of information or a conversational reply to a user’s query, while traditional SEO aims to provide a specific page of your website to answer a user's query, and drive traffic to your website.
Traditional Search will be less important going into the future. According to research conducted by Gartner:
“Gartner predicts a significant drop in traditional search volume by 25% by 2026, with organic search traffic expected to decrease by over 50% as consumers embrace AI-powered search. Additionally, 79% of consumers are expected to use AI-enhanced search within the next year and 70% already trust generative AI search results.”
ChatGPT’s developer Open AI recently launched a prototype of SearchGPT, and we expect to see more AI powered search engines enter the market alongside it. Open AI defines SearchGPT as “a prototype of new AI search features that give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.” On the surface, this sounds like the mission of traditional search. But, the overall goal of the AI-powered search engine is to introduce a more conversational format with clear sources for the best possible user experience, beyond the traditional search experience of compiling information across multiple website visits.
Generative Engine Optimization diverges from Search Engine Optimization in several key areas:
Response Generation
SEO optimizes for traditional search engines that present a list of links, while GEO focuses on AI systems that synthesize and prioritize information for quick, comprehensive responses.
Content Contextualization
GEO ensures content is contextually relevant, enabling AI to generate accurate responses, whereas SEO emphasizes optimizing content with keywords and meta tags.
Information Synthesis
SEO aims to improve the ranking of individual pages, while GEO focuses on how AI integrates content from multiple sources to deliver comprehensive answers.
User Intent Understanding
Generative Engine Optimization uses advanced AI to better interpret and anticipate user intent, offering more nuanced responses than traditional SEO.
Algorithm Adaptation
GEO requires ongoing adaptation to the evolving capabilities and methodologies of AI, beyond the updates in traditional search engine algorithms.
Content Formatting
Generative Engine Optimization optimizes content for AI parsing, including structured data and natural language formats, while SEO focuses on traditional search engine formats.
Research-Driven Strategy
GEO strategies are informed by analyzing AI content structures and citation patterns, while SEO relies on keyword research and technical analysis.
Performance Tracking
Generative Engine Optimization tracks referral traffic from AI engines and how content is prioritized by AI, whereas SEO monitors keyword performance and search rankings.
What are the Benefits of Using Generative Engine Optimization?
Generative Engine Optimization brings many benefits to users both now and in the future including:
Increase reach
GEO leverages AI-driven content to expand visibility, reaching broader and more diverse audiences.
Enhance user experience
By generating personalized content, Generative Engine Optimization delivers more relevant and engaging experiences tailored to user needs.
Competitive advantage
GEO's ability to produce dynamic content gives you an edge by quickly adapting to market trends and customer preferences.
Brand authority and credibility
Generative Engine Optimization strengthens your brand by consistently generating high-quality, authoritative responses, reinforcing trust with your audience.
Data-driven insights
GEO harnesses AI to analyze and optimize content performance, driving smarter decision-making.
Using Generative Engine Optimization for Ecommerce Sites
Generative Engine Optimization provides ecommerce businesses with new opportunities in how people use Search Engines to find their products and discover their brand.
While GEO is a new and evolving landscape some pioneers in the space published research on key factors that contribute to visibility in AI-generated responses.
The first large-scale study on these factors was conducted by researchers from Princeton, Georgia Tech, The Allen Institute of AI and IIT Delhi. They identified the most influential GEO methods to be statistics addition, quotation addition, and citing sources. Fluency optimization and readability also contributed to measurable improvements in metrics they used to evaluate GEO success. Keywords, which tend to hold high-importance on the SEO side, interestingly offered little to no improvement as a GEO strategy.
NP Digital studied several factors that contribute to ranking Ecommerce Brands in ChatGPT and found that relevancy and brand mentions were top factors. This study defined relevancy as the “correlation between the keywords in the question we asked ChatGPT and the products and companies it recommended” based on “pages around the web mentioning the product and service mentioned.” Note, this does not mean the keywords on the site itself, rather the way people speak about the brand on other pages. Brand mentions here mean the more often a brand was mentioned, the more likely it was that ChatGPT would recommend it.
Similar to SEO, GEO gets its benefit from repeatable content patterns that you can integrate into your ecommerce website.
You can increase your ecommerce website rankings for Generative Search Engines by improving Generative Engine algorithm ranking factors. Revel has identified some ecommerce-first recommendations to improve your brands’ presence in generative responses.
PR & Affiliate Content Partnerships
Given the impact of relevancy, brand mentions, and quotation additions from cited sources, Revel recommends a focus on digital PR and affiliate content partnerships. The higher volume of references back to your ecommerce website from credible sources, the more likely your brand name is to show up.
Cite Sources & Quotation Addition
Add relevant citations and use quotations from credible sources on your ecommerce site. In practice, this means you should add any press mentions to your website. Add an “in the press” section on your ecommerce website to cross post press mentions and celebrity endorsements. If your product earned a spot on a top 10 listicle, for instance, make sure that’s included on the product page. Use your homepage to share “As seen in…” callouts. Quotation addition is also relevant when speaking to customer testimonials. Wherever possible, highlight product reviews and approved customer testimonials.
Statistics Additions
Add statistics to your Ecommerce website. This can look different depending on your product, but reviews, purchase behavior and product studies are a great place to start. Statistics from reviews may be callouts that “90% of customers say this item fits true to size” or “94% of respondents would recommend this to a friend.” In many industries, products are independently tested for effectiveness. You can use these results to highlight statistics as well. For example, in skincare you could share that “75% agreed skin felt smoother after daily use.”
Conclusion
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, integrating Generative Engine Optimization with Search Engine Optimization is crucial for maintaining your brand’s competitive edge. By understanding and leveraging the unique strengths of both, brands can create a robust digital presence that meets the needs of today’s consumers and positions them for success in the future. Are you ready to supercharge your Brands’ Generative Engine Optimization efforts? Schedule a consultation with our optimization specialists and get started today!
Photo: © KHUNKORN from khunkorn
