SEO, SEM, CPM, ROI and now GEO. Digital marketing is a world full of acronyms – so what is the latest one – GEO – all about? GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimisation, and it is all about ensuring that your content maximises its performance in Generative AI Engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and all the AI tools that are being born to make our lives easier and more efficient.
How are SEO and GEO different?
SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – differs slightly as it is all about optimising your content to help your website perform well on traditional search engines like Google. With the emergence of AI comes the need to ensure your content is sourced or included in the various AI tools, which in turn helps keep your brand top of mind.
GEO is focused on optimising content for language learning models (LLM) so that your content is used as a source in returning search queries for users. Rather than just ranking websites based on keywords (SEO), GEO concentrates on creating content that resonates with human audiences and AI-driven search engines alike.
How does GEO work?
A study performed by students out of Princeton, Georgia Tech, The Allen Institute of AI, and IIT Delhi and published in November 2023 by Aggarwal, Murahari, Rajpurohit, Kalyan, Narasimhan, and Deshpande concluded nine key factors that correlated with the likelihood of impacting the AI’s response:
- Unique Words
- Keyword Stuffing
- Easy-to-Understand
- Authoritative
- Technical Terms
- Fluency Optimisation
- Cite Sources
- Quotation Addition
- Statistics Addition
Of these nine factors, they found that the most effective factors are adding stats/quotations, cited sources and fluency optimisation – with the least effective being keyword stuffing. It is important to note that their study found “GEO methods like the inclusion of citations, quotations from relevant sources, and statistics notably boosted source visibility by over 40% across various queries.”
How to implement GEO?
There are many strategies to consider:
- Research relevant topics for your community: You can analyse what topics your audience is searching for using keyword research tools or even Google Trends reports. This will give you more confidence that your audience is also asking these questions to AI tools.
- Tailor your content: Create high-quality content that directly answers the identified questions and topics. Based on the research above, the content should also cite authoritative sources and statistics and be written in a professional manner that demonstrates trust, expertise, and credibility.
- Structured data: Similar to SEO, utilising schema markup gives context and structure to the content, which also helps generative AI tools understand and decipher it.
- User intent: Ensure your content meets the user’s intent and is valuable enough to meet the purpose of their query.
- Content distribution: The LLMs use content from various sources to constantly train and develop. Post your blog on your website, and also publish it in other areas such as Reddit.
- Multimedia: Include relevant imagery, graphics, infographics, and videos to make your content engaging and visually appealing.
- Social media: Increase reach and engagement by sharing and repurposing your content across multiple platforms.
- Optimise your website for AI: Use tools like Hubspot’s AI Search Grader to check if your website content is optimised for AI-powered search engines.
GEO is an evolution in the newer tech world of AI. By staying up to date with technological advancements, you will position your brand for success. As AI continues to evolve, especially in marketing, it’s essential to stay on top of any changes and developments – as it’s a fast-moving space!
The Bubble Co. is a full-service digital marketing agency in Sydney with clients across Australia and the globe. Speak to us about how we can help your brand increase engagement.
