Just when you think you know enough about SEO, GEO starts trending among marketers and noteworthy techies. That’s how digital marketing works; change happens fast and consistently, so you have to keep up every waking moment. To start with, what’s generative engine optimization (GEO)?
GEO is quite new and couples SEO tactics with local targeting. It aims to feature AI overviews when platforms like Bing and Google offer search users generative AI responses. Since generative AI responses rank top among other search results, winning a citation in the AI overviews boosts your search visibility.
Here’s a more detailed guide on generative engine optimization (GEO) and what you need to know about it.
A Deeper Understanding of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative engine optimization (GEO) is a relatively new approach to search engine optimization that combines traditional SEO techniques with local targeting and artificial intelligence. It entails optimizing your website and content for traditional search engines as well as AI-powered search platforms like Google, Bing, and ChatGPT.
You probably know one or multiple people who no longer ask questions on regular search platforms. They prefer chatting with AI-powered assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Home. These assistants use the generative AI algorithm to mimic human creativity by accessing online data and providing human-like answers.
Unlike traditional search engine answers to user queries, generative AI responses are not based on specific keywords. Instead, they draw upon various sources to generate a unique and personalized answer for each user.
Generative AI and traditional search responses are similar in that they rely on publicly available information. While traditional search presents a link to a relevant website, generative AI provides an immediate response without the need to click through to a website.
Generative AI tries to be as creative as humans or surpass human creativity. However, ethical issues arise, including plagiarism.
To overcome conflict over content ownership on generative AI platforms, search platforms displaying generative AI responses must list and link to the source websites.
When Google’s search engine provides a generative AI response, it prominently displays an AI overview on top of regular search results. The overview includes source websites and direct links to them.
How Does Generative AI Affect Search Engine Optimization?
Your content could gain more search visibility and organic traffic if featured on AI overviews. Again, generative AI search engines utilize various data points to generate a response.
They can pull answers from your website’s content and other online sources, including social media platforms. Of course, if traditional search engines don’t rank your content favorably, AI-powered assistants will also likely pass over it.
Please note that traditional SEO efforts alone won’t help you feature in AI-powered search responses. You must also optimize your website’s content for AI-powered search engines with GEO.
You can gain more search traffic than you already do by ranking at the top on search engine result pages. GEO can help you become visible to users who left traditional search engines for AI-powered assistants.
This shift in how people seek information online is also an opportunity for content creators to innovate and adapt. By understanding how generative AI works, content creators can tailor their content to be more suitable for AI-generated responses.
Understanding Generative AI and GEO
To effectively optimize your content for generative AI, you must appreciate how the technology works.
How Generative AI Works
Generative AI utilizes natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to analyze and interpret information from various sources, including websites, social media platforms, and databases.
It uses data scraping and machine learning to generate new content. This process involves three main steps:
- Data Collection: The first step in generative AI is collecting data from different sources. The data ranges from text, images, videos, audio files, and more. The more diverse the data is, the better the results will be.
- Data Processing: After data collection, the algorithm processes and analyzes it using NLP techniques to understand the context, sentiment, and other factors that influence content creation.
- Content Generation: Once the data has been analyzed, the algorithm generates new content based on the insights gained from the data and the user’s input. Generative AI relies on algorithms rather than human writers, so the results are consistent and free from errors or biases.
GEO Tools and Technologies
Several tools and technologies can help you incorporate generative AI into your SEO strategy. Here are some popular options:
- GPT-3 is a robust natural language processing (NLP) tool that generates human-like text responses. Deploy it for your chatbots, but beware when using it for content creation, as it can generate plagiarized content.
- Google BERT is a Google algorithm that understands natural language and context to interpret user search queries better. It helps improve your website’s ranking and relevance in search results.
- Microsoft LUIS is a cloud-based NLP service that allows you to build, train, and deploy custom language models. You can use it for chatbots or voice user interfaces (VUIs).
- SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO tool that offers keyword research, site audit, competitor analysis, and content optimization features.
- SurferSEO uses AI to analyze top-ranking pages and suggest keyword and content optimization strategies.
Key Components of GEO
How do you focus your SEO so it also attracts visibility on AI-powered assistants? Generative AI analyzes and understands user intent, producing content that meets those needs.
To optimize for GEO, here are a few key components to consider:
1. Understand User Intent
As with traditional SEO, it’s crucial to understand your target audience and which problems or needs they’re looking to solve. While traditional SEO heavily centers on keywords, generative AI takes a more holistic approach by analyzing user intent and generating content that directly addresses those needs.
As SEO specialists, we also prefer solving users’ problems rather than optimizing for search engines. Generative AI aligns with this approach. If you’re wondering, here’s why SEO is important for your website.
2. Data-Driven Content Generation
A scientific approach and objective data are critical in generative AI. For example, AI algorithms can analyze data and determine which types of content have performed well in the past. They also tell which content is factually accurate by comparing it to a vast database of information.
Publishing data-driven content and executing novel research to further refine existing, peer-reviewed content can directly target user intent, attracting traffic from AI-based search engines.
3. Geographical Location
Using location-specific keywords and geo-targeting can help your content rank higher in searches within a specific geographic area. Geo-targeting can also be used to target local audiences, increasing the relevance of your content.
Excellent local SEO also boosts your GEO because AI-based search platforms often prioritize results based on location.
4. Predictive Analysis in SEO
GEO relies on AI capabilities to forecast search trends and market behavior.
SEO is as dynamic as user and market behavior, though these 5 keys to small business SEO will get you on the right track. Nonetheless, predictive analysis goes a long way in keeping your content relevant and trending.
Generative AI algorithms can accurately forecast which topics will likely gain traction and grow in popularity so you can tweak your content strategy to stay ahead of the curve.
5. Voice Search Optimization
Optimizing for voice search becomes crucial as more users turn to voice-powered assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant for their search queries. Generative AI takes into account natural language processing (NLP) and understands how people speak and ask questions, making it easier to tailor content for voice searches.
Voice optimization also involves using conversational keywords and following common speech patterns in your content. Optimizing for both traditional and voice search grows your reach.
6. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants
SEO strives for increased engagement and improved user experience. You want visitors to spend as much time as possible on your site or get them to go through your checkout process. But what if they have a question or need assistance?
Chatbots and virtual assistants are part of an effective GEO, providing instant and personalized responses to user queries and keeping them engaged on your site. Generative AI enables chatbots to have human-like conversations on your behalf, boosting your overall SEO and the likelihood of citation on AI overviews.
Refine Your SEO and Study Competitors on AI Overviews
In summary, GEO is basically SEO for AI-based search platforms, and it helps boost your overall SEO strategy. You want access to relevant search traffic that no longer goes through traditional search engines.
GEO optimizes your content so it can feature in AI overviews that list and link to data sources. It helps you gain traffic from AI overviews on Google, Bing, and other search engines.
At Adopt the Web, we can help you refine your SEO strategy to include GEO and keep you ahead of the curve.
