Artificial Intelligence. Machine learning. Automation. All buzzwords you hear daily. It feels like robots are creeping into every corner of our lives (but in more of a JARVIS way than a Terminator way… so far). And when it comes to how customers discover your business, the machines are very much in charge. Search engines aren’t just static directories anymore, they’re powered by complex AI systems that crawl, analyze and rank your content in real-time. Thus, introducing GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): the newest frontier in digital marketing.
In this blog, we’ll talk about what GEO really is, why it matters for your business, and most importantly, how you can take advantage of it. Robots may be running the search engines, but you can make sure these henchmen are working for you, not against you.
What is GEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing your content for AI-powered search engines – like Google Search’s AI summaries – and conversational AI tools, like ChatGPT. Instead of just optimizing for keywords and backlinks with traditional SEO, GEO is about:
- Anticipating questions your customers will ask AI search tools.
- Creating content that’s easily summarized and linked by generative engines.
- Structuring your site in a way that AI can crawl and contextualize quickly.
Think of GEO as SEO 2.0: the next evolution of search strategy. How exciting!
Why GEO Matters for Your Business
AI-driven search isn’t going away anytime soon. According to Gartner, by 2026, 80% of online searchers will use an AI assistant regularly instead of typing traditional search queries. If you haven’t noticed… things change fast these days. If your business doesn’t adapt to these changes now, you risk being invisible tomorrow.
Here’s exactly why GEO matters:
- AI chooses what gets seen – Instead of displaying 10 blue links for users to sort through, generative engines often summarize an answer and cite a handful of sources. If the AI engines can’t quickly understand your content, you won’t make the cut.
- Customer expectations are shifting – People expect fast, conversational, and context-rich answers. They don’t want to do additional digging. Good GEO practices ensure your content is designed to be properly summarized.
- It levels the playing field – Smaller businesses with smart GEO strategies can outrank bigger players who are slow to adapt, solely because the AI engines can sort their content better. Organization and structure is key.
How to Optimize for GEO
Now that we know what GEO is, this is where the fun begins. Here are some practical steps your business can take to appeal to generative search engines:
-
Write for Questions, Not Just Keywords
AI search engines thrive on natural language queries. Instead of just plugging in the keyword “digital marketing agency Utah” all over your web pages, think about the questions your audience might ask:
- “What’s the best digital marketing agency in Utah for small businesses?”
- “How do I choose between a freelancer and an agency?”
- “What’s the ROI of digital marketing in 2025?”
What you can do now: Build a content library of FAQs, blog posts, and guides that answer real customer questions in detail. This ensures the AI engines can find answers quickly on your site and won’t have to jump to another source.
-
Structure Your Content for Easy Summarization
Generative engines love clear, digestible content. Don’t we all? For your website content, that means:
- Use bullet points and numbered lists.
- Add subheadings that match common questions (e.g., “How much does X cost?”).
- Keep paragraphs short and clear.
What you can do now: Run a comprehensive audit of your top blogs and landing pages, then restructure them into scannable, easy-to-quote formats. Take long paragraphs and change them into bulleted lists. Review your H1, H2 structure.
-
Build Topical Authority
AI engines don’t just care about finding single keywords on your website; they evaluate whether you’re an authority in a subject area. This has been a more regular practice with search engines over the past few years, but it’s even more crucial now that they’ve been infused with AI. To build topical authority on your site:
- Create pillar content on your core services/products.
- Write supporting articles that link back to those pillars.
- Consistently update your content with fresh insights.
What you can do now: Identify 3-4 key topics your business wants to own. Build clusters of content around those, and be sure to strategically link all your content together. Writing a high-funnel blog post? Link that content to your low-funnel service pages to drive conversions and help website crawlers figure out your site’s purpose.
-
Optimize for AI-Friendly Metadata
Meta titles and descriptions aren’t just to appeal to traditional SEO. Indicators like these help AI bots understand your site faster, and therefore include you in relevant summaries. To optimize for metadata:
- Add FAQ sections to your service pages.
- Use how-to content to provide value where relevant.
- Keep metadata indicators (meta titles and descriptions) concise and context-rich.
What you can do now: Work with your web team (Big Red Jelly can help) to ensure your site’s data is properly structured. This includes writing good alt text for your images!
-
Prioritize Trust Signals
Generative engines care deeply about E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). This is a principle that should be familiar if you’ve been keeping up to date on SEO best practices over the years. To show the engines you’re credible:
- Publish author bios on your site with credentials.
- Cite reliable sources in your blogs, to supplement your own expert insights.
- Collect and showcase reviews and testimonials.
What you can do now: Update your website content with bylines, references, and trust-building elements like reviews and testimonials. Don’t keep these things hidden!
-
Experiment with Conversational Content
AI engines are trained to find and generate conversational information. Blogs and landing pages that feel approachable, human, and dialogue-driven tend to get pulled into AI summaries more often than those that feel… well, robotic. Go figure.
(Yes, this means you should still have fully human-written content on your website! Just like you’d recognize your own handwriting on a plagiarized assignment in school, AI engines recognize their own work. Don’t copy and paste generated content to your website!)
What you can do now: Going forward, try writing Q&A-style posts or conversational guides, just like this one. It helps if you sit down with a coworker to brainstorm content and have a conversation about it. Use normal human language, and discuss important points in your written content like you would sitting down in person!
-
Track and Adjust GEO Performance
Like SEO, GEO isn’t one-and-done. Once you implement GEO practices on your website, monitor your visibility in generative engines:
- Check if your content is being cited in AI summaries. I recommend using incognito mode so the AI bots can’t track your previous searches. Otherwise it’ll be biased information.
- Track traffic from AI-integrated SEO tools.
- Continually test and refine your content strategies on your website. Focus on providing value to your ideal audience.
Action Step: Use tools like SEMRush or Ahrefs to check in on your generative AI engine inclusion. Many programs like these are rolling out GEO-focused tracking features. Super interesting to check out!
The Future of GEO
Generative search is evolving rapidly, and making a change once won’t suffice. Here’s what to expect in the next few years, so you can be prepared to optimize your growth efforts:
- More personalization – AI will tailor answers based on user history, location, and preferences.
- Voice-first search – Optimizing for voice assistants (Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant) will overlap heavily with GEO.
- Hyperlocal GEO – Local businesses will need to double down on AI-optimized local content to capture neighborhood-level searches.
The takeaway? GEO is not a “trend,” it’s the future of digital visibility. Just like the world changed when search engines were introduced, the world is changing with the introduction of generative AI search. We’re never going back, so it’s time to adapt if you haven’t already.
In Conclusion: Let the Robots Work for You
Robots might be taking over the search engines, but that’s not necessarily bad news unless you’re stuck in your ways. If you’re willing to learn, it’s an insanely profitable opportunity, especially for smaller businesses. By leaning into GEO, you can:
- Ensure your business shows up in AI-generated answers (where more and more people are searching every day).
- Build topical authority in your niche online.
- Future-proof your content strategy, as long as you continue to keep up with generative engine updates.
The businesses who act now will set themselves apart tomorrow. Don’t wait until your competitors dominate the AI search landscape. I promise, you’ll feel silly for not jumping on it sooner.
Ready to optimize for GEO? Big Red Jelly helps businesses like yours build websites and content strategies designed for the future of search. Let’s make sure the robots are on your side.
Learn more about our growth services and get a quote today:
