GEO in Marketing: What It Is, How It Works + How to Get Cited

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is a new marketing strategy that focuses on optimizing website content to be a cited source in generative engines like Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT. Here’s what we know so far about getting cited and increasing brand visibility.

Digital marketers are no strangers to change.

But the emergence of generative engine optimization, or GEO, has tested our adaptability.

As generative AI tools change how people find and engage with information, traditional search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are no longer enough.

Now, search rankings are just one piece of the puzzle.

HawkSEM Associate Director of SEO Charlotte Soto shares her observations, tips, and future predictions on GEO so you can stay ahead.

What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the process of optimizing your website content to appear in AI-powered search engines and answer engines like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode, or Perplexity.

GEO helps businesses adapt their content creation for new discovery channels, increase content visibility in zero-click environments, and maintain authority.

What is a generative engine?

A generative engine is an AI-driven search engine that creates direct answers, summaries, or content for user queries in real time — instead of returning a list of blue links.

It uses generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that creates “new” content using machine learning models. These AI models learn patterns from a dataset to create something with similar characteristics.

Generative AI engines include:

• ChatGPT
• Perplexity.ai
• Google AI Overview (AIO)
• Google Gemini
• Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat)

What makes generative engines different from search engines:

• They use large language models (LLMs) to understand and generate natural language responses
• They can synthesize information from multiple sources into one cohesive answer
• Some provide linked citations or suggest follow-up questions

A generative engine is an AI-driven search engine that creates direct answers, summaries, or content for user queries in real time — instead of returning a list of blue links. (Image: Adobe)

GEO vs. traditional SEO

While traditional SEO focuses on content ranking at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) and increasing organic traffic, GEO is about getting your brand mentioned or content cited as a source within AI-generated answers.

“GEO is about optimizations for citations and mentions,” says Soto.

Similarities

While the primary goals are different, there is a lot of crossover between strategies — both focus on:

• Content quality
• A seamless user experience
• Authority through backlinks
• Keyword targeting
• Technical components, like site speed and mobile friendliness

However, Soto emphasizes that “GEO should be treated separately from traditional search optimization strategies.”

Differences

SEO

• Optimizes content for search engines like Google Search and Bing
• Focuses on ranking in the top organic results (blue links)
• Uses strategies such as keyword research and targeting, technical SEO, link building, and content quality

GEO

• Optimizes content for AI-powered search features like Google’s AI Overviews
• Focuses on getting content included, cited, or linked in AI-generated responses
• Uses strategies such as content structure and optimizing for AI bot crawlability and indexing

Benefits of GEO

Appearing as a cited source in a generative engine’s answer is a trust signal for your audience.

While the first page of the SERP is valuable real estate, being mentioned as the answer to a user’s query gives your brand more credibility and visibility.

Additionally, adding GEO to your strategy now will benefit your ongoing SEO and marketing efforts down the line as this technology continues to evolve.

Key components of a GEO strategy

GEO is still a new concept, but the team at HawkSEM has implemented these components into our GEO strategies and seen positive results:

1. Conduct audience behavior research

Understand how your audience searches within AI platforms.

AI search behavior differs from traditional search — from search queries to interactions. Find out what questions your audience asks so your content can provide a direct answer.

Use your analytics platform, such as Google Analytics, and third-party tools like Semrush to identify:

• Which AI search platforms your audience and competitors use, and which drive top traffic
• User intent
• The most popular and relevant queries or prompts your audience uses to search for your products or services and brand
• Your content ranking and performance metrics (compared to competitors)
• The key queries, prompts, and topics to target and prioritize in your content strategy

Also, it’s smart to analyze how your audience engages on social media platforms, especially where they ask questions or seek recommendations.

2. Optimize for crawlability and indexability

AI bots are sometimes blocked from content, so be sure to make your content accessible with these optimizations:

• Make sure AI bots aren’t blocked by firewalls
• Update your robots.txt file to allow AI search engine crawlers access to sections of your site
• Use pre-rendering or render all content server-side
• Leverage internal linking
• Use structured data
• Use canonical tags
• Avoid no-snippet rules in meta robots

3. Optimize content for topical authority

Topical authority is a website’s perceived credibility as a resource on a topic. And because generative engines will only select the sources deemed the most credible, it’s important to:

• Identify your main topics
• Build content clusters
• Create high-quality content and pillar pages
• Build on your E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)

Further reading: What is a Topic Cluster Strategy? (+ Why It Matters for SEO)

4. Optimize for chunk retrieval

AI search engines don’t index entire pages — only individual pieces of content on the page, or “chunks.” Because of this, you should focus on optimizing each section of your content like a snippet.

“Content needs to be shaped and thought about in the process of ‘content chunk retrieval,’” says Soto. “Meaning content pieces need to have centralized ideas and be semantically related to one another.”

5. Create answer-oriented content

AI search engines generate their answers using snippets from multiple sources. To optimize your content to be a cited source, use:

• Direct, one-sentence answers
• A clear summary in the beginning, before offering more in-depth information
• A straightforward tone
• Infographics
• Subject matter experts and cite sources or data
• Bullet points, clear headings, and FAQs

Also, remove promotional content.

“Content in listicle formats (which is popular on GEO platforms) needs to remain neutral in tone and avoid overly promotional sentiment,” Soto adds.

GEO features for local SEO

Looking to rank your local business content in Google’s AIO?

AI Overviews are influenced by broader trust signals. So, when the algorithm picks up strong topical authority, brand trust or localized signals from off-Google Business Profile (GBP) sources.

To start ranking:

• Leverage LocalBusiness schema markup
• Fill out categories, services, FAQs, images, and regular posts
• Add informational, localized content to the website
• Off-platform signals (reviews and citations)

Citations from trusted platforms like LinkedIn, industry publications, and directories can strengthen your perceived authority and improve your chances of being cited by generative engines.

Challenges and limitations of GEO

“The biggest challenge I’ve seen across SEOs at this current state is understanding the types of prompts consumers are placing in GEO platforms,” says Soto.

“GEO platforms are more conversational, with 23 words on average utilized to form a prompt, whereas traditional SEO may range from three to five words.”

This takes long-tail keywords to another level.

To make this more difficult, GEO platforms aren’t releasing data on prompt usage due to privacy restrictions, leaving SEOs to make educated guesses.

“The best path forward is to understand your consumers’ pain points, make sense of the pages leading to AI sessions, and understanding your top converting content,” says Soto.

“Think about their user journeys to ensure proper prompt coverage and observe natural behaviors and patterns amongst communities they go to for answers, such as forums and sub-reddits.”

In other words? Understanding search intent (and how people use AI) is more important than ever.

“GEO platforms are more conversational, with 23 words on average utilized to form a prompt, whereas traditional SEO may range from 3-5 words.” (Image: Adobe)

GEO best practices

Everyone is figuring out GEO strategies together. “There isn’t anyone or agency who should be labeled as a ‘GEO expert’ out there,” says Soto. “These technologies are too new and ever evolving, so anybody claiming to know the ‘secret sauce’ is kidding themselves.”

Instead, Soto explains, the biggest tip is to be a practitioner in GEO:

Test the platforms yourself. Invest in tracking tools for GEO to understand how the answers are being shared. Understand where the LLMs are crawling on your site and which websites are being cited.”

Optimize, monitor, repeat. If there are gaps within your copy hindering your site from being mentioned or cited in GEO platforms as a source, update accordingly.

Keep a pulse on industry sources such as Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, and attend webinars on AI from reputable companies.

Combined with the strategy checklist above, these tips are the best way to keep up in a rapidly changing search landscape.

The future of GEO and search

“GEO is here to stay, and the technology will just continue to evolve,” says Soto.

Some advancements to keep an eye on? “The AI agents within ChatGPT have me mind blown at the moment.”

These advanced tools take AI a step further by working independently to complete complex tasks, like using a tool or making decisions without a human’s guidance.

This could be a massive shift and opportunity for digital marketers and businesses. And, understandably, a huge risk

On another note, Soto shares that she “would also love to see the impact of this year’s holiday shopping with ChatGPT shopping!”

The takeaway

There’s a lot of unknown when it comes to GEO, but there are some things you can do now to catch up with the competition and appear in Google’s AIO or ChatGPT’s answers.

And while they are different marketing methods, adding GEO to your existing SEO strategy for a mixed approach is your best chance for overall success.

Looking to work with a data-driven agency on the cutting edge of generative search? Reach out — we’re here to help.