SEO Is Out. GEO Is In. Here’s What That Means For You.
For years, the goal for brands and websites was simple: rank on Google.
You’d do your keyword research, write a killer blog post, optimize your headers, sprinkle in some meta tags, and call it a day. If you landed on page one? You were winning. If you landed in a featured snippet? Even better.
But here’s the thing: the rules have changed. Dramatically.
Think about the last time you Googled something. What did the results look like? Now, the first thing you see is an AI-generated summary, followed by a string of paid ads, maybe some shopping carousels, and then you get to the “real” results, aka the organic ones. You know, the ones we used to fight tooth and nail for.
And let’s be honest: most people aren’t scrolling past the first thing that looks like an answer.
Which means optimizing your website and content for search engines is becoming harder and harder. And to be honest, more and more pointless.
Which is where Generative Engine Optimization (or GEO) comes in. It’s SEO’s glow-up. And if you're creating content for a brand, a product, or a service-based business, it's something you can't afford to ignore.
So... What Is Generative Engine Optimization?
In layman’s terms, GEO is about making your content findable, quotable, and usable by AI tools. Because lets face it, people AREN’T turning to Google in the same way that they used to. Gen Z searches direclty on TikTok for answers. Millennials would rather ask ChatGPT their questions. AI is no longer some crazy new trend; it’s become a part of the fabric of the internet. So, where are people turning for answers?
ChatGPT (hey again)
Google’s AI Overviews
Perplexity
Gemini
And whatever else is coming next.
You shouldn’t ignore SEO entirely, BUT, the goal is no longer about someone clicking through to your site. iI’s about being the answer that gets pulled into a summary, cited in a source, or paraphrased in an AI-generated response.
So What Can You Do?
You NEED to start creating content that machines love just as much as humans do. Here’s how:
1. Write clearly. Structure intentionally.
Use natural, plain language. Break things up with headers. Answer questions in short, scannable blocks. Make it easy for an algorithm to understand what you’re saying, and for a human to get what they need without digging.
2. Go deep on your niche.
Don’t just write one blog post and call it a day. Build topic clusters. Cover the same theme from multiple angles. Show that you’re a consistent, authoritative voice on the subject.
3. Think like your customer.
What would they actually ask an AI tool? Use that exact language in your content. Then answer it directly. No fluff, no jargon. If you need help figuring out what the customers’ questions are, use tools like Answer The Public.
4. Make your brand name stick.
A lot of AI summaries don’t include links. So if your product or service is mentioned, you want the reader to remember it. That means repeating your brand name in a natural, non-spammy way, and using unique phrasing that can’t be easily reworded.
A Real-Life Example
I recently worked with a client who was selling a premium, niche product. Their website was sleek, the product was fantastic, and the paid ads were driving a ton of traffic.
But no one was buying.
After a closer look, we realized that people were searching for very specific, urgent questions that this product could solve, but the content didn’t reflect that. It was vague, polished, and brand-forward... but not problem-forward.
So, we flipped the script.
We started answering real questions that people were asking in AI tools:
“What do I do if X happens?”
“How do I fix [this very specific thing]?”
“What should I keep in an emergency kit for ___?”
We didn’t just mention the product; we turned it into the main character. We used clear explanations, structured the content like an FAQ, and made sure it felt like something an AI could easily lift into a summary.
No exaggeration, within weeks, the product started getting name-dropped in AI-generated content. And organic traffic began converting.
Why? Because instead of shouting into the void, we focused on answering the question better than anyone else.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
You can (and should) still do all the “classic” SEO things. But if you want to show up in this new search landscape (you know, the one run by summaries and snippets and answer boxes), you NEED to think beyond rankings.
Start thinking like a source.
Make your content quote-worthy. Keep it simple. Make it human. And build your brand like no one else can.
Because at the end of the day, if an AI is going to pull an answer from somewhere… Why shouldn’t it be from you?
