By integrating ontologies into your website’s architecture – via schema, linking and navigation hierarchy – you ensure a user-friendly experience and enable AI-driven search results to surface accurate brand information.
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2. Citations: The importance of being the cited source
Arguably the most important factor in GEO is ensuring that your brand is cited by authoritative sources.
Unlike traditional search engines, AI-driven tools don’t crawl the web in real time. They rely on retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to synthesize answers based on trusted, previously gathered information.
If your brand isn’t being cited in reliable sources, it’s unlikely to be referenced in AI-generated responses.
This brings us to digital PR and the importance of being mentioned by high-authority publications.
Targeting these publications and securing citations will significantly boost your visibility on generative AI platforms.
The strategy is simple: to get included in AI outputs, your brand must be trusted and referenced by the sources that feed these models.
3. Natural language: Shifting to conversational content
Traditional SEO often focuses on keywords, but in an AI-driven world, natural language is king.
Answer engines are designed to respond to complex, conversational queries, meaning that your content must adapt to answer nuanced, multifaceted questions rather than simply targeting individual keywords.
This shift toward a conversational tone is essential to succeed in ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Brands must focus on creating content that feels human, answers real user concerns and is structured in a way that AI can easily comprehend.
It’s no longer just about SEO-friendly content; it’s about creating content that AI platforms can trust to deliver accurate, valuable information.
This trend will also clearly benefit your strategy on Google search, who prioritize content generated by human subject matter experts (think E-E-A-T).
The opportunity cost of ignoring AI-driven search
Building visibility in generative engines isn’t necessarily about gaining website traffic. It’s about ensuring your brand shows up for relevant questions.
Having your brand cited is arguably more important than regurgitating your content based on how people use these platforms today.
As the adoption of these platforms increases, I expect the concept of GEO to become a core part of brands’ organic strategies.
Missing out on being referenced in ChatGPT could become the new equivalent of not ranking on Google.
The future of measurement: Share of model
As generative AI reshapes organic search, we must also rethink our metrics. Conversational searches, such as those on ChatGPT, capture nuances and interests that keyword analysis simply can’t match.
The classic data we have relied on will likely decline in relevance and effectiveness over time. However, a new metric, share of model, has started to gain traction.
Share of model refers to how often your brand is cited in AI-generated responses across answer engines.
Analyzing how often your brand is referenced and which sources feed these responses will become key indicators of success in this new landscape.
Where to get started
If you’d like to build a better understanding of how your brand is performing on platforms such as ChatGPT, you can start by focusing on three areas:
Brand perception research: Evaluate how AI platforms perceive your brand, using this understanding to influence your brand’s visibility on referenced sources.
Content research: Analyze preferred content types and formats prioritized by AI-driven search engines. Focus on structures and formats that resonate with AI algorithms for terms your customers would likely use to source information.
Cited sources: Target high-visibility content sources used by ChatGPT and Perplexity for relevant search terms to enhance brand inclusion in its responses.
Diversify or get left behind
Now is the time to think beyond traditional SEO principles. As answer engines continue to rise, optimizing for AI outputs will grow in importance.
By evolving your approach now, you can secure your brand’s place in the AI-driven search landscape – and ensure that you remain visible in a world where traditional SEO tactics are no longer enough to drive organic growth.
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