What Is GEO Generative Engine Optimization: Will It Kill Old SEO?

Did you thought that SEO is the only name in the game? Think again! Because there’s a new player in town, and that’s GEO Generative Engine Optimization. But, what is GEO? How does it work, and is it a part of SEO?

Let me give you a quick overview about GEO Generative Engine Optimisation.

• GEO is a new set of methodologies and strategies specifically for generative engine’s.
• GEO can improve your websites visibility up to 40% in generative engine responses, which was experimented by researchers.
• GEO focus is visibility, rather than ranking on traditional search engines.
• GEO is an additional on-page methodology.

So, Recently, a fascinating research paper, a collaborative effort from esteemed institutions such as

1. Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi,
2. University of California, Santa Barbara,
3. University of Michigan, Princeton University,
4. Georgia Institute of Technology,
5. and The Allen Institute for AI,

has unveiled a new waves in the SEO field. The authors behind this revelation, including:

• Dinesh Garg,
• Pranav Khaitan,
• Rajiv Ratn Shah,
• William Yang Wang,
• Yashar Mehdad, and more.

They introduced Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). So, what is GEO generative engine optimisation, and why is it causing a stir among SEO professionals and website owners?

What is GEO Generative Engine Optimization?

Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO, represents a paradigm shift in the realm of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Unlike its traditional counterpart that primarily focuses on tailoring strategies for search engines, GEO aims to optimize content specifically for generative engine responses, or AI Answer Engines such as Google AI Overviews or SGE, BingChat or Co-pilot, Perplexity.AI, and Brave search AI. Yes, you red that right!

It’s a new set of methodologies and techniques designed to enhance the visibility of web content within the evolving landscape of AI answer engines. But wait! What’s this AI Answer Engine?

It’s the combination of a search engine and generative AI algorithms.

Imagine a search engine that not only offers results but also has the ability to generate content tailored to specific users’ queries. This is the essence of the Search Generative Engine, where the search results aren’t just retrieved but dynamically generated to align perfectly with the unique interests and needs of each user.

In essence, GEO recognizes the rise of generative engines and tailors content to align seamlessly with their responses. It’s a strategic approach that goes beyond traditional SEO, acknowledging the changing dynamics of how users interact with search queries.

Now, instead of simply appeasing search engines, content creators are adjusting their strategies to sync with the nuanced responses of generative engines.

Check out the difference between search engine and AI answer engine.

how GEO generative engine optimisation is different from SEO search engine optimisation.

So, what sets GEO apart from its older sibling, SEO?

While SEO tailors strategies for traditional search engines, GEO introduces a new approach. In the world of SEO, the focus is on keywords, backlinks, meta tags, and site structure, hoping to catch the attention of algorithms.

However, GEO steps into the realm of generative engines, understanding that these engines operate differently.

GEO is not a one-size-fits-all routine; it acknowledges that generative engines have their own way of interpreting queries. Instead of simply optimizing for specific keywords, GEO considers the entire landscape of user intent, context, and the nuanced way generative engines operate. It’s an approach of adaptability, recognizing that the rhythm of generative engines is more complex and dynamic than traditional SEO.

That’s why, the concept of (Black Box Nature) was also introduced by the researchers.

Goals, Focus, and Challenges of GEO and SEO.

Goals of GEO: Visibility Over Ranking.

In the world of GEO, the game is not about securing a top spot in the traditional ranking hierarchy. Instead, the primary goal is to enhance visibility in generative engine responses.

Picture this: when Google Bard, BingChat, Google’s (SGE) Search Generative AI, or Perplexity.AI generates responses, the aim of GEO is to have your website’s content visible, recommended, or even featured in those dynamic and context-aware responses. Cool, right?

Goals of SEO: Climbing the Traditional Ranking Ladder

The traditional goal of SEO is to climb the ranking ladder on search engine result pages (SERPs). The focus here is on securing those coveted top positions when users type in specific queries.
The emphasis is on keywords, backlinks, and meta tags, aiming to catch the attention of algorithms and secure a prime spot in the traditional search hierarchy.

Focus Areas: Adaptability vs. Keyword-Centric Approach

GEO embraces adaptability as its core focus. In the dynamic world of generative engines, where responses vary based on context and user intent, GEO strategies pivot around understanding and adapting to this variability. It’s not just about specific keywords; it’s about comprehending the rhythm of generative engines and tailoring content to resonate with their nuanced interpretation of queries.

On the other hand, SEO adheres to a more keyword-centric approach. The spotlight is on optimizing content with strategic keywords, creating a strategic structured for search engine algorithms.
The focus revolves around predicting the keywords users are likely to input and optimizing content to align with those predictions.

Challenges of GEO: Navigating the Black-Box Nature

One significant challenge that GEO encounters is the black-box nature of generative engines. The inner workings and decision-making processes of these engines often remain untransparent, creating a challenge for content creators. Understanding how generative engines interpret and present content becomes akin to navigating through a labyrinth.

This challenge emphasizes the need for a black-box optimization framework within GEO strategies. Content creators must devise methods that optimize content for generative engines, even in the absence of a clear understanding of the engines’ decision-making mechanisms.

Challenges of SEO: Staying Relevant in a Competitive Arena

In the world of SEO, the challenges differ. It’s a competitive arena where staying relevant amidst evolving algorithms and an ever-expanding digital landscape presents a perpetual challenge. SEO practitioners need to adapt their strategies to the latest algorithms, combatting issues like keyword saturation, algorithm updates, and changing user behaviors.

What Are TheTypes of Search Generative Engines?

Now that we’ve got the basics of GEO down, let’s explore the various types of search generative engines. These engines aren’t just here to respond—they come in different flavors, each with its unique style of delivering responses.

1. ChatGPT by OpenAI.
   You might already know about this. If not, are you living under a rock? ChatGPT is a large language model (LNM) that not only understands natural language, but can also generate humanlike responses.
2. GoogleBard.
   Bard is a chat base tool by Google, which is integrated with search engine but not directly. However, GoogleBard has the ability to fetch information from Google’s database and generates it for the users specific request.
3. BingChat.
   Microsoft collaborated with Open.AI and integrated their Bing search engine into GPT4, and name it BingChat.
4. Google’s Search Generative AI (SGE).
   Google search generative AI (SGE) is going to be the upgrade version of traditional Google search engine. Well, it’s not publicly available for everyone. However, it’s in its experiment face which is only available in United States.
   SGE can not only find relevant websites but it can also generate answers for you, directly on the search engine result pages.
   I have talk about SGE in detail in previous blog, Click here.
5. Perplexity.AI
   It’s another search generative AI that has the ability to search the web, and generate relevant answers to your queries along with relevant website links.
   The documentation also states that these generative engines are evolving, with more expected to join the scene.

The Black Box Nature for GEO

The black-box nature of generative engines refers to how darn complex it is to figure out how these engines process and understand information. Unlike traditional search engines with clear-cut algorithms, generative engines, as the research paper mentions, work in a more secretive way. Their decision-making processes are complex, and the inside workings of the algorithms aren’t easily accessible or fully understandable to us outsiders.

In simpler terms, when you toss a question into a generative engine, the magic happens inside the black box. It’s not a straight shot from question to answer; instead, various algorithms, models, and layers of complexity are at play, shaping the outcome in ways that aren’t immediately obvious.

Why the Black-Box Matters?

Disclaimer: This specific subheading is only based on my understanding, it’s not addressed in the research paper.

In the traditional SEO realm, professionals often rely on insights provided by tools like Google Search Console to monitor and understand their website’s performance. They can track specific keywords, identify issues, Monitor click through rates, and, Determine overall search performance of their content.
However, the situation takes a turn in the generative engine landscape.
This means SEO professionals don’t have a dedicated platform to monitor how specific keywords or relevant terms associated with their content are performing in generative engine responses. The absence of such data can make it challenging for professionals to fine-tune their strategies and optimize content for generative engines.

When I was reading the documentation I was questioning, and you might also think, Does this mean Google Search Console cannot help in monitoring search performance of specific pages on generative engines?

Google Search Console is tailored for traditional search engines, not generative engines. While it remains a valuable tool for tracking and improving the performance of websites on search engine result pages (SERPs), its reach doesn’t extend to the intricacies of generative engines.

But it can only be confirmed, when Google’s Search Generative AI (SGE) will be public. Only then we can see, if Google search console also helps us track our pages data on both, SGE results and search engine pages.
Keep in mind: The information only about Google search console is not written in the research paper, this is only based on my analysis and understanding about the documentation. That’s why I would highly recommend, that please share your opinion about this.

How Does GEO Work?

As I mentioned above, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a concept Or a framework introduced in a paper to help SEOs, content creators, and business owners enhance their content for generative engines. These engines use GEO methods, which are like additional strategies to improve how websites appear in generative engine responses.

What are GEO Methods?

The researchers implemented several experiments to know how we, or they can optimise for generative engine’s responses.
Here are the methods they used.

1. Authoritative Method: Changes the writing style to sound more convincing and authoritative.
2. Statistics Addition: Includes numbers and stats instead of just talking about things.
3. Keyword Stuffing: Adds more keywords to match what people search for, similar to regular SEO.
4. Cite Sources: Puts in quotes and references from reliable sources.
5. Quotation Addition: Adds important quotes from credible sources.
6. Easy-to-Understand: Makes the language simpler and easier to understand.
7. Fluency Optimization: Improves how smoothly the website text reads.
8. Unique Words: Adds interesting and different words to the content.
9. Technical Terms: Includes specialized words for specific topics.

Implementing GEO Methods

The paper talks about how to use these GEO methods and what happens when you apply them to a website. The authors did experiments to see how well each method worked by testing them separately.
Each GEO method was independently applied to optimize a randomly chosen source within the dataset. Five response generations per query were created for each method to mitigate statistical noise. Position-adjusted word count and subjective impression served as the primary performance metrics.

Results and Insights:

The experiments yielded several significant findings:

• Visibility Boost: JEO methods demonstrably increased response visibility by up to 40%, indicating a higher likelihood of selection by generative engines.
• Domain-Specific Efficacy: The effectiveness of each method varied across different domains, highlighting the need for domain-specific optimization strategies.
• Top Performers: Statistics Addition emerged as the most impactful GEO method, followed by Authoritative Enhancement and Citation Infusion. Fact-based answer types exhibited the most significant improvement with JEO application.

The results showed that GEO methods can increase visibility by up to 40% and make a website look visible in generative engine responses.

In simple terms, GEO works by helping content creators use different strategies to make their websites visible when generative engines show them. It’s like giving then a set of methodologies with different strategies to make their websites stand out in the new way search engines work with generative engines.

Is GEO a part of SEO?

Yes, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is indeed a part of traditional SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and it’s here to upgrade it.

The strategies in the GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) framework involve using an authoritative tone, adding statistics, incorporating quotes and citations, employing keyword usage (but in a natural way), and using simple, easy-to-understand words, and more, that we discussed above. These strategies can all be applied to your content pages by adjusting their style, words, and information. That’s why GEO is an additional element of the overall SEO campaign—it’s simply a part of SEO.

What are the benefits of GEO Generative Engine Optimization?

Here are the tremendous benefits that can be obtained from GEO generative engine optimization.

1. Enhanced Visibility: Traditional SEO focuses on ranking well in search engine results pages (SERPs).
   GEO takes it a step further, ensuring your content appears directly within AI-generated responses, propelling your brand to the forefront of user queries.
   Imagine your valuable insights or webpages are recommended or featured, whenever search generative engines generates personalised answer for the specific users.
2. Effortless Implementation: Unlike some SEO strategies that require significant website restructuring, GEO requires relatively modest adjustments. By seamlessly integrating data, adding quotes, , adding citations, and an authoritative tone into your content, you’ll naturally resonate with AI engines without major website upheavals.
3. Increased Web Traffic: Enhanced visibility translates to a direct boost in website traffic. As your content finds its way into AI-generated responses, a wider audience will be exposed to your brand, leading to a surge of visitors eager to engage with your expertise.
4. Future-Proofed Content: The world of SEO is constantly evolving, and the rise of AI search is a game-changer. By adopting GEO strategies today, you’ll be well-positioned to thrive in the future, ensuring your content remains relevant and accessible as AI reshapes how information is presented and consumed.
5. Beyond Clicks: Brand Building and Data Insights: The benefits of GEO extend beyond mere traffic surges. By strategically aligning your content with AI preferences, you can build brand credibility, improve user engagement, and tap into valuable data insights that can further refine your overall SEO strategy.

What Signals Does These Generative Engines like: Google’s SGE, BingChat, perplexity.AI, GoogleBard and Similar, Look For When Interpreting Content?

These generative engines like GoogleBard, BingChat, Perplexity.AI, and Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) is reshaping how we consume content.

Unlike traditional search engines, these AI-powered tools use content understanding to extract meaning and context, affecting how users discover and interact with information.
But, what signals do these engines look for within content? Let’s talk about this.

1. Semantic Richness and Depth:

Content that delves deeper than surface-level facts and explores various nuances of a topic resonates well with generative engines. They analyze relationships between entities, concepts, and arguments, favoring content that demonstrates comprehensive understanding.
Complex sentence structures, diverse vocabulary, and accurate use of language connectors like conjunctions and prepositions further signal semantic depth.

2. Factual Accuracy and Reliability:

As mentioned in the research paper, Verifiable data, credible sources, and citations are paramount for these engines. They rely on factual accuracy to deliver trustworthy information and prioritize content backed by reputable evidence.
Internal consistency and alignment with established knowledge bases play a crucial role. Content riddled with contradictions or inconsistencies raises red flags for generative engines.

3. Authoritative and User-Centric Style:

While clarity and conciseness remain important, a conversational and authoritative writing style can attract the attention of generative engines. They consider user experience and prefer content that flows naturally and resonates with readers.
Active voice, diverse sentence structures, and incorporating rhetorical questions or humor can make content more appealing to both humans and AI interpreters.

4. Relevance and Contextual Understanding:

The ability to grasp the context and intent behind a user’s query is crucial for generative engines. Content that effectively addresses the specific needs and information gaps outlined in a query ranks higher.
Topic coherence, relevant keywords, and proper use of synonyms and related terms demonstrate how well your content aligns with a specific context.

5. Originality and Freshness:

While factual accuracy is vital, unique insights and original perspectives can give your content an edge. Generative engines value content that adds new information or sheds light on a topic from a fresh angle.
Staying up-to-date with current trends and incorporating relevant news or research findings can signal the relevance and freshness of your content.

A word from SHAHNOORBLOGGER.

I hope you now understand what JEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is. Based on my understanding,

1. GEO is going to be an additional strategy in our overall SEO campaign plan.
2. It’s also obvious that GEO is an on-page strategy, and it can only work on the pages of your website by changing or modifying the style or adding some tweaks.
3. Additionally, GEO can help our website be visible in generative engine responses, as this is the aim of GEO.
4. Also, it’s clear that whenever we create content, we should use statistics, quotes, citations, and an authoritative tone to make it visible for generative engines.
5. Generative engines tend to favor content that has stats, quotes, citations, and an authoritative tone.

Anyways, what do you guys think? This is something new in the SEO world. I highly recommend sharing your opinions about JEO. Who knows, your one word can help me or others.

frequently asked questions.