Understanding GEO and How It Works

The digital marketing landscape is shifting. Conventional search engine optimization (SEO) practices are being disrupted by AI-powered search applications like ChatGPT, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), and Perplexity AI. As users get used to using conversational AI programs instead of search engines to get answers, brands offering digital marketing services will have to reassess the best way to present content on the web. This brings us to GEO – Generative Engine Optimisation.

In this blog, we will help you understand what GEO is, what it means for you in 2025 and beyond, and how you can tweak your content strategy to take advantage of this new paradigm.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) refers to a practice of optimising digital content for generative engines, like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, Google’s SGE, etc., which provide users with synthesized answers instead of links.

Whereas SEO attempts to rank your content on traditional search engine results pages (SERPs), GEO attempts to rank your content as a reliable source for AI models to refer to and include as a response. These represent a significant shift in how users engage with and access information and they will also improve the way businesses tend to approach local SEO services to maintain visibility in their communities.

Why GEO Matters in the AI Era

1. Search Behavior Changes

   More users are skipping Google altogether and asking questions directly in ChatGPT or its browsers. So visibility is not enough for traditional SEO sources anymore. If your brand or brand content is not being surfaced in AI responses, that is a huge discovery miss.

2. Click-Through Rates Decline

   Users no longer click through websites as they are getting the summarized information instantly with AI engines. This new zero-click search model has decreased organic performance and click-through rates considerably. GEO will help brands maintain visibility even as they surface in AI answers.

3. New Discovery Platforms

   Generative search is creating new discovery platforms, from Perplexity AI to You.com. GEO can help your business stay meaningful and relevant in these new ecosystems.

How Generative Engines Source Information

To effectively optimize for GEO, you must first understand how generative engines function. Unlike Google Search, these models generate answers from:

• Large Language Models (LLMs) trained with billions of documents
• Real-time, web crawling in some models (e.g., Perplexity, SGE)
• Authoritative content and trusted websites
• Prompts and context from the user

This simply means your content has to be clear, factual, up to date, and authoritative to be best suited to AI models and you must keep your search engine optimization services accordingly to stay competitive.

GEO vs SEO: What’s the Difference?

How to Optimise for GEO

1. Publish Factual, Authoritative Content

   Generative engines fundamentally prefer trusted, accurate, clear sources. This includes:

   • Statistics born of original research
   • The simplest explanation of a complex topic
   • Blogs that are fact-based and how-tos
   • Author bios and who sourced their material

   Tip: Use schema markup to provide identified ownership, organization, and relatedness to crawlers and AI engines.

2. Create Structurally Clear Content

   Generative engines prefer structure. For example, if your blog is organized and structured properly, it would include:

   • Clear headings (H2s and H3s)
   • Bullet points and tables
   • Short paragraphs
   • FAQs at the end of the article

   The purpose of structuring your content in this manner is to make it easier for AI models to grab relevant snippets from their crawls. The easier the models can crawl this type of content, the better chance these models have to cite your blog.

3. Cover Topics in Depth (but Stay Focused)

   AI engines like comprehensive but focused content. Rather than attempting to cover all topics in one blog you should focus on one area and dive deep.

   For example: Instead of writing a blog entitled “All Things Digital Marketing”, write “The Impact of Instagram Reels on Small Business Marketing in 2025”. This provides topical authority and increases GEO visibility.

4. Get Cited From Others

   Similarly to backlinks in SEO, citations from other trustworthy sites increase your authority. These signals value the content your produce and show that other sources agree with or are referencing your content.

   Focus on:

   • Digital PR
   • Guest blogging
   • Reports that drive data that others link to

5. Optimise for Brand Mentions

   Even when AI engines do not backlink, they typically mention brands by name. You want your company (Digital Upward) to be sited as a credible source.

   Utilise branding throughout your content and make it easy for AI engines to connect your company with topics (i.e. “Digital Upward, a digital marketing company based in Delhi….).

What Kind of Content Performs Best for GEO?

GEO isn’t just about long-form blogs. Various types of content can help you win in generative search:

• Thought leadership articles
• Glossaries or definitions
• Data-driven case studies
• Explainer blogs
• How-to guides
• Comparisons and lists
• Timely updates and trend analysis

Remember: Content that answers questions in a straightforward way is most likely to appear in AI-generated responses.

Tools and Techniques to Monitor GEO Success

Unlike SEO, GEO doesn’t have tools like Google Search Console (yet), but you can still track visibility:

• Use Perplexity.ai to see what sources are cited for specific prompts.
• Test your brand in ChatGPT or Bard by asking questions related to your niche.
• Monitor backlinks, mentions, and referral traffic from unusual sources.
• Use AI content analysis tools like NeuronWriter, Clearscope, or Surfer SEO to create AI-friendly content.

This is especially important if you offer SEO services for small businesses that rely on consistent online visibility to compete effectively.

The Future of GEO: What’s Next?

GEO is still in its infancy, but it’s gaining serious traction in 2025. Major trends shaping the future of GEO include:

• AI-first browsing experiences like Arc Browser and Copilot integrations
• Native ads inside AI results
• GEO plugins and schema standards
• New reporting tools for AI-generated traffic

Smart marketers and businesses are already adapting. If you want to remain relevant in the era of conversational search, you can’t afford to ignore Generative Engine Optimisation.

Final Thoughts

At Digital Upward, we believe it is important to stay ahead of the trend. GEO does not mean replacing SEO, but rather an evolution. Understanding how people find answers in today’s world, and how to be part of those answers with your brand.

By creating accurate, valuable, and easy-to-consume content for generative engines, you can maintain visibility while search changes around you.

Need help adjusting your Content for GEO?

Let Digital Upward move your brand in to the AI search future.