Optimization is a ubiquitous term in our digital age, and for good reason. In an age where efficiency is key, mining for information and exploring useful content is no exception. Most of us are familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), which focuses on improving website visibility to increase traffic and search engine results page (SERP) rankings. Now another strategy has entered the chat: GEO, or generative engine optimization.
Companies may be tempted to throw out the baby, SEO, with the proverbial cyberspace bathwater; however, truly effective marketing strategies may benefit from a combination of both.
What Is GEO?
In a nutshell, GEO is the digital marketing strategy that ensures companies are mentioned or recommended in AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. Consider this: consumer A asks ChatGPT where is the best place to purchase garden seeds in their area. If you are a garden center, you want to ensure your company is mentioned in the results. GEO synthesizes the most accurate, authoritative, and factual information and cites it in AI responses.
What Are the Benefits of GEO?
The benefits of GEO are theoretically endless. This is primarily because AI is here to stay. As users are becoming more engaged in the search engine process, they are looking for specific answers to their questions in a conversational, “human-like” way. GEO fulfills this need by:
- Providing direct answers to consumer questions
- Leveraging your brand as an authority through AI recommendations
- Structuring your content so that it is more readable and user-friendly within AI tools
- Embedding calls to action (CTA) to make converting consumers easier
Research suggests a 25% decrease in traditional search, underscoring the impact and growing popularity of AI tools in our society. Moreover, a study at Princeton University states that GEO can increase visibility by 40% in generative engine results. With this lens, the benefits to including it in your digital marketing strategy become obvious.
What Are the Drawbacks of GEO?
Although we would like to think we are embarking on a digital utopia with AI, there are limitations. When AI gets it right, users can enrich their lives by finding the right information, the right brand, or the right company quickly. However, if AI gets it wrong, then companies can take a major credibility blow. Because GEO is reliant on AI tools, this strategy can fall prey to the following pitfalls:
- Unreliable metrics. Unlike SEO, which relies on click-through rates to measure effectiveness, there are no concrete metrics for GEO to determine whether your company is getting a return on investment.
- AI can be unpredictable. GEO is solely reliant upon AI platforms. Therefore, if an AI platform changes its algorithm, then your content is at the mercy of said change. This can be risky if GEO is your only strategy.
- The risk of misinformation. GEO is also reliant upon accuracy and authority. Effective GEO depends on factual, researched information. If your content has any misinformation or fabrication and is cited in an AI tool, your brand could lose its credibility. Some people have become weary of “AI told me so” because of these types of mistakes.
- Oversaturation in the AI landscape. While AI tools are changing the way many people access information, there are many new AI companies rising up every day. While SEO strategies revolve around Google’s dominance in the search engine landscape, there is no equivalent AI leader to build a strategy around.
What Is the Difference Between GEO and SEO?
With a better understanding of GEO, what distinguishes it from SEO? SEO helps ensure your brand is highly ranked based on consumer searches. It is how a brand becomes the “blue link” or hyperlink in search engine results. For example, SEO is the strategy that ensures your law firm shows up first when a consumer searches for the best uncontested divorce lawyer in their city.
As mentioned, GEO ensures your brand is cited in the answers to users’ questions when they query AI. The difference is where the consumer is starting from. Moreover, GEO actually depends on existing SEO because AI typically sources its information from the most authoritative and high-ranking websites. SEO ensures this occurs.
Why You Should Use Both SEO and GEO to Create an Effective Marketing Strategy
Visibility and authority are the names of the game, and to ensure your company or brand is at the top of the digital food chain, you should incorporate both SEO and GEO. Your content should appeal to both consumers who use traditional search methods to gather information and also those who use AI tools to find quick, accurate, and direct answers to their questions.
For example, some consumers prefer to collect information from various sources to make informed decisions and trust traditional search methods to achieve this objective. These consumers may know exactly what they are looking for but need a little more direction.
On the other hand, your Gen Alpha client may value efficiency, preferring a direct answer to their questions. In this case, you would want to lean toward GEO in your marketing strategy.
The object is to create quality content that users can trust. SEO achieves this by ensuring your brand is visible and highly ranked. Highly ranked content tends to elicit more trust and credibility.
However, it is equally important to share factual content with accurate citations, so it appears in AI tools. Creating authoritative, engaging, and conversational content that is structured for all of the optimization is your key to success.
Improving Your GEO-SEO Marketing Strategy With Better Content Matters
The digital landscape is saturated with brands, content, information, and businesses to follow and patronize. This makes it a beautiful challenge to create content that is optimized for the right clientele.
Authority is key, but so is diversity. To attract a range of customers, you do not have to choose between these marketing strategies, but instead use both. At Better Content Matters, we are committed to creating content that is both SEO and GEO-friendly. Contact us today to learn how our writing and editing professionals can help with your content strategy.
