Traditional search is changing with the release of AI search and results and being prepared for GEO is now a necessity. Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is quickly becoming a critical focus for B2B, B2C to FMCG and DTC businesses.
Understanding and preparing for GEO is essential to maintaining a competitive advantage in an AI-driven search. But how can you assess whether your business is ready for GEO? This guide will help you evaluate your preparedness and identify steps to enhance your strategy.
Understanding GEO: What It Means for Your Industry
GEO involves optimising your content to ensure it appears in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on search engine ranking, GEO is about creating authoritative, high-quality content that AI will use in its response.
For B2B:
- Position your brand as a thought leader through in-depth whitepapers, case studies and industry insights.
- Focus on building trust by citing credible sources and showcasing your expertise.
For B2C & DTC:
- Emphasise engaging and relatable content that resonates with your audience’s emotions and needs.
- Use storytelling to create stronger connections with consumers.
For FMCG:
- Leverage product descriptions, reviews and UGC to ensure your brand is represented accurately in AI Summaries.
Audit Your Content: Is It GEO-Ready?
Conduct a comprehensive GEO content audit to assess how well your existing content aligns with GEO best practices.
- Authority and Expertise: Are you producing content that positions your brand as a trusted expert?
- Relevance: Does your content address your target audience’s needs and questions?
- Structure and Clarity: Is your content easy to understand, well-organised and optimised for natural language processing (NLP)?
- Citations & Sources: Are you linking to authoritative sources or sources associated with knowledge graphs to validate your claims?
Assess Your Technical Infrastructure
Ensure your website and CMS is equipped to support GEO. They should support the following:
- Schema Markup: Use structured data to help AI understand and break down your content.
- Fast Loading Speeds: Optimise site performance to prevent penalties from AI algorithms and allow them to consume your content quickly.
- Mobile Optimisation: Ensure your content is accessible and performs well on mobile.
Engage in Learning & Team Alignment
As marketing leaders, keeping your team informed and aligned with GEO strategies is essential.
- Training Programmes: Provide your team with resources and workshops on GEO so they can understand the benefits and implications.
- Collaboration: GEO doesn’t mean the end of SEO; both should work together. Align your team to create a unified strategy.
- Stay Up-to-Date: Keep updated with advancements in AI and generative search tools.
Measure Key Metrics
You must evaluate progress with metrics to understand how your GEO strategy works.
- Content Engagement: Monitor how often AI tools reference your content.
- Traffic Sources: Identify traffic coming from AI-generated links or summaries.
- Conversion rates: Measure the effectiveness of AI-driven traffic in converting leads.
Plan for Improvement
GEO isn’t a one-time job, it requires consistent work and maintenance. GEO is changing continuously and the technologies powering it are also changing. This means we have to adapt to the latest developments constantly.
- Content Refresh Cycles: Regularly update and expand your content to maintain relevance and authority.
- Feedback Loops: Use analytics to gather insights and refine your strategy.
- Experimentation: Test new content formats, tones and strategies to see what resonates best with AI-driven search.
Collaborate with Experts
If your team is small or you would like the advice of a specialist, we recommend partnering with digital marketing experts who specialise in GEO. They can assist with refining your approach and navigating challenges specific to your industry.
GEO is the Future
Preparing for Generative Engine Optimisation requires a strategic, industry-specific approach by auditing your content for GEO, aligning your team, leveraging the right tools and committing to continuous improvements.
You can position your brand to thrive in an AI-driven marketing landscape. Whether you’re leading a marketing team in B2B, B2C, FMCG or D2C, embracing GEO today ensures relevance and success tomorrow. Are you prepared for GEO?
