Marketers and savvy business owners have spent years monitoring search engine algorithms and optimizing their websites for SEO, but the search landscape has now changed dramatically. Enter generative engine optimization, or GEO.
At Wyoming Interactive, we’ve put in the hours to understand how the rise in AI usage by consumers and corporations alike has shifted the way we need to optimize our clients’ websites. We’ve discovered how to ensure hard-earned search visibility isn’t lost, but instead expanded as customers search in new ways.
Read on to understand what GEO is, how it’s impacting businesses, and the optimization factors you need to consider to stay in front of your customers and ahead of your competitors.
GEO stands for generative engine optimization, a marketing approach adapted from traditional search engine optimization (SEO). GEO focuses on making website content discoverable so it features prominently in AI search engines, not just traditional platforms such as Google, Bing, and Baidu.
Most commonly, GEO now refers to optimizing website content for large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, but it can also include optimizing for Google’s AI overviews that appear in traditional SERPs and even voice search through tools such as Siri.
Effective GEO should cover strategy, implementation, and reporting, addressing how a website or content piece is crafted and how it performs in AI-powered search.
As customers’ search journeys evolve to incorporate AI, optimization strategies must evolve too. It’s no longer enough to rank first in traditional search, and the data backs this up:
Websites that traditionally ranked on page one have seen a 16-64% drop in organic traffic.
71% of mobile internet users prefer voice search over typing.
84% of users reported increasing their AI usage over the last year, with 35% using AI tools every day.
92% of companies plan to invest in generative AI over the next 3 years.
Reported usage of AI by organizations for at least one operational function has risen to 78%.
There’s no doubt that AI search and AI overviews are changing the way websites generate traffic, but organic traffic remains important.
Websites that rank in position one organically still earn an average click-through rate (CTR) of 28.5%. By comparison, top results in ChatGPT achieve an average CTR of 0.69%.
So how important is GEO if organic searches still generate more traffic?
Early trends suggest searchers rely on AI for answers to questions, typically top-of-funnel or informational searches. Ranking in AI search engines for these queries boosts brand presence and recognition, building subconscious trust and authority within target audiences. When that audience is ready to buy a product or hire a service, they typically return to previous behaviors around organic searches and click on website links to make a final decision.
To adapt to the new search landscape, optimization strategies should incorporate GEO as an additive approach, not a replacement for SEO.
An effective search optimization strategy combines GEO and SEO. The differences don’t stop at the search engines themselves, but extend to optimization best practices as well. Using SEO and GEO together allows for broader audience reach at all stages of the buying funnel.
| Organic search | AI search | |
|---|---|---|
| Search engines | Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo | ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity |
| Demographics: consumer | Gen X and Boomers still navigate to organic search | Gen Z and Millennials have the highest adoption rates |
| Demographics: industry | Financial services, construction | Technology & IT, Professional services |
| Funnel stage | Middle of funnel / Bottom of funnel | Top of funnel / Middle of funnel |
| Most used device | Desktop | Mobile |
| CTR of top result | 28.5% average click-through rate | 0.69% average click-through rate |
When it comes to optimization, on-page, technical, and off-site factors still matter. For many best-practice elements, SEO and GEO have significant overlap. For others, some adaptation is required.
Similarities between SEO and GEO
Additional Considerations for GEO
AI usage will continue to rise, whether for operational efficiency or consumer search. Combining SEO and GEO strategically can help you build on existing optimization efforts and avoid missing out on critical conversions.
Putting the right processes in place for content production and website performance now will help you stay ahead of the competition and continue to reach your customers in the future, no matter where they search.
Click here to talk to one of our GEO specialists and discover how your business could benefit.
