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Generative Engine Optimisation: Everything You Need To Know In 2025

By Academy Xi

Man prompting Generative AI for research

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is already happening to you, whether you planned for it or not. Somewhere, right now, your pieces of work are being scooped up and stitched together with someone else’s by AI systems you will never meet, and served to someone who might never know you exist. And yet, this is the new currency.

This article is your inside map to that game. We will pull apart how Generative Engine Optimisation works and how it differs from traditional SEO efforts. Plus, we will give you 8 GEO strategies that will help you claim your space before someone else does.

 

What Is Generative Engine Optimisation?

Diagram - What is Generative Engine Optimisation & How Does It Work

Generative Engine Optimisation is the practice of structuring and presenting your website’s information so that generative AI-powered search engines can accurately understand, summarise, and surface your content directly in their generated responses.

When we say “generative engines,” we are talking about generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience), Bing Copilot, and others. 

These don’t just give you a list of blue links like Google has done for decades. Instead, they generate a complete, conversational answer on the spot, pulling from multiple sources and presenting it in a human-like way.

GEO makes sure that your content is the kind of material these engines want to pull into those answers. That means thinking about:

  • How your content is structured
  • How it is labeled so machines can parse it
  • How it signals credibility and relevance
  • How it connects to the concepts (or “entities”) the engine already knows about

 

How Generative Engines Process Content

Here’s how most AI-driven platforms build an answer:

1. Crawling & Ingestion

The engine scans the web, just like search crawlers, but rather than indexing links, it stores facts and patterns into its training data or retrieval database. This can include websites, PDFs, social media posts, and even transcripts from videos.

2. Understanding & Structuring

The AI breaks content down into entities (people, places, things), relationships, and context. For example, if you wrote a guide about coffee roasting, the engine notes you as an “authority” connected to topics like “roast profiles,” “bean origins,” and “brewing techniques.”

3. Matching To A Query

When someone asks a question, the engine doesn’t look for an exact match. It uses semantic search to match meaning instead of keywords and pull relevant pieces of information from its knowledge store.

4. Blending Multiple Sources

The large language models (LLMs) almost never give raw text from a single source. It takes bits from several and compares them for accuracy. Once done, it merges them into a coherent answer. This is where your content can get pulled in alongside competitors’ work.

5. Rewriting & Delivery

Finally, the engine rewrites the answer in natural language that is formatted for the user’s question. This could be in a chatbot reply, a voice assistant response, or even a visual summary. Your original phrasing may be gone, but your information and ideas can still be at the core of the answer.

 

5 Benefits Of Generative Engine Optimisation

Diagram - 5 Benefits of Generative Engine Optimisation

 

Let’s talk about the upside – the real reasons people are starting to pay attention to GEO.

 

1. Your Content Shows Up Where People Are Actually Looking

The search behaviour is changing. More and more, they are skipping the scroll through 10 different links and going straight to the AI-generated answer at the top.

When you have optimised for GEO, your content has a much better shot at being part of that answer.

Instead of hoping someone clicks on your link buried halfway down the page, you are right there, front and center, in the actual response the user is reading. It is AI visibility without the middleman – and it is happening at the exact moment someone is paying attention.

 

2. You Are Seen As A Go-To Source In AI Answers

When a generative engine chooses your content for its summaries, it is quietly telling the user, “This is a trustworthy source.” That is a huge credibility boost.

Over time, this repeated exposure builds familiarity. People start recognising your name or brand because they keep seeing it show up in relevant answers. And in a world where attention spans are short, recognition is everything.

 

3. You Get Found Through Broader, More Natural Queries

AI-driven search engines handle complex and conversational questions better than traditional search engines. That means someone could discover you even if they never searched your exact keywords.

For example, you might have written an article on budget travel tips for Italy, but someone asks the AI, “What is the cheapest way to spend a week in Rome without missing the main attractions?” If your content is GEO-friendly, the engine can connect the dots and pull you into that answer.

This opens the door to audiences you never specifically targeted but are still a perfect match for your content.

 

4. You Are Ready For How Search Is Evolving

With Agentic AI now influencing how engines reason and respond, the shift in the search landscape isn’t slowing down. AI engines like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews are rolling out more features that keep users inside AI-generated results for longer.

If you are already optimising content for GEO, you are ahead of most. That positioning makes you harder to replace. While others are figuring out why their traffic suddenly dipped, you are still being surfaced in the AI’s primary answers.

 

5. Your Efforts Can Compound Over Time

The more a generative engine pulls from you, the more likely it is to pull from you again. That is because these systems learn from interaction data. If users engage with answers that have your content – clicking your citation, spending more time reading, asking follow-ups – the AI sees that as a positive signal.

 

8 Core Strategies For Generative Engine Optimisation

Diagram - 8 Strategies For Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)

 

If you want your content to show up in AI-generated answers, you have to serve it in a way they can’t ignore. This is the core of the GEO process. Here’s how to do it.

 

1. Create Comprehensive, Contextually Linked Topic Clusters

Generative search engines love context. They piece together a full answer by jumping between related sources. If your site’s content is organised like a messy attic, AI won’t have an easy time mapping your expertise.

Here’s how to raise your content quality and fix that:

  • Pick a core topic – something your target audience actually cares about and aligns with the user intent.
  • List all subtopics that naturally branch from it. For example, if your main topic is “remote team management,” subtopics could be time zone coordination or performance tracking.
  • Create content for each subtopic and link them back to your main “pillar” page.
  • Interlink subtopics to each other when there is a natural overlap. This makes it easier for AI to see the connections between your content pieces.
  • Keep clusters updated. If one piece is outdated, the whole cluster loses value for generative engines.

 

2. Optimise For Entity-Based Search

Entities are basically “things” that AI can clearly identify and connect to other information. These include people, places, organisations, products, and concepts. If your content mentions an entity but doesn’t define it or connect it to recognised data, you are leaving it floating in isolation.

What to do:

  • Use consistent names. If you refer to Generative Engine Optimisation in one place and GEO in another, make sure the AI can see they are the same thing (e.g., introduce the acronym the first time).
  • Add context every time you introduce an entity. Instead of just “Tesla,” say “Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer based in Austin, Texas.” This helps AI lock onto the exact entity you mean.
  • Link to authoritative sources for key entities (Wikipedia, official websites, Wikidata).
  • Get your entity listed in public databases that AI engines rely on. If you are a brand, aim for the Google Knowledge Graph or Wikidata.

 

3. Use Structured Data & Schema Markup

AI doesn’t “read” content the way human readers do. It parses, scans, and extracts based on structure. Strong technical SEO ensures your data is organised and easy for generative engines to process. The more structured your data, the less trial and error the engine has to deal with – and the more likely you are to be included in an answer.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Identify the right schema types for your content. Examples:
    • Article for blog posts
    • FAQPage for Q&A formats
    • Product for product descriptions
    • Event for event listings
  • Implement JSON-LD schema (preferred by most engines) instead of older microdata formats.
  • Mark up key details – dates, prices, ratings, authors, locations – so AI doesn’t have to infer them.
  • Validate your schema using Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org validator before publishing.
  • Keep structured data updated whenever content changes – stale markup can hurt trust signals.

That said, remember that these tasks aren’t easy to perform. If you have an in-house team of experts, great. But if you are thinking of handling them yourself, it is going to be messy. The best way to go about it is to get the right specialists through tech recruitment agencies

These firms find you candidates who have the required skills for highly technical roles, so you don’t waste time hiring the wrong people or training someone who can’t keep up with evolving AI and SEO needs. With the right team in place, you can confidently tackle complex tasks and keep yourself AI-ready.

 

4. Optimise Page Copy For Conversational Query Phrasing

 

This one is huge for generative engines because they are built to handle natural language. Nobody is typing “cheap flights Italy” anymore. They are saying, “What is the cheapest way to fly to Italy this summer without long layovers?”

If your content sounds like how people actually talk, the AI is going to have a much easier time pulling from it.

Here’s how to get there:

  • In addition to traditional keyword research, listen to how your audience talks. You can browse Reddit threads and look at posts getting Reddit awards. Those discussions show what the crowd genuinely values, far more than any keyword list ever could.
  • Include full, natural-sounding questions in your headings (H2/H3).
  • Answer them right away and use conversational language. Don’t make people scroll through three paragraphs of buildup to get to the point.
  • Drop in follow-up questions and answer them, too. It makes your content more of a conversation instead of a lecture. Example:
  1. “So what’s the catch?”
  2. “How do you avoid common mistakes?”
  • Switch up your wording. Instead of repeating the same focus keyword over and over, use natural variations.

Some industries can get away with vague or overly technical page copy and still get picked up by generative engines because people search for them in a straightforward way – think “best accounting software” or “cheap gym memberships.” But when the offering solves a real and urgent business pain, you have to sound like you actually understand that problem.

That is exactly what Uproas does perfectly – just look at their Facebook Agency Ad Account page. People land on these pages because they are tired of getting their ad accounts restricted, or they have lost days of campaign data and need a fix right now

If you look closely, the structure mirrors how people search now. Someone doesn’t just type “Facebook agency account” – they ask, “How can I stop my ad account from getting disabled?” or “Where can I get a verified ad account that scales?” Uproas has built its page to naturally answer those questions right where they appear.

Every line feels built for how real people talk and search. It is specific and human. And that is exactly why generative engines will keep picking Uproas up – because their content joins the conversation users are already having.

 

5. Build Authoritative, Expert-Cited Content Sources

Generative engines want sources they can trust without hesitation. If your content looks like something you whipped up in 5 minutes with zero credibility backing it, it is getting skipped.

Here’s how to stack your authority:

  • Quote recognised experts – real names, real credentials. If you can, get direct input from them (even better if they are willing to be named).
  • Cite credible sources – research papers, government reports, industry-leading publications. Not random blogs no one has heard of.
  • Link directly to the original source – don’t send people (or the AI) to some third-hand article that rehashed the original.
  • Show the “who” behind the content – add author bios with credentials and links to professional profiles.
  • Include dates on facts and stats – AI likes fresh and verifiable info.

Some niches benefit from having authoritative sources, but it is not life-or-death for them. If you use precision hardware like this online store for metal tools, most people aren’t checking academic studies or PhD quotes before they buy.

But when you are in a space where decisions involve large investments, credibility is everything. Those aren’t $50 impulse buys. People are looking for expert validation and proof that the information they are seeing is accurate and up to date. 

To understand it better, let’s take the example of IceCartel’s gold chains. The moment you land there, it proves authenticity. Each piece is backed by clear carat details, real material specs, and certification notes that instantly signal quality. You see transparent information about solid vs. plated gold and even close-ups that show the exact texture and shine. 

Even better, they back it all up with a lifetime guarantee and customer reviews to match the premium standard they are promising. This mix of authority and reassurance is exactly what makes this page powerful for both buyers and search engines.

When AI platforms or shoppers look for “real gold chains for men,” IceCartel doesn’t just appear because it sells – it appears because its content reads like it knows what it is talking about. That is credibility, and it is designed right into the experience.

 

6. Add Summarised Key Points For Model-Friendly Extraction

Generative engines don’t always read top to bottom. They scan for small and ready-to-use information they can drop straight into an answer. If your content is one giant wall of text, it forces the AI to work harder, and when it has a million other sources to choose from, it will skip you for someone easier to process.

Ways to do it:

  • Add a “Key Takeaways” box at the top or bottom of your content.
  • Use bullet points for the main facts – short and clear.
  • Summarise sections before getting into the details, so even if the AI stops reading early, it already has the core point.
  • Keep language plain – the AI shouldn’t need to rewrite for clarity.
  • Make the summaries for AI overviews standalone – they should make sense even if pulled out of context.

In niches where buyers are looking for something specific and highly functional, you can’t dance around. You have to skip straight to the key details. To put some scale to it, let’s consider Sewing Parts Online.

This is a category where people usually arrive with an urgent, targeted question – “Does this bobbin fit my Brother CS6000i?” – not an interest in reading three paragraphs of brand history. If the answer is buried halfway down the page, they are gone.

 

Diagram - Generative Engine Optimisation - Sewing Parts Online

 

Sewing Parts Online tackles this perfectly without even trying too hard. Their product pages (especially when you click into a specific machine or part) don’t force you through a novel just to get the facts. Instead, you get quick and scannable sections — compatibility info, part numbers, brand filters. 

They have set up “Shop By Brand” menus and even model-based pages (like for White 782 machines) so the AI can pick up clean and context-rich blocks instantly. And that is liquidity for AI-driven engines – bite-sized authority that stands out when engines decide who is worth citing.

 

7. Prioritise Authoritative & Trustworthy Signals

Generative engines can’t risk recommending bad sources. If they feed a user wrong or misleading information, that is on them, so they are hyper-picky about what they include.

When the AI looks at your site, it is judging your expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) before deciding to surface your content. It is not enough to be trustworthy; you have to make that trust obvious in ways the AI can detect.

What helps:

  • HTTPS everywhere – no exceptions.
  • Consistent brand presence – same logo, same name, same style across your site and external profiles.
  • Links from reputable sites – AI notices who is pointing at you.
  • Avoid spammy ad layouts – if your content is hidden under pop-ups, it is a trust killer.
  • Clear contact info and about page – the AI should be able to tell that you are a real person or business.
  • Fact-check when creating content – remove anything outdated or incorrect.
  • Optimise Core Web Vitals – Generative engines notice performance issues, and a technically optimised site gives your content a higher chance of being included in answers.

 

8. Track & Refine Based On AI Query Appearance

Most people publish and move on. That is a mistake in GEO.

The way generative AI engines surface content changes constantly, and predictive analytics now plays a huge role in understanding what kind of content they will favor next. If you are not keeping tabs on where (or if) you are showing up, you are missing half the opportunity.

Here’s the workflow:

  • Run your key topics as queries in ChatGPT. But don’t stop there. People use different AI tools similar to ChatGPT, like Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Bing Copilot, so don’t rely on just one engine’s view of your visibility.
  • Look for citations or paraphrases of your content – some AIs link, some just reference without a link.
  • Track which user queries you appear in and which you don’t.
  • Check what other sources are being used for those same queries – that is your competition.
  • Update and expand your content based on what you see is missing or being outranked.

 

6 Key Differences Between GEO & Traditional SEO Tactics

Diagram - Generative Engine Optimisation - 6 Key Differences Between GEO and Traditional SEO Tactics

 

A lot of people hear Generative Engine Optimisation and think, Oh, so… SEO strategy, but with AI? Not really. They share some DNA, sure, but they are very different. Let’s take a look.

 

1. Who You Are Optimising For

  • Traditional SEO → Optimises for search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo. The goal is to make your page rank high so humans click through.
  • GEO → Optimises for AI search engines like Google SGE, Bing Copilot, Perplexity, and ChatGPT with browsing. You are feeding an AI model the kind of content it can confidently blend into a natural-language answer.

 

2. The End Goal

  • Traditional SEO → Get a click. Everything is about driving traffic to your site.
  • GEO → Get a mention or a citation inside the AI-generated responses, even if the user never visits your page.

 

3. How Content Gets Chosen

  • Traditional SEO → Search engine crawlers index your site, assess ranking factors (keywords, backlinks, page speed, etc.), and then decide your placement in search results.
  • GEO → AI models pull from a blend of indexed content, knowledge graphs, APIs, and training data. It then structures information that they can slot into a conversation.

 

4. Keyword vs. Query Style

  • Traditional SEO → You find keywords based on search volume and target phrases like “best running shoes for flat feet” and build content around them.
  • GEO → You focus on search intent and match how people ask questions in full, natural sentences: “What are the best running shoes if I have flat feet and run on trails?”

 

5. How You Measure Performance

  • Traditional SEO → Metrics like search rankings, organic traffic, click-through rate, and bounce rate.
  • GEO → You are watching whether your content appears in AI-generated answers and if it is influencing user trust or brand recognition, even without clicks.

 

6. Update Cycles

  • Traditional SEO → You update pages for algorithm changes and fresh keywords. The changes can take days or weeks to reflect.
  • GEO → Generative engines can start using your updated content much faster, but they also drop you quicker if you go stale.

 

Conclusion

Generative Engine Optimisation is already shaping how information gets found, and the engines aren’t going back to the old way. You are either in the answers or you are invisible. 

So, pick one or two strategies you can start on today. Don’t overthink the perfect rollout. Build, watch, tweak, and keep feeding these engines exactly what they are hungry for. In a year, you will either be glad you started now… or wish you had.

At Academy Xi, we are obsessed with helping people and teams ride these big waves instead of getting crushed by them. We build courses in digital, data, design, and tech that focus on tomorrow’s skills, not yesterday’s. Wherever you’re starting from, we help you stay sharp in a world that changes every week.

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