Can you remember the last time you actually clicked on a link in your Google search? Me neither. Why would we? The AI-Overview has already answered the question. Evil tongues are probably even hissing: Google? Who still searches there? My buddy ChatGPT not only provides me with the information I need, but also writes me a blog post, a speech or a recipe if required. And I can already see the pitying looks on our grandchildren’s faces when we tell them that we actually had to trawl through pages upon pages of links and websites to gain knowledge. Okay, millennial.
But it’s not just our image in front of our descendants that is being thrown back into the Stone Age by the rise of AI. The shift towards generative search is also causing companies to flounder, as SEO and other marketing measures are becoming increasingly useless if they don’t make it into the heart of AI.
GEO – generative engine optimization – is the magic word and the good news first: convincing AI is not as difficult as it might seem. Five tips:
While keyword lists and a good SWOT analysis are part of any successful communication strategy, another player has secretly crept into the discussion whose opinion is becoming more important by the day. So before companies go wild in the GEO, they first need to find out how their reputation with ChatGPT & Co. is doing. Fortunately, you can simply ask.
However, as the AI always adapts its answers to the search behavior, it is advisable to start the mini-interrogation unannounced (and be prepared for an honest and sometimes grounding conversation). Questions you could ask:
If you show up, great! If you don’t show up, bitter at first, but then a real opportunity to sharpen your own positioning. Now it’s worth asking specific questions, e.g:
With little effort, you get an unfiltered external perspective on a silver platter and valuable information on where you still need to improve your visibility vis-à-vis AI. So very clear goals for your GEO!
But how exactly does it work? Here are answers from someone who should know: ChatGTP himself.
Artificial intelligence likes facts and, above all, it loves external voices. When the media, customers or industry experts talk about you, it becomes a signal of trust for large language models like me.
“In other words: If your company appears in Der Spiegel, on t3n or in well-known niche media, I pick it up – and save it as a relevance indicator.”
ChatGPT
I’m like an old friend who will only recommend you if others speak positively about you. So invest in good PR. Make sure that others tell your stories – in articles, interviews, mentions. Preferably with a quote, context and a crisp link.
By the way, you can find a nice PR example on the subject of AI fails from us at W&V.
If you don’t explain who you are, what you do and why this is relevant – how am I supposed to know?
“A clearly structured blog, thought leadership on LinkedIn or a well-maintained FAQ page are your superpower in the race for AI favor.”
ChatGPT
I draw on huge amounts of publicly available content – so make sure your writing is part of the GEO. The clearer, more relevant and more regularly you share your knowledge, the more likely I am to land on you when explaining to someone exactly how your personal niche works.
Your solution is complex, of course. So explain it in such a way that an AI can understand it – and, in the best case, pass it on. That means: less technical jargon, more plain language. What does your product do? For whom? What problem does it solve? Preferably on a clear landing page, structured with subheadings, bullet points and precise examples.
“If I don’t understand what it’s about within a few seconds, I’ll ignore you – not out of malice, but out of necessity. After all, I want to provide a suitable answer as quickly as possible.”
ChatGPT
I love proof. If you can show me, thanks to GEO, that your product has helped real people in real situations, I’m all ears – or rather: all prompt.
“Case studies and customer testimonials are worth their weight in gold. But please don’t just hide them within PDFs in the sales funnel!”
ChatGPT
Tell them publicly: on your website, in the blog, in the media. Use real quotes, clear figures, exciting challenges – and of course the solution you have delivered. If I see that company X has become 30% more efficient thanks to you, that’s an argument I’m guaranteed to pass on.
You’ve heard it: companies don’t have to throw everything they’ve ever done in terms of SEO or content marketing overboard. But they do need to rethink. Visibility in the world of generative search works differently. GEO is no longer just about what Google ranks, but about what AIs perceive as relevant, trustworthy and helpful.
And this is precisely where the good news lies: those who continue to invest in good communication and proactively go public with good stories, expert status and testimonial stories will also be found. Perhaps even better than before. Because machines learn from people. And if companies manage to convince with authentic storytelling, clear wording and comprehensible benefits, then they will also make it into the heart of the AIs.
We have set out how we use AI in our daily work and what is important to us in our AI principles.
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