AI has been the new buzzword in various circles, and now it’s influencing the marketing conversation in a big way. In other words, it’s time for your business to start getting referred by AI and ChatGPT. Here’s why. A study published in 2024 showed that AI Overviews (AIO) were appearing more often in Google Search results, affecting click through rates. This means customers are searching and receiving information differently, so businesses have to change their strategy from keywords to something more intuitive.
First, what is GEO?
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimisation is an acronym that has recently emerged to describe an updated way in which websites are being (or should be) optimised, combining AI Overview and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Businesses and their marketing teams have to quickly catch up to the new playing field where AI and LLMs (Language Learning Models) like ChatGPT are shaping how Google selects its search results. If you want AI to refer your content and your brand to potential customers, understanding these changes is the first step.
Next, follow the tips below to get recommended by AI and LLMs and avoid your business being left behind.
Unique, fresh content
Make sure your content is updated regularly so it’s fresh and relevant. Traditional SEO content may have important keywords but it lacks the kind of value-laden information that will get recommended by AI. People want to learn something new. Remember the point of putting out content is to get noticed by journalists or influencers who can link back to your page, so give them a good reason to do this.
Keep the human element
Resist the temptation to use AI-generated content on your website. Time- and money-saving as it may be, it won’t do anything for your AI recommendations or online visibility, and that’s where true business growth lies. AI may produce content that sounds one-dimensional and it can certainly regurgitate information, but it doesn’t recommend that kind of information. To get cited by AI and LLMs, make sure your content is written by humans – the difference is noticeable by readers and AI engines.
Go beyond keyword research
Some may go so far as to say that keywords are dead. What they really mean is that traditional SEO methods are becoming outdated because they are not personalised or targeted enough. In our AI-driven world, your content optimisation strategy has to go beyond keyword research. LLMs don’t work the way Google search engines do. You can still work on faster page loading and longer content to rank higher, but with AIO there is no ranking, so a different approach is needed. Base your content on market research and what people are talking about on social platforms if you want to stay relevant.
Don’t copy AI, inspire it
Okay, maybe AI can’t be inspired like us, but it can recognise data. Remember that LLMs were trained using literature – that’s inspirational content! So if you use the same sources of data that are used to feed AI or train LLMs, it will be recognised as familiar by the AI tools and they will be more likely to cite your content in search results. If your business has had media mentions, use them along with press releases or backlinks to add value to your content. The idea is not to create content that mimics AI, but content that is good enough to retrain it.
There is no time to waste on old optimisation methods. Let One Stop Digital future-proof your business with SEO that is geared for the new tech generation and other digital marketing techniques suited for your business. Ask us how.
