Brands make a lot of effort to be visible. Over the last couple of decades, one of the most useful tools for building visibility was SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), and brands spent big budgets to develop their websites and get backlinks. Now, AI is changing the rules. The percentage of people who search for information with the help of AI chatbots is expected to grow rapidly, from 6% in 2024 to 14% by 2028, according to Deloitte. This means that brands should adapt their strategies and start to use GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). How to incorporate GEO pillars in your brand strategy, and what to start reading below.
GEO is a relatively new topic and has several names, including Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), and AI Search Optimization (AISO). These terms essentially refer to the practice of optimizing your content and media presence to appear in responses generated by AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and ChatOn. Their AI-generated answers to users’ questions are based on content across the web, and this means that the visibility of your brand depends on the quality of your brand mentions.
Collaborate with earned media
When AIs craft their responses, they collect information from various resources. The most trusted resources include well-known media outlets, such as the Associated Press or the New York Post, as well as Wikipedia and niche industry-specific resources. This means that your brand should be mentioned in the media, and it’s a significant task for your PR Manager or you as an owner, if you’re responsible for communications in your business. To get mentions in lists of best products, journalist reviews, round-ups of expert opinions, and guides will help make your brand more visible to AI.
Get placed in authoritative lists
AI chatbots draw on their study of multiple authoritative sources, such as highly ranked catalogs of top products or services in Google, particularly within the industry. This means that if you rank highly in lists on platforms such as Clutch, G2, or other industry resources, you appear trustworthy to AI.
Also, AI engines use high-ranked pages in Google, and so it’s important to manage how your brand looks on the first pages on Google Search.
Create quality owned content
Your own website is a powerful tool for influencing your visibility for AI. Chatbots analyze your owned content and form an opinion about your brand. Make sure that the content of your site is well-structured, has headers, bullet points, short summaries, and how-to recommendations. The more fact-based and clear your content is, the more AI chatbots will regard it as a reliable source of answers.
In addition, a high ranking for your own site on Google also has an impact. This means that your SEO efforts will continue to make sense in the AI era.
Take part in industry awards
One more way to improve your credibility for AI models is to participate in various industry awards. Being a winner or being shortlisted for a prestigious award is a good point for chatbots to trust your brand. Additionally, you can highlight your achievements in your press releases, blog posts, or social media. For instance, For instance, we get iScanner into various industry awards every year, and sometimes we achieve first place. It’s a big point of pride for the team, an important fact for users, and a sign of trust for AI models. Recently, iScanner has earned praise for winning the Webby Award and Best Mobile Apps Award.
Motivate users to write reviews
According to a survey by the First Page Sage Agency, online reviews impact AI chatbots‘ responses from 13 to 31%. This means that your reputation on TrustPilot or Capterra has a big impact not only on users who look through these platforms before making a purchase, but also on AI Models. As a brand, you can motivate people to write reviews by notifications or bonuses.
Monitor what AI chatbots say about your brand
Your brand reputation for AI models isn’t static. You should monitor what AI chatbots say about your brand and test hypotheses on how to improve some aspects if needed. One way of monitoring is to ask chatbots open-ended questions about your brand. Also, it’s useful to check your competitors to understand where they’re being mentioned.
GEO continues to develop with the growth of AI, and that’s why it’s all the more important to equip yourself with the right skills and tools to favor your business. Keeping up with everything can be challenging, but it’s important to start adapting your brand strategy now and making your brand more visible to AI models, step by step.