For so long, getting on the first page of Google was the driving force behind a lot of the content strategy for websites. Winning the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) game was one which could make or break a business. The game is changing, and it is changing fast. In the world of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) the goal isn't just to rank in search results anymore. It's also about becoming the answer itself.
What exactly is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation is the practice of making your content and brand easy for AI engines to find, trust, and use in their answers. Instead of optimising for a spot on a results page, you're structuring content so that AI-driven engines summarise your content, and then link to your brand in their responses. For content owners, the hope is that users will then follow the citations to your site if they are after more detail or a deeper dive.
Gartner predicts that by 2026, traditional search engine volume will drop 25%, losing out to AI chatbots and other virtual agents. That's a seismic shift in the world of SEO and the way websites need to position themselves. The change is rapid, and it's happening right now.
Optimising content for the new “generative” search engines, therefore, needs to become a priority for content strategists and website owners. Implementing GEO can boost visibility substantially in generative engine responses, making it a strategy that content creators simply can't afford to ignore.
GEO vs. SEO: What's the Difference?
SEO and GEO aren't opposing concepts - in fact, they are similar in very many ways. The fundamental difference between the two is that SEO relies on ranking signals to determine position in a list, while GEO relies on information quality and structure to determine inclusion in a synthesised answer. In other words, SEO drives clicks from traditional search results while GEO secures mentions inside AI-generated answers. In terms of success, SEO focuses on rankings and traffic, while GEO focuses on citations inside AI-driven outputs.
The key insight is that sites need to succeed at both SEO and GEO. By blending both strategies and optimising for ranking signals and AI-readiness, you ensure that users find you, whether they click on links or read instant responses.
What content editors and marketers need to do differently
If you're a content creator or marketer, it's time to adjust your strategy. Here's what needs to change:
1. Prioritise clarity and structure over keyword stuffing
GEO thrives on clarity, trustworthiness, and rich background detail; SEO rewards structure, discoverability, and technical precision. Your content needs to read like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend, not a keyword-stuffed robot. In reality, this is nothing new. Best practices for content creation have emphasised authority and clarity over keywords for quite some time.
2. Build authority through citations and statistics
Citing sources and adding quotations or statistics are the top optimisation strategies to rank in AI search. Content needs to be written to appear authoritative. This signals to the AI engines that the content is of a suitable quality for citation. Furthermore, linking to authoritative sources, including data from reputable studies, and backing up your claims with evidence will help improve authority.
This practice is different to SEO, where creators have been careful not to waste PageRank by providing external “follow” links. This development may actually improve the quality of content on the web as content authors crosslink more freely.
3. Embrace E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T, an acronym representing Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a concept used by Google to evaluate the quality and reliability of content. It emphasises firsthand, practical knowledge (Experience), along with specialised knowledge (Expertise), reputation as a credible source (Authoritativeness), and a sense of safety and accuracy (Trustworthiness). These are all things any reputable site should be striving for.
E-E-A-T is critical for both SEO and GEO. It can be achieved through the use of:
- Author bios that establish expertise
- Regular content updates
- Original research and unique perspectives
- Transparent sourcing and fact-checking
4. Keep content fresh
AI platforms heavily favour recent content. Content from the past two to three months dominates AI citations, with freshness being a key ranking factor. Website owners should focus on regular updates, new statistics, and timestamped revisions to keep things current. This situation is not so different from SEO, where content freshness is also important.
What practices will succeed in the future?
What can be done to future-proof your content strategy? The winners in this new landscape will most likely be those who:
- Focus on trustworthiness: AI engines are cautious. Building genuine authority and trust is crucial..
- Are clear and concise: Create content that's comprehensive yet concise. AI engines need to extract clear, accurate information quickly.
- Focus on quality over quantity: In the SEO era, some succeeded by pumping out volume. In the GEO era, a single well-cited piece can outperform dozens of mediocre articles. Mindlessly creating large amounts of long-tail content is unlikely to deliver the results it once did.
Are websites still relevant?
This new environment poses serious questions for website owners. If AI engines are synthesising answers from multiple sources and presenting them directly to users, do people still need to visit websites?
The role of websites is evolving. It is important to be aware of how things are changing. Websites are not so much a final destination as they once were. They need to be considered part of the digital landscape, providing authoritative source material that can feed the AI ecosystem. Your website becomes your credibility hub. It’s the place where humans and AI engines verify that you know what you're talking about.
In the short to medium term, we will likely see a hybrid model. Some users will continue to visit websites for deep dives, purchases, and interactions. Others will get their answers from AI and only visit sites when they need to go deeper. Smart site owners will optimise for both scenarios.
What does it mean for content creators?
The content creators who thrive will be those who understand that the goal has shifted from a click-based mentality to becoming a trusted source of content. Success cannot be measured solely by clickthroughs and traffic. In reality, a strong reputation has always been a cornerstone of successful web-based businesses, and so not much has changed here. Content needs to be clear, concise, fresh, accurate and trustworthy.
What has changed is that the centre of gravity will move further towards the aggregators of content. Google, OpenAI, Anthropic and others will become the destination point for users in the future. It is likely that in many cases users will not leave these new information hubs. That is a reality that content creators need to face. It will pose existential problems for many businesses and professions.
Quality content is valuable, especially if it is a core requirement of the organisation (government, education, publishing, entertainment) or supportive of other services through reputation (services). Organisations need to re-evaluate the core purpose of the content they are creating.
What does it mean for Morpht?
As a digital agency, Morpht has always had a strong practice based around content strategy, content modelling and information architecture. Most of the sites we deliver are focused on content delivery through a number of channels. We understand that a website is just one part of the digital landscape. The rise of AI services consuming this content brings the CMS into clearer focus. It is still just as important to manage and structure content in a clear manner.
We also see a role for structured data in the future. As AI tools develop, there will be an increased need for structured content and automated tools that can make use of that content. It is foreseeable that content management systems such as Drupal will continue to play a role.
In terms of content strategy on our own site, we are focusing on delivering insightful and unique content - exposing some of the things we have learnt in our day-to-day practice. We are striving to present new ideas to educate and engage. Previously, we may have focused more on technical or promotional articles. Now we are trying to be more insightful.
What does it mean for the web?
GEO is all about writing content in a clear and authoritative manner. Content that is insightful, unique and trusted will thrive. This is a good thing. If the AI revolution somehow is able to surface this kind of content and suppress the “slop” long-tail auto-generated content, then that is a win. However, it is overly optimistic to assume that this will be the case. We will, of course, have an almost infinite generation of zero-value content. That much is for sure. The web will remain valuable if the AI aggregators are to separate the wheat from the chaff.
We may end up seeing a GEO “arms race”, much the way we did with SEO. This time around, the only way aggregators can perform this task will be through reputation and innovation. That is something all content creators and site owners need to consider moving forward.
