The old adage of “content is king” still rings true, but the court has a new, incredibly powerful advisor: artificial intelligence.
Businesses around the world are now scrambling to figure out how to optimize their content for AI.
Knowing how to improve generative engine optimization (GEO) – the process of making content visible for AI-driven search engines – has become a top priority for companies looking to grow their brand visibility as search habits change.
However, the task at hand is mounted with challenges. Large Language Models (LLMs) very much operate in a black box, and search behavior is changing faster than even the largest companies can keep up with.
This leaves us with many more questions than answers, including:
- Are traditional SEO techniques, like keyword research, relevant anymore?
- How do we know if the GEO strategies we use now will be relevant in six months?
- How will our content strategy change in order to optimize content for generative AI models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, and AI overviews?
The answers may not be 100% clear right now, but following early GEO techniques is already earning results for businesses willing to adapt their content strategy.
Read on to find out what experts in GEO content recommend on how to improve generative engine optimization and keep your business visible in a changing search era.
Table of Contents
- How quickly is AI search growing?
- How to improve Generative Engine Optimization: 7 expert tips
- Focus on community marketing
- Optimize technical SEO for AI using schema and llms.txt
- Weave a strong web of brand mentions
- Create comparison tables and lists
- Double down on E-E-A-T
- Establish authority with authority and highly specific content
- Carry out an LLM visibility audit
- Is GEO about to replace traditional SEO?
Are you ready to increase visibility in the GEO era? Book a no-cost consultation with the Mint Position team, and we’ll show you how to appear on search engines and LLMs.
How quickly is AI search growing?
AI is changing how people search way faster than most of us expected. And, as a result, Google is being forced to keep up with LLMs like ChatGPT.
In just the first three months of 2025, the number of Google search engine results pages (SERPs) featuring AI Overviews in the US more than doubled, from 6.5% in January to 13.1% in March, according to Semrush’s AI Overviews Study.
The growth of AI overviews in 2025
Source: Semrush
Google appears to be rolling this out pretty aggressively, especially for informational searches, which make up most of those AI Overview triggers.
With growth like this happening so fast, marketers need to adapt quickly – or they might start losing visibility (and leads) as AI-driven answers take over the search experience.
How to improve Generative Engine Optimization: 7 expert tips
The brands that know how to do generative engine optimization best will own the top spots in LLM citations. This will introduce new traffic channels, even as lower-value top-of-funnel traffic decreases due to higher zero-click searches.
But doing this is much easier said than done.
We sat down with two leading expert voices in the emerging AI-driven search industry. Olga Mykhoparkina, Founder of Quoleady, an SaaS content marketing agency, and Tom Winter, CGO and co-founder of SEOwind, an AI content tool, to get their thoughts on what businesses can do at this time of high change.
1. Focus on community-driven platforms like Reddit
Have you noticed how often Reddit threads now feature in AI-powered search results? There’s a reason for this.
Community-driven platforms are full of authentic, first-hand insights – exactly the kind of content that LLMs like Google’s AI Overviews (powered by Gemini) and ChatGPT prioritize and value.
Discussions on these platforms also reflect the same complex or niche search queries your audience is asking, filling gaps that traditional web content frequently misses.
“Our research of high-intent keywords in SaaS showed that Reddit shows up in the top Google results for 76% of high-intent keywords (those that convert the best)”, says Olga Mykhoparkina. “If you are not on Reddit yet, you are missing out.”
Google’s search results page even has a “Forums” tab on its SERPs page, next to “News”, “Images”, and “Shopping”.
This sources content that details user experience directly from community-first sites, including:
- Comments from Reddit discussions and Stack Overflow
- Videos from YouTube
- Posts from personal blogs
Tom Winter agrees with targeting community-first platforms, but he warns not to neglect the old-school SEO tactics to make content more visible there, including keyword research, website coding, and content testing.
Indeed, research from SEO experts Grow and Convert has shown that, on average, the top three Google results are mentioned by AI 77% of the time.
“Show up where LLMs are paying attention, including Reddit, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms,” he says. “Use a schema markup to define key entities, and test your content by asking an LLM: ‘Would you trust this?’ or ‘Would you cite this in a response?'”
Quick steps your business can take
Companies keen to make a quick impact in GEO results should put this action at the top of their list, as we have done in this article.
“This is a low-hanging fruit opportunity,” says Justin Calderón, Founder of Mint Position. You can make your mark (at zero cost) by:
- Answering a question about a relevant topic and recommending your business as a service provider.
- Start your own business Subreddit where you can create your own threads, build a community of followers, and interact with them directly.
- Turn your top Reddit comments or community insights into blog posts or FAQs on your site.
- Use a generative AI tool to test your community content. If the answer isn’t clear, improve clarity to increase your visibility in AI-generated summaries.
This approach requires much less work than the SEO tactic of manual linkbuilding.
“What is great about LLMs is that they don’t use backlinks as a metric to measure quality content,” says Justin. “So, just mentioning your name will suffice. (Previously, Reddit has taken down posts with promotional backlinks). This is a clear example of where GEO is moving.”
2. Optimize technical SEO for AI using schema and llms.txt
A schema markup – adding code to your site to explain to search engines what your content means – is one of several technical SEO subsets that will continue to be important for the foreseeable future.
“Technical SEO still matters, and the overlap is bigger than most people think. Good SEO is foundational to good GEO,” says Tom Winter. “A schema markup helps define entities (the important things you want algorithms to pick up on). Internal linking builds topical clusters that signal authority. Using relevant keywords remains useful for understanding user language and structuring your coverage.”
However, we now need to tweak this to what artificial intelligence algorithms are looking for.
“What’s changing is how content gets surfaced,” adds Tom. “Users may never visit your page, but if you’re cited in the AI-generated answer, you’ve still won. So yes, the fundamentals still work, but you now need to think one layer deeper: Will AI trust and cite this content?”
So, how can we get AI to trust our content?
Simple steps include completing your Google Business Profile, especially for local businesses; structuring content clearly, using headings, bullet points, and clear formatting; and using a schema markup to help AI understand entities and relationships.
The last step may be complex, so Tom has a little-known technique to package all of your business’s best bits into a place where the bots will see it and understand it.
“Here’s a move almost nobody has used yet,” he says. “Create an llms.txt file. Instead of telling crawlers how to move through your site, llms.txt tells LLMs what’s important with a curated snapshot of your business.”
You don’t need to go into great detail, and you can create it in seconds with, ironically, a generative AI tool.
“You include key facts: who you are, what you offer, your best resources, standout content, FAQs, thought leadership, and anything else you’d want an AI to know if it were writing about you, “ continues Tom. “This is your chance to control the narrative. Treat it like a structured, high-signal company brief”.
Quick steps your business can take
- Use Schema.org or a plugin to tag important content, like products, FAQs, and reviews, so AI systems can better understand your entities and relationships.
- Break down content with consistent headings, bullet points, and internal links to create topical clusters and boost readability for both humans and generative AI engines.
- Curate a simple llms.txt text file listing your business name, what you do, your top resources, standout content, and key talking points. Upload the file to the root directory of your site. This will make it more easily accessible to LLMs.
3. Weave a strong web of brand mentions
Take a look at the next AI overview you see. What sources are listed?
These pages were surfaced by AI not just for their content, but for their network of trusted brand mentions.
“Brand mentions are becoming just as important (if not more) as backlink building,” says Tom Winter. “In a world of AI-driven answers, being cited as a trusted source means you’re part of the response, even if the user never clicks your link.”
Olga Mykhoparkina agrees: “Long-term, work on branding and omnipresence. If people talk about your brand – not just you, you’re more likely to get on LLMs.”
This will involve some tactics that are already familiar to marketers: traditional PR that gets your company mentioned in top publications, guest posts on industry-specific blogs (with or without backlinks), and reviews on community-focused platforms like Reddit, as discussed above.
At Mint Position, we have also seen Linkedin articles contribute to citations on ChatGPT, as well as articles on reputable blogs. “The idea is to get your brand mentioned in the context of your industry and product,” says Justin Calderón. “This can also include mentions alongside competitors in review articles that you post on third-party websites – comparison posts that we have seen AI increasingly use to compare your brand vs others in AI-generated tables for users.”
The work will be worth it.
Ahrefs’ research found that branded web mentions correlate the most with AI Overview visibility. Brands earning the most web mentions earn up to 10X more mentions in AI Overviews vs. the next closest quartile.
The correlation between brand mention and AI overviews
Source: Ahrefs
As Tom puts it, “Strong brands don’t just get clicks. They get quoted and in AI search, that’s the new front page.”
Quick steps your business can take
- Own your niche and become the definitive resource in your space – the “small Wikipedia” of your domain.
- Use digital PR, expert collaborations, and original research to encourage citations of your company in top publications.
- Engage on LinkedIn and on industry-specific platforms and websites to build presence beyond your site.
4. Create comparison tables and lists
Want a quick win for generative engine optimization? Start producing clear, structured comparison tables.
LLMs prioritize content that’s easy to parse, and comparison tables or bullet points do just that.
“AI extracts structured data better from tables than paragraphs,” says Olga Mykhoparkina. “If you’re writing long, text-heavy paragraphs to explain product features, you’re making it harder for both bots and users to understand your value.”
Instead, lay it out clearly. Show how your product stacks up against competitors. Use consistent headings, bullet points, or tables to highlight the differences. This helps AI systems extract key points for summaries and snippets – and it improves readability for human eyes, too.
Do a quick exercise. Ask an LLM to compare your brand to your rival. Did a table come up comparing the two? If so, you’d better start controlling the conversation by promoting just how you believe you best compare to competitors, and that can be done by publishing more comparison tables.
“If you don’t feel comfortable comparing your brand directly to your competitors on your site (or perhaps there are legal limitations), then you can always produce that content to publish on a third-party website that is a proven source on AI,” says Justin Calderón.
If your product comes out on top, don’t bury the lead. Boldly state your strengths. Comparison content not only supports content visibility in AI-generated responses but also positions your brand as the go-to option in your niche, boosting both user trust and organic search visibility.
Quick steps your business can take
- Pick your top competitors and build a side-by-side table that highlights key differences in features, pricing, and benefits. (AI will do this anyway when asked, so you might as well contribute your thoughts to the conversation.)
- Publish structured comparison articles using comparison tables, bullet points, bold headers, and short phrases to help LLMs and users quickly grasp your advantages. Publish on your site or on a third-party website.
- Make sure your product’s strongest differentiator is clearly stated at the top of the list or table – don’t make readers (or bots) hunt for this info.
5. Double down on E-E-A-T
Generating content with generative AI is tempting. In theory, it saves you time and money.
However, businesses are finding that this comes at a high price, including lost traffic and even deindexing in some cases. This is because it contradicts Google’s Helpful Content Update, which penalizes unoriginal or unhelpful content.
LLMs, which still depend heavily on high-ranking Google results, don’t like it, either.
“Ditch AI content you’ve generated in 30 minutes,” says Olga. “If everyone can do it, why would LLMs quote you out of 10,000 similar search results? Stop recycling what’s already said online and add your fresh perspective”.
This is where the Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) framework proves its value, guiding you to create content that is both useful and original.
Interviewing experts is a core part of this framework as they provide all four elements of E-E-A-T, including values that are still well beyond the reach of LLMs.
“In the age of AI, human writers will demonstrate their value via two vital skills: interviewing subject matter experts and fact-checking,” says Justin Calderón. “Both of those are important parts of curating and developing content in the age of AI that current LLMs either can’t do, or do not do as well”.
Focusing on these qualities increases the chances your content will be featured in AI overviews, especially since 88.1% of queries that trigger AI overviews are informational, according to the recent Semrush AI Overview study.
Using E-E-A-T well will help you to stand out from a sea of bland artificial content creation.
Quick steps your business can take
- Use insights from industry experts in the form of original research and quotes that help your target audience learn more about your product or service. Think: How can we add new information on this topic to the internet?
- High-quality journalistic writing, including fact-checking, correct citations, and the use of the most up-to-date research.
- The use of statistics, charts, and infographics not only backs up the points you make but also provides engaging visuals that stop the scroll.
6. Establish authority with highly specific content
To improve your GEO visibility, your business must stop trying to be everything to everyone. Authority is built by going deep, not wide.
Tom Winter puts it simply: “Start by narrowing your niche. The more focused and authoritative you are on a specific topic, the more likely you are to be cited by LLMs like ChatGPT or featured in AI overviews. Authority isn’t built by publishing everything. It’s built by owning one thing better than anyone else.”
For example, let’s assume an investment platform publishes general articles on “personal finance.” This fintech content marketing category is too broad and already saturated.
Instead, they could focus on in-depth, expert-backed content like “tax strategies for self-employed crypto investors in the UK.” That’s the kind of niche, high-value topic that surfaces in AI-generated responses and real-time summaries on platforms like Google AI Overviews.
“Topics that require users to open up cited sources and dig deeper are also inherently more valuable – a topic that will require days of research instead of minutes will most likely get you traffic from AI as people scoop out the sources used to generate LLM answers,” says Justin Calderón.
Content with high specificity also aligns with real user queries and increases engagement – two things LLMs are trained to prioritize in search engine results pages.
Quick steps your business can take
- Find specific subtopics within your industry where you can become a leading authority (“real-time payment processing APIs” are better than “payment solutions”, for example).
- Create in-depth content that covers all aspects of your chosen niche.
- Actively share your content and engage with your target audience on relevant platforms.
7. Carry out an LLM visibility audit
Your brand needs a clear view of where it stands in the GEO picture, so carrying out an LLM visibility audit before and after AI optimization will let you track how well you’re doing.
These audits assess your current presence in AI-generated results on platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google’s SGE (Gemini), Bing’s Copilot, and other LLMs and generative AI-powered search engines.
An SEO marketing agency will have the expertise to do this well. “Start with agencies that offer LLM Visibility Audits,” says Tom. “They should analyze metrics like your current entity presence, content quality, and where you’re missing from AI-generated results.”
Audits aren’t just a starting point – they should be repeated to measure progress and refine a digital marketing strategy.
Quick steps your business can take
- Search key brand and product terms across AI-powered search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Review whether your content appears in summaries, snippets, or responses.
- Identify gaps and automate alerts to track future mentions.
Is GEO about to replace traditional search engine optimization?
As a business leader, it’s tempting to ask yourself, “GEO vs SEO: which one should I choose?” but the smart move is to embrace both.
Great SEO content isn’t going to disappear from GEO search results – it will provide the backbone of them.
Olga Mykhoparkina agrees: “We need to be writing for people, and bots will follow,” she says. “Brands aren’t just magically appearing in AI search results: they have great SEO groundwork to begin with. No SEO = No GEO.”
Excellent GEO has a lot in common with top SEO. “GEO follows similar content principles,” stresses Olga. These include the need to:
- Build topical authority
- Write quality content that directly answers search intent, without fluff
- Keep the language clear and articles well organized
“Everything that would help a human being read it and understand it in the SEO world is going to continue to work for GEO,” she says.
SEO strategies that have worked in the past are not becoming obsolete – they’re evolving. The fundamentals of good SEO are more important than ever as they carry over into the GEO era.
Brands that already have a strong content foundation are the ones being surfaced by AI-driven search. There’s no luck involved – rather, it’s directly because their content is consistently helpful, relevant, and easy to understand.
The bottom line? GEO isn’t a departure from SEO – it’s an extension of it. And as the search industry shifts, companies that know how to build for both are the ones that will continue to thrive.
Ready to get the best of both SEO and GEO worlds? Get in touch with Mint Position, a fintech SEO agency with proven AI search results that can help future-proof your business in uncertain times.
