Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): Navigating AI-Powered Search in the Age of AI

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the new frontier of search marketing, focusing on visibility within AI-driven search results. It’s not just a buzzword – it represents a fundamental shift in how users find information and how marketers must optimize content. Below we explore what GEO is, how Google and Bing are integrating generative AI into search, emerging AI search platforms beyond the big two, and strategies for success in this evolving landscape.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) refers to the practice of optimizing your content so that it can be cited, summarized, or featured inside AI-generated responses, rather than solely aiming for traditional search engine rankings[1][2]. In other words, while classic SEO focuses on earning clicks from a list of links on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), GEO’s goal is to have your content included as an authoritative source within answers generated by AI large language models (LLMs) – like the answers in Google’s AI Overview or Bing’s AI-powered chat results[2]. This means the success metric shifts from clicks to citations: your brand gains visibility and authority when an AI cites or uses your content to answer a user’s question, even if the user never visits your site[2].

Why is GEO important now? Because user behavior is rapidly changing. Many users, especially younger ones, are skipping the traditional search steps and directly asking questions to AI chatbots or generative search engines. Instead of scrolling through multiple links, they receive instant, conversational answers from tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity AI[2]. In sectors where Google’s AI-generated answers (known as AI Overviews) appear, click-through rates on regular search results have been dropping, meaning fewer users click the organic links[2]. At the same time, traffic to generative AI platforms is soaring – ChatGPT alone was handling over 1.7 billion visits per month in 2023, which represents traffic that previously might have gone to traditional search engines[2]. This shift challenges marketers to abandon outdated SEO playbooks and develop new strategies suited to AI-driven search outputs[2].

One of Google’s biggest pushes into generative AI for search is the introduction of Google’s AI Overviews, part of the Search Generative Experience (SGE). These AI Overviews are summarized answers generated by Google’s LLMs that appear at the very top of the search results page, above the traditional list of links. In effect, Google now synthesizes content from across the web to directly answer the user’s query in a few paragraphs, often accompanied by images and citations linking to source websites. This feature rolled out in 2023 on an experimental basis and has expanded rapidly – by mid-2025, about 13% of Google search results (more than 1 in 8 queries) included an AI Overview box at the top[4].

These AI-generated summaries fundamentally change how users interact with search results. Because the answer is right there, users may not need to click on as many results as before. Publishers have noticed that organic traffic can drop for informational queries when an AI Overview is present, since the overview might satisfy the query immediately[4][2]. On the flip side, these overviews offer new visibility opportunities: if your content is one of the sources the AI pulls from, your site could be featured as a cited reference or linked article in the overview, potentially capturing curious users’ clicks[4]. In essence, some of the attention that used to be spread across the top ten blue links is now concentrated in the AI answer – so the prize for being included in that answer is significant.

How Google’s AI Overviews work: When a query triggers SGE, Google’s system will fetch content from multiple relevant pages (often pages that already rank well for the query), then use the AI to compile a coherent answer. The overview typically includes bullet-point takeaways or step-by-step info if applicable, and highlights key points in a few sentences. Sources used are cited with small link annotations (often at the end of sentences or bullet points), and usually 2–3 sources are listed in a sidebar or below the summary. Google is continuously refining this; for example, it has experimented with showing an “expand” option to see more, and adding ads within the AI overview (labeled as such) to monetize it[5]. The presence of ads indicates Google is serious about integrating this feature long-term.

Tips for SEOs to maximize visibility in Google’s AI Overviews: Getting your content featured in an AI overview isn’t guaranteed even if you rank on page 1. It requires optimizing in ways that make it easier for Google’s AI to identify and extract your content as a good answer. Here are some tactics:

• Continue to nail traditional SEO fundamentals. You still need to be among the top results for your target keywords. Google’s AI primarily draws from content that it already deems relevant and high-quality (often top 10 or so results)[1][1]. In fact, ranking well in regular organic search is a prerequisite to appearing in AI summaries[1]. So, solid keyword targeting, on-page SEO, and link authority remain important.
• Answer the question clearly and directly in your content. Identify the common questions users are asking in your topic area (e.g. “What is X?”, “How to do Y?”, etc.) and make sure you provide a concise, correct answer in a single focused paragraph near the top of your page. For instance, if the keyword is a definitional question, define the term in the opening lines. If it’s a how-to query, include a brief step-by-step summary. Content that matches the query intent and phrasing very closely tends to get picked up. In one case, an article that explicitly defined “digital public relations” in the intro was used verbatim in the AI overview for that query[1].
• Use structured formatting (lists, bullet points, tables). Break down key information into bullet points or numbered steps when possible[1]. Google’s AI often likes to present answers as concise lists if the query implies steps or tips. A well-structured list from your site could be lifted into the overview. Additionally, structured content is easier for an AI to parse. One marketing agency found that rewriting complex paragraphs into simple bullet points and Q\&A format improved the chances of being included in the overview[1].
• Keep language simple and explicit. Avoid overly complex sentences and jargon. The AI models have an easier time understanding and accurately summarizing content that is plainly written[1]. Use the exact keywords or questions in your text – for example, if targeting “how does X work,” a section titled “How does X work?” followed by a clear answer can help. Recognizable patterns like Q\&A or FAQ sections are great for this.
• Demonstrate authority and trustworthiness. Google’s algorithms still care about E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Content that is high-quality and trustworthy is more likely to be pulled in. This can mean citing reputable sources within your content, having a clear author byline with credentials, and ensuring factual accuracy. One tactic is including expert quotes or perspectives, which might make your content stand out. In one example, featuring an industry expert as the author improved the content’s credibility and possibly aided its inclusion in AI summaries[1]. Make sure your site and content have signals of expertise (about pages, author bios, references, etc.) so the AI views it as a reliable source.
• Use schema markup and structured data when relevant. While not a direct ticket to the AI overview, structured data (FAQ schema, HowTo schema, etc.) can help Google identify parts of your content that answer specific questions. It also generally contributes to better snippets.

In summary, to win in Google’s AI Overviews, think like a teacher prepping an answer key. Be direct, be clear, and cover the question comprehensively but in an easily digestible way. Monitor which keywords in your space are now triggering AI answers – according to Semrush data, by mid-2025 more than one in ten searches had an AI overview, and that number is likely growing[4]. You can use SEO tools (some now have features to track AI results) to see if your pages are being cited. If you notice a competitor getting featured in an overview, study their content format and adjust yours accordingly. This is a new battleground, but those who adapt quickly can gain an edge even as overall organic clicks might decline.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft has been aggressively infusing Bing with generative AI, branding parts of it as Bing Chat or Copilot. In Bing Generative Search, released broadly in summer 2024, the search engine can display full AI-composed answers right on the results page. This works similarly to Google’s approach, but with some key differences in philosophy and execution.

Bing’s generative AI features first appeared as a chat interface (the “Chat” tab in Bing, powered by GPT-4) in early 2023[6]. By July 2024, Microsoft went further by integrating that AI directly into the main search results. When you perform a search on Bing, you might see an AI-generated answer at the top, labeled as coming from Bing’s Copilot (though Bing’s interface has been a bit less explicit in labeling AI answers compared to Google)[5][5]. In fact, if you used a special prompt like searching for “Bing generative search” itself, Bing would showcase a page dominated by AI results only – essentially demonstrating a version of the search page where traditional web links are almost entirely replaced by AI responses to various sample queries[5]. This hints at Microsoft’s ambitious vision: they have signaled that AI might completely take over the Bing search experience in the future, not just sit in a box at the top[5].

For now, Bing’s generative results often appear alongside the familiar links, but the balance is shifting towards AI. This creates a challenge for SEO similar to Google’s case, but potentially even more pronounced. If Bing’s AI answer fully satisfies the query, users might not scroll down at all. Microsoft itself has acknowledged that as AI answers take precedence, it could become harder to get clicks on regular results[5]. However, Bing does include citations and links in its AI answers (especially in the chat mode, it enumerates referenced sources). So as a marketer, you have an opportunity: ensure that your content is one of the sources the AI picks up, so that it gets mentioned or linked in the answer[5]. If a user finds the AI’s brief answer intriguing but wants more detail, they are likely to click one of the cited sources – and that could be your site.

From a competitive standpoint, Bing’s AI push can be an edge for marketers who exploit it early. Bing’s share of search is still much smaller than Google’s, but it has grown slightly since the AI integration (gaining a couple of percentage points of market share)[3]. That growth suggests some users are trying out Bing for its AI capabilities. Also, not all businesses are paying attention to Bing; many SEO efforts historically ignore Bing. By optimizing for Bing’s generative search, you might capture traffic that competitors overlook. Moreover, Bing’s AI also powers other systems – for example, it provides search results for ChatGPT’s Browse mode and for Meta’s AI assistants[3]. So content that ranks/cites well in Bing could surface beyond just Bing’s own site.

How can marketers leverage Bing Generative Search? A lot of the strategies overlap with GEO for Google, but here are some Bing-specific tips:

• Understand search intent deeply. Bing’s AI tries hard to directly answer the user’s intent. Content that aligns exactly with what the user is looking for (informational, transactional, etc.) has a better shot at being included. High-quality, relevant answers will transcend the format. In fact, AI is even better than traditional ranking algorithms at parsing intent nuances. Ensure each content piece you create targets a clear intent and fulfills it comprehensively[5].
• Optimize for Featured Snippets (Quick Answers). Bing still uses featured snippets (just like Google) – those are snippets of text from a webpage that directly answer a query, shown at the top of results. The techniques for earning featured snippets (concise answers to common questions, properly formatted) are very useful for AI inclusion too[5]. If your page commonly gets the featured snippet for a query, the AI is very likely to use that same text in its response. So, focus on classic snippet optimization: use question keywords as headings (e.g., “How do I…?” as an H2) and answer them in 2-3 sentences right below, or provide a step-by-step list if the query is asking “steps to do X.” Being snippet-worthy is a fast track to being AI-worthy.
• Consider voice-search style queries. With the rise of voice assistants, content geared toward voice search (natural language questions, long-tail queries) became an SEO subset. Those efforts pay off here too – people tend to phrase queries to AI in a conversational, full-sentence manner (similar to how they speak)[5]. Optimize for conversational keywords and Q\&A formats. For example, incorporate an FAQ section that covers long-form questions like “What’s the best way to…?” etc. If you’ve optimized content to answer those clearly, you increase your chances of satisfying a Bing user’s detailed question via the AI.
• Monitor Bing’s “Deep search” and AI triggers. Currently, Bing sometimes requires the user to click a “→ Chat” or Deep Search button to expand AI answers. Pay attention to queries where this is offered. If you notice certain keywords frequently produce an optional AI result, focus on them – those are queries where you want to be the cited answer when the user engages the AI. Also, test your important keywords on Bing and see what the AI responds with and which sources it cites.
• Leverage multimedia and structured content. Bing’s AI, like Google’s, can incorporate knowledge from charts, tables, etc., if it finds them on your page (sometimes it might convert a table into a text summary). Ensure any data on your site is in a crawlable format. If you have a compelling graphic or dataset, it might even show up as part of the AI answer or lead to your site being listed as a source of “learn more.”

One thing to note is that Bing’s Copilot is not limited to Bing.com. Microsoft has embedded this AI assistant into the Edge browser sidebar and even Windows 11 (the Windows Copilot)[6]. That means a user could be asking their desktop Copilot a question that pulls info from the web via Bing, without ever opening a browser explicitly to a search page. It’s a more seamless way of retrieving info. Marketers should recognize that search is becoming ambient – the user could trigger a search from anywhere (browser, OS, Office apps) and get an answer. Ensuring your content is well-optimized for Bing’s mechanisms increases the chance your brand is present in those answers across all these surfaces.

In summary, Bing’s generative search gives marketers a double opportunity: slightly less competition (in terms of fewer people optimizing for it) and integration into multiple channels via Microsoft’s ecosystem. By tailoring your content for Bing’s featured snippets, conversational queries, and intent accuracy, you can gain a competitive edge, especially as Bing continues to innovate with AI at a rapid clip. Keep an eye on Bing’s announcements (like new Copilot features or AI capabilities) – they are moving fast, and proactive adoption of their latest search features can pay off.

Beyond Google and Bing, a whole ecosystem of AI-driven search platforms is growing. These range from independent search engines with built-in generative AI, to AI assistants that retrieve web info, to tools for marketers to analyze AI visibility. They offer innovative approaches to search, often focusing on conversational, context-rich results tailored to user intent. Embracing these platforms can help you capture additional audiences and glean insights that complement your core SEO strategy. Let’s look at a few notable examples:

• Perplexity AI: Among the new generation of AI search engines, Perplexity.ai stands out for its emphasis on transparency and citations. Perplexity is essentially a conversational answer engine – you ask it a question in natural language, and it returns a concise answer formulated from web results. Uniquely, Perplexity runs multiple web searches under the hood and cites the sources directly in its answers[1]. As a user, you not only get an instant answer, but you can also see which websites contributed to that answer and even the specific referenced passages. This is great for users (they can verify information easily) and for content creators, since you get credit for your content. Perplexity has gained popularity as a research aide; by late 2022 it was already handling over 10 million queries a day[2]. For GEO, optimizing for Perplexity means similar tactics – provide clear answers and get authoritative backlinks (Perplexity tends to draw from high-authority pages), and you might find your site in its answers. The platform is also a reminder that users appreciate cited sources, so investing in high-quality, citable content pays off.
• Microsoft Copilot (and similar AI assistants): Microsoft’s “Copilot” is not a standalone search engine, but rather a persona for AI assistance across its products – yet it effectively functions as a search interface. The Copilot in Windows 11 and Edge uses Bing’s generative AI to answer user questions, do web searches, summarize content, etc., all through a chat-like UI integrated into the sidebar of the OS or browser[6]. Similarly, Microsoft 365 Copilot can fetch information from the web when helping inside Office apps. What this means for search marketers is that AI-driven search is reaching users in new contexts. A user might highlight text in a web page and ask Edge’s Copilot for an explanation, or ask Windows Copilot to find some information while working in a document. These AIs will pull from Bing (and thus the web). For GEO, ensure your content is optimized for Bing and structured in a way that an assistant can easily extract a relevant snippet. Copilot will often present a conversational answer with citations (much like Bing Chat). It’s an “invisible” search platform – users might not think “search engine,” but your content still needs to be there when Copilot looks for answers. The marketing advantage of these assistants is ubiquity: they bring search to wherever the user is, so your content could reach users at the moment of need (say, when they’re writing an email and ask Outlook’s AI for some stats). By maintaining strong presence in Bing’s index and giving succinct answers in your text, you increase your chance of being surfaced by these AI helpers.
• Semrush Enterprise AIO (AI Optimization): From the marketer’s perspective, one challenge of the AI search age is measuring performance – if users aren’t clicking links as often, how do you know if your content was seen or used in an AI answer? Enter tools like Semrush’s Enterprise AIO platform. This is not a consumer search engine, but rather an analytics and monitoring tool that tracks your brand’s visibility across AI-generated content. Semrush AIO can monitor where your brand or website is mentioned in various AI search platforms (like if ChatGPT’s answer mentions your brand, or if you’re cited in a Google AI Overview), gauge sentiment of those mentions, and see how competitors are appearing in AI results[7][7]. Essentially, it gives SEOs and PR teams a way to quantify and analyze presence in AI answers, which is something traditional SEO tools don’t cover. For example, Semrush Sensor data shows how often AI Overviews appear in your industry’s searches[4], and Enterprise AIO can tell you if your site tends to be included or not. Using such a tool, you can adapt your content strategy – maybe you find that a competitor is getting cited frequently for certain queries, indicating an opportunity to create better content on that topic. The takeaway is that as search evolves, so do the tools: keeping an eye on AI-specific analytics will help you refine your GEO strategy. Marketers should consider tracking AI visibility just as they track rankings or traffic, and platforms like Semrush AIO are leading the way in making that possible.
• Other Emerging Platforms: The lineup of AI search tools keeps expanding. DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search engine, introduced an AI summary feature called DuckAssist in 2023, which uses OpenAI’s tech to answer questions with Wikipedia information. It’s not a full chatGPT-style interface, but it provides instant natural language answers for simple queries, showing that even smaller engines are embracing AI. You.com is another upstart that launched YouChat, a GPT-powered search assistant that integrates with apps – allowing users to get chat-style answers alongside traditional web results. Even OpenAI’s ChatGPT with browsing can be thought of as an emerging search platform; when users enable web browsing or plugins, they use ChatGPT to fetch info from the internet, effectively sidestepping Google/Bing entirely. Meta has also announced AI agents (like the one in their Threads app) that can retrieve real-time info.

The rise of generative AI in search is transforming how people find information online. For marketers and content creators, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. On one hand, some traditional metrics like organic clicks might decline as AI answers proliferate. On the other, new avenues for visibility are opening—if your content can become the trusted source that powers an AI-driven answer, your brand can reach users in a highly impactful way (often being presented as an authority by the AI). Generative Engine Optimization is about adapting to this new reality. It means expanding your mindset beyond the old ten blue links, and thinking about all the places an answer might appear.

To recap, focus on: creating clear, authoritative content that addresses users’ real questions; structuring and wording that content so AI models can easily interpret it; keeping your technical SEO and traditional rankings strong (since they’re the foundation for AI visibility); and leveraging new tools and platforms to monitor and improve your presence in AI-generated results. This is an ongoing learning process for everyone—search engines are iterating quickly, and what works for AI SEO today could evolve tomorrow. Stay flexible and keep experimenting.

Finally, stay informed. The landscape of search marketing is changing at breakneck speed with these AI advancements. New features, algorithm tweaks, and platforms are emerging constantly. Make it a habit to follow reliable industry news and guides on this topic. Don’t miss out on the AI evolution in search! Subscribe to the Search Engine Land newsletter (it’s free) to get daily updates on GEO trends, case studies, and tips from experts. By staying educated and adaptable, you can ensure that you work smarter and make better decisions in this brave new world of AI-driven search – and that your content remains discoverable, whether the user is clicking a link or getting an answer spoken back by a chatbot.

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