SEO, GEO, what now?

How can your website be liked by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and co?

When it comes to SEO and artificial intelligence, there are countless tips and tricks on how AI can take over repetitive tasks, improve the technical SEO of a website, help with content optimization – and so on and so forth. But that's not the point here. We will go one step further and take a look at how it is possible not only to use AI yourself, but also to be "used" by AI.

Search behavior has changed

Gen Z in particular is often said to have their attention span shortened by TikTok and other Social Media platforms. But if we're honest, the urge for speed is creeping into all our lives. Especially when it comes to gathering information. In conversations with friends, questions like "Which way is the clock going to change again?" or "What are Trump's tariffs all about?" are now always met with "I'll quickly ask ChatGPT". Even when I'm at the supermarket and wondering what else I can cook from the food in my fridge, ChatGPT usually gives me ideas faster than trawling through recipe blogs or searching for that one saved recipe on Instagram. I could probably list 35 more situations where I would choose ChatGPT over the classic Google search when in doubt – and I would go out on a limb and say that I'm not alone.

Visibility in the age of AI

Search engines have also recognized the need for action to avoid being replaced by chatbots. That's why Google now has AI Overviews. A summary created by Gemini with the most important information about the search query appears above all search results. In theory, users no longer have to scroll down if the AI Overview has already compiled the desired information.

However, Gemini has not come up with the information that appears there, but has compiled it using a web crawler. To do this, the AI crawls the web within seconds and compiles the most relevant information from various websites. In this scenario, the accolade for websites is to be cited by the AI so that users land directly on their own website via the AI overview when conducting further research.

So far, so good

But how do you manage to be selected by the AI to be included in the AI Overview? There is no clear answer to this yet. As with SEO factors, there is no one secret recipe for GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). In general, however, the more meaningful, well-founded and clear your content is, the more likely it is that the AI will rate it well – and potentially include it. If the AI recognizes that you are an expert in the search query, the chances of appearing in the overview are good. The direct comparison between classic SEO and AI SEO shows the differences very clearly:

SEO is dead, long live SEO

Classic search engine optimization aims to use the right levers to optimize the page so that it ranks as high as possible in Google searches. There is always speculation about the weighting of SEO factors. Here and there a leak comes from former Google employees, then every now and then a core update comes along that potentially throws everything out of kilter and reshuffles the cards in the ranking world. The biggest Google search algorithm leak recently revealed 14,000 ranking factors. However, there was no new information about the weighting, use, age, etc. in it. SEO is still an art in itself, which is determined by the rules of the technology companies.

The influence of AI is now completely shaking up the tried-and-tested techniques - right?

Yes and no. The relevance of Generative Search Optimization is still low. The classic ranking factors are still relevant for SEO. Those who have a clean, stable and fast technical foundation, offer user (and machine) friendly content with structure and embody a strong brand will continue to achieve good rankings.

Branding for the win

Talking about brand – Google prefers websites that not only receive traffic via Google search, but also from other sources (external websites, forums, social media, chatbots). This is not about classic backlink marketing, but about branding. If you manage to build a popular and recognized brand in your own field, then you're already halfway there. It would probably go beyond the scope of this article to go into the topic of branding in full, so here's a quick run-through: Think about what sets your brand or company apart from others and tell your story. Give your brand a personality through storytelling and deep insights that are communicated in a consistent brand tonality. And if you don't know what you're talking about when it comes to branding, get in touch with us and we'll give you another short intro in detail.