Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO): The Future of SEO in the Age of AI

By Sian Thomas Digital Marketing Executive
Published 9th Oct 2025
Category Search Engine Optimisation

For over two decades, traditional search engine optimisation (SEO) has been the cornerstone of digital marketing.

Here at Bronco, Dave Naylor was spearheading the industry as far back as 2003. Businesses worked hard to appear higher in Google search, win more clicks, and attract their target audience through well-structured website content.

But the landscape of digital content is shifting dramatically. We’ve entered what many are calling the “AI Age”, where generative AI search engines such as Google Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT are no longer just pointing users to a list of links. Instead, they’re providing direct answers in natural language, generated in real time.

This shift changes how people consume information. Instead of browsing ten websites, a user may rely on a single AI-generated response. For businesses, this raises a critical question:

How do you make sure your brand is included in those AI-generated answers?

That’s where Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) comes in.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?
How Generative Engines Differ from Traditional Search Engines
Why GEO is Essential Alongside Traditional SEO
How Generative AI Engines Create AI-Generated Answers
The Rise of Zero-Click Searches
GEO Strategies at a High Level
GEO vs Traditional SEO: A Side-by-Side Comparison
The Benefits of GEO for Your Business
Best Practices for GEO
The Future of GEO: What Comes Next?

What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the process of optimising your brand and content so that it is recognised, referenced, and surfaced within generative AI responses.

Where traditional SEO focuses on ranking higher in search results, GEO strategies ensure that AI-powered search engines, chatbots, and generative AI models understand your brand, trust your data, and are more likely to pull you into their responses.

In other words:

SEO = helps your brand get found in a list of links, known as SERPs (search engine page results).
GEO = helps your brand get included in ai answers.

GEO stands alongside traditional SEO, not as a replacement, but as a complementary strategy designed for the generative experience of modern search. You can find out more about our UK Generative Engine Optimisation service here.

How Generative Engines Differ from Traditional Search Engines

To understand why GEO is necessary, it’s important to see how generative engines differ from traditional search engines.

Traditional Search Engines

Deliver a list of links ranked by relevance and authority with a snippet of information from the linked-to page.
Reward good website content, keyword density, and technical best practices like schema markup.
The user chooses which site to click on and explore.

Generative AI Engines

Provide direct answers to user queries using large language models (LLMs).
Pull information from multiple sources, training data, brand mentions, and structured content.
Present information in natural language instead of just a ranked list.
Cite fewer links, reducing the chance for weaker websites to gain traffic.

This means the primary goal of GEO is to adapt your content creation and marketing strategy for AI-driven platforms.

Why GEO is Essential Alongside Traditional SEO

Business owners and marketers are already asking the question, “do we really need GEO if we’re already investing in SEO?”

The answer is yes. Traditional SEO is still vital for Google search and driving direct clicks. Many of the techniques used for traditional SEO, such as creating good, high quality content, still stand for GEO.

But if you rely only on SEO, you risk missing out on the growing share of traffic going through generative AI tools.

Here’s why you need GEO as well as SEO:

Google’s AI Overviews already integrate AI-generated responses into the results page. Ignoring this is ignoring where your customers are.
Generative models often skip over weaker content and highlight only trusted, high-quality information.
Brand visibility in AI-driven search engines is determined not just by ranking, but by brand mentions, structured data, and factual accuracy.

The good news is that SEO and GEO overlap. If you already invest in high-quality, relevant content, GEO efforts will build on that.

How Generative AI Engines Create AI-Generated Answers

Generative AI search engines and chatbots like Google Gemini, Perplexity, or ChatGPT build responses differently from traditional search.

They use a combination of:

Large Language Models (LLMs) trained on massive datasets of digital content.
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), which pulls in real-time data points and recent blog posts.
Schema Markup & Structured Data, which make it easier for AI to recognise factual accuracy.
Brand Mentions across social media, articles, case studies, and product pages.

When users ask a question, the engine presents information in natural language, weaving together sources into a single, AI-generated answer.

This means that if your content isn’t structured for AI visibility, you risk being invisible, even if your SEO rankings are strong.

The Rise of Zero-Click Searches

One of the biggest challenges facing marketers right now is the rise of zero-click searches, when users get their answer directly in search results or an AI overview without ever visiting a website.

In the traditional SEO world, zero-click searches were already growing thanks to featured snippets and People Also Ask boxes. But with Google’s AI Overviews and generative search tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT, that trend is accelerating fast. Users no longer need to click through to find an answer. And in many cases, Google’s own generative summary is now taking the click.

So, where does that leave your website?

Do Brands Still Need Websites?

Absolutely. In fact, they’re more important than ever, but their role is shifting.

Instead of acting purely as landing pages for organic traffic, websites are now your digital source of truth. They provide the data, authority, and structured content that fuels AI-generated responses. If your website isn’t credible, structured, and well-optimised, you risk being excluded from AI answers entirely.

Your website is still the core of your online ecosystem. It feeds information to search engines, LLMs, and generative engines. This gives your brand a place to convert and build trust once people do arrive.

As one of our own GEO experts, Paul Carpenter, puts it:

“We’re seeing websites evolve from being the destination to being the data source. Generative engines will reference you before they recommend you, and that means your website still needs to be rock-solid underneath it all.”

Are Page Views Still Relevant?

Yes, but not in isolation. Page views are now one part of a much wider visibility story.

In the age of generative search, brand mentions, schema markup, and structured data are just as valuable as clicks. While you might see a dip in traffic metrics, your brand could be reaching far more people indirectly through AI-driven answers and citations.

That’s why tracking engagement beyond clicks, such as mentions in AI summaries, visibility in Overviews, and inclusion in cited sources, is becoming an essential part of GEO analytics. We’ve spent plenty of time (and money!) on testing these tools to find the best ones that actually give you something useful to look at as part of our GEO service, so get in touch to find out more!

GEO Strategies at a High Level

Without diving into detailed tutorials (that’s what our consultancy is for!), here are some of the best practices that inform a strong GEO strategy:

Create High-Quality Content: AI rewards good content that is factual, relevant, and well-structured for both human readers and AI models.
Focus on User Intent: Content should align with what your target audience is really asking, not just broad keyword density.
Use Schema Markup: Adding FAQ schema, product schema, and other signals increases the chance of inclusion in AI answers.
Encourage Brand Mentions: GEO isn’t just about your own website. Digital content across social media, case studies, and blog posts all strengthen your visibility.
Think About Content Structure: Breaking down information into clear headings, bullet points, and well-structured content makes it easier for AI-driven search engines to pull from (notice how we’re doing it in this blog post!).
Build Authority: Factual accuracy, data points, and comprehensive answers increase trust in your content.

These are not quick fixes. GEO efforts require consistency, ongoing monitoring, and adapting to changes in AI-driven platforms.

GEO vs Traditional SEO: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Traditional SEO	Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO)
Focuses on ranking higher in Google’s list of links	Focuses on inclusion in AI-generated responses
Driven by keywords, backlinks, and on-page optimisation	Driven by structured data, brand mentions, and AI visibility
Users choose from multiple links	Users rely on one comprehensive AI-generated answer
Emphasis on CTR and traffic volume	Emphasis on brand visibility within direct answers
Optimises for human readers first	Optimises for both human readers and AI models

Both are essential, but GEO gives your brand a better chance of survival in the AI-driven future of search.

The Benefits of GEO for Your Business

Investing in GEO offers several clear benefits:

Brand Visibility: Get your business mentioned in AI-generated responses and direct answers.
Authority & Trust: Position yourself as a trusted voice recognised by ai chatbots and generative search engines.
Future-Proofing: Stay ahead as generative ai models and ai-powered search engines evolve.
Improved User Experience: Well-structured content not only helps AI but also provides human readers with easier, more relevant information.
Integration with Marketing Strategy: GEO supports content creation, social media, and digital marketing by ensuring your messaging reaches audiences wherever they search.

Best Practices for GEO

We won’t reveal every technical detail (that’s part of our expertise and would probably give you a headache!), but here are some safe best practices for anyone exploring GEO:

Use keyword research tools to identify relevant keywords and phrases that align with AI-driven queries.
Create well-structured content that offers comprehensive answers without being overly complex.
Optimise product pages and blog posts with FAQ schema, internal linking, and relevant data points.
Ensure your content presents information with factual accuracy. AI citations depend on trustworthy data. Continue to build content for E-E-A-T guidelines.
Leverage social media and digital content to expand your footprint beyond your own website.

By following these GEO strategies, you give AI assistants and generative models a better chance of including your brand in their responses.

What Happened to Google Search Console in September 2025?

As a quick aside, you might have noticed a dip in impressions in mid-September 2025. You weren’t imagining it.

Across the SEO community, there was a noticeable reduction in reported impressions, and Google hasn’t fully provided a clear explanation.

Our theory? It could be a data-reporting “correction” linked to how Google measures visibility in AI Overviews.

If impressions are being reduced or filtered out when a result only appears within a generative response, that would make CTR (click-through rate) data look artificially healthier, masking the fact that Google itself is now capturing more of the clicks. In other words, it’s an almost underhand way for Google to hide how many users are getting their answers from Google’s AI directly, not from the websites providing that information.

Until Google gives clarity, we recommend looking beyond headline CTR metrics and focusing on long-tail keyword searches and intent-driven queries, the kind of detailed, niche searches where AI still references multiple sources.

How to Still Get People Onto Your Site

Zero-click doesn’t mean zero opportunity. You just need to adapt your strategy:

Target long-tail, question-based searches — these are harder for AI to summarise in one go, so users are more likely to click for detail.
Use schema markup to become a cited source in AI answers.
Publish original data, insights, and opinions — things AI can’t easily replicate.
Integrate social proof like testimonials and case studies, which increase credibility and conversion when users do land on your site.
Build topical authority — make sure your site comprehensively covers your area of expertise so AI sees you as a go-to source.

Ultimately, GEO isn’t about fighting the zero-click trend, it’s about working with it. By structuring your content for AI inclusion and optimising for real human intent, you can stay visible and trusted, even as the clicks move elsewhere.

The Future of GEO: What Comes Next?

We are only at the beginning of the generative experience. As generative ai tools evolve, businesses can expect:

More Integration: Google AI Overviews and other generative AI search engines will take up more space in search results.
New Ranking Signals: Brand mentions, schema markup, and comprehensive answers will grow in importance.
Greater Competition: Brands that adapt early will dominate; those that ignore GEO risk vanishing from AI search results.
Evolving AI Models: Advances in retrieval-augmented generation and new generative ai platforms will continue to change how user queries are answered.

The good news is that businesses that adopt GEO now will gain a competitive advantage before the market becomes saturated.

At Bronco, we specialise in helping brands adapt to the ever-changing world of digital marketing. Our GEO strategy is designed to complement your SEO strategy, content creation, and wider marketing strategy ensuring your brand maintains visibility both in traditional search engine optimisation and in the age of generative AI search engines.

We’ll work with you to:

Analyse your website content and brand mentions.
Identify opportunities for AI visibility and schema markup.
Create a tailored GEO strategy that fits your marketing goals.
Improve your brand authority so AI-driven platforms see you as a trusted source.

Get in touch with Bronco now to get started on your Generative Engine Optimisation strategy.

The future of search is here, and it’s powered by generative models. Make sure your brand is part of it.