What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

As AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity shape the future of search, a new term has emerged: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Similar to traditional SEO but focused on AI-driven results, GEO is the practice of optimizing your content to appear in AI summaries, answer boxes, and conversational search engines.
While the rules are still evolving, the fundamentals of great SEO—structured content, clear topics, and useful schema—remain essential.

Why GEO Matters in the Age of AI Search

Tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini are now influencing what users see when they search. While Google still holds around 90% of search market share, AI-integrated platforms are changing user behavior—ChatGPT alone holds about 1% and is growing.

That shift is changing the way users find answers. Instead of browsing ten links, they might get a single AI-generated summary. Appearing in those summaries means earning greater visibility, trust, and perceived authority—especially for informational and top-of-funnel queries.

Where GEO Applies: Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on how your content appears in AI-generated results across today’s emerging platforms. Your content could surface in:

• AI Overview snippets on Google (Gemini): Gemini powers Google’s AI-generated summaries at the top of select search results. It pulls information from multiple sources to answer a user’s question directly—sometimes without them needing to click through. Well-structured, informative content has a higher chance of being featured as a source.
• ChatGPT’s web-augmented results: When browsing is enabled (via ChatGPT Plus), ChatGPT accesses real-time web content through Bing. It may summarize helpful resources and occasionally provide direct links. Content with clear structure, semantic clarity, and user-focused language is more likely to be referenced.
• Perplexity’s AI-generated source citations: Perplexity functions as a conversational search engine and always includes citations with its responses. It often highlights content from niche websites and in-depth articles that clearly answer long-tail questions.

Ranking in generative search results isn’t driven by backlinks alone—it’s driven by how clearly and effectively your content answers questions. Platforms like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are looking for content that’s relevant, easy to interpret, and trustworthy.

To earn visibility in these AI-generated responses, your content should:

• Directly answer common and specific user questions
• Use clear, well-structured headings (H1, H2, H3) to organize information
• Incorporate natural language that mimics how people ask questions
• Include supporting context, examples, or subtopics that expand understanding
• Be easy for both users and machines to parse, which is where schema comes in

AI models don’t just match keywords—they interpret context and structure. The more clearly you convey expertise and match search intent, the more likely your content is to be surfaced in AI-generated results.

Real Example: GEO in Action

One Explore Digital client, a local periodontal specialist, published detailed content on a rare condition: juvenile periodontitis. The blog was picked up by Google’s AI Overview (Gemini), generating national visibility.

While that traffic didn’t always convert, since users were often outside the local area, the authority boost helped improve rankings for commercial local terms like “periodontist San Diego.”

The takeaway? Informational content can build topical authority that lifts your visibility across both AI and traditional search.

How to Optimize for Generative Engines (GEO)

While the GEO playbook is still being written, here’s what we’re seeing work right now:

1. Structure Content with Clear H1s, H2s, and Subheadings

AI tools scan for well-organized content. Use headers to define the purpose of your page, and make each section easy to digest.

2. Add FAQs to Key Pages

FAQ sections help your site match long-tail queries that users ask AI tools. For example:

• “What are the symptoms of juvenile periodontitis?”
• “How do I treat gum disease in kids?”

Add these to service pages and blogs, and implement FAQ schema to support AI understanding and potential snippet inclusion.

3. Use Schema Markup to Clarify Context

Schema helps AI understand who you are, what the page is about, and why your content matters. Especially important for local businesses, schema types include:

• LocalBusiness
• Dentist / Doctor / Service
• FAQPage
• Article

Tools like ChatGPT or plugins like RankMath or Schema Pro can speed up implementation.

Bing Webmaster Tools & GEO Visibility

While Google dominates traditional search, Bing plays an outsized role in AI-generated responses, particularly through its integration with ChatGPT. When users ask ChatGPT a question with web browsing enabled, the data it pulls is sourced through Bing’s index, not Google’s.

Why this matters for GEO:

• ChatGPT references Bing’s content index: If your site isn’t indexed in Bing, ChatGPT is far less likely to surface your content in responses.
• Bing Webmaster Tools is underutilized: Most brands submit their site to Google Search Console but skip Bing entirely, missing a low-competition opportunity.
• Indexing speed and coverage: Bing can index and surface niche, long-tail content quickly, making it great for GEO targeting.
• GEO leverage for ChatGPT citations: We’ve seen well-structured blogs with Bing-optimized titles and schema show up in ChatGPT’s sourced responses, even if they rank lower on Google.

Steps you should take now:

1. Create and verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools.
2. Submit your sitemap and check for crawl issues.
3. Review URL indexing status and use the SEO Reports feature to identify improvements.
4. Use the URL Inspection Tool to see how Bing interprets your pages (similar to Google’s version).

Bing may not drive the bulk of traffic today, but its connection to AI platforms makes it essential infrastructure for GEO visibility.

SEO Fundamentals Still Win in GEO

The AI shift hasn’t made SEO obsolete. In fact, it’s made these basics more important than ever:

• Page clarity: H1s and H2s that reinforce the topic
• Meta titles & descriptions: Still critical for user click-throughs and context
• Topic relevance: AI rewards content that is well-aligned with searcher intent
• Schema markup: Helps machines interpret your page faster and more accurately
• Authoritative content: Even niche blog posts build sitewide credibility

If you’ve invested in content structure and on-page clarity, you already have a head start. GEO builds directly on SEO’s best practices.

Final Thought: GEO Is the Next Evolution—Not a Replacement

Generative Engine Optimization isn’t separate from SEO—it’s the next evolution. As search engines become AI-driven, optimizing for AI-generated results will be critical to gaining visibility, authority, and relevance.

At Explore Digital, we help brands stay ahead of these changes—whether it’s ranking on Google or showing up in the next AI answer. Want to learn how GEO fits into your strategy? Let’s talk.