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Generative engine optimization (GEO): Being seen in the age of AI answers

  • miguel9068
  • Jun 3
  • 3 min read

Updated: 18 hours ago

Search is changing. Again. But this time, it’s not just a tweak to Google’s algorithm, it’s a full rewrite of the rules.


For 20 years, SEO has been the go-to move to get noticed: rank high, get clicks. But in 2025, things look different.


Users are asking ChatGPT instead of Googling. Search engines are baking AI into their results. And suddenly, it’s not about who ranks first, it’s about who the AI mentions.


Welcome to the era of generative engine optimization (GEO).


What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?

GEO is the strategy of getting your brand or content mentioned inside AI-generated answers.


For us at BRACAI, that means showing up when someone asks ChatGPT, “Which AI consultancy can help an SME like mine?” (Answer: obviously BRACAI.)


Traditional SEO is about ranking pages with backlinks, keywords, and meta tags. GEO flips that. You’re optimizing for large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, which pull from training data, plugins, memory, and real-time sources.


To get included, your content needs to be:

  • Structured (think bullet points, summaries, FAQs)

  • Clear (no fluff, no jargon)

  • Valuable (good enough to be reused in the model’s response)


And here’s the twist: LLMs don’t link out unless they need to. Most run on subscriptions, not ads, so they have little incentive to send users away... unless your content adds real value.


But that may be changing.


OpenAI has hired top ad executives and begun testing “product recommendations” in ChatGPT. Some users say these feel like ads, though the company insists they aren’t sponsored. This article from AdGuard breaks it down: Microsoft, Google, and Perplexity are already mixing ads into their AI tools. ChatGPT could be next.


The strategic risk? If AI assistants become ad platforms, the cost of not showing up organically will rise fast. GEO is how you stay ahead.


So, how do you GEO?

Nobody really knows how LLMs decide what to show. We also don't try to make that claim. But we can share the best tips available so far.


A recent Claude prompt leak gives us a rare look inside that black box.


What did we learn?

Claude (and likely ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok) only uses real-time search when:

  1. The query doesn’t have a known answer

  2. It needs fresh or specific info

  3. The content is well-structured and quote-worthy


If your content isn’t adding net new value, it won’t get linked. If the answer is already “known,” it won’t get searched.


Your job isn’t just “optimize for visibility.” It’s optimize to be cited, summarized, or pulled into the answer.


Generative engine optimization tips

Here’s what actually matters (according to Claude’s leak, current LLM behavior, and reality):

  1. Be the gap: If the LLM knows the answer, you’re out. Focus on what it doesn’t know yet:

    1. New data

    2. Case studies

    3. Regional insights

    4. User reviews

    5. Tools (e.g. calculators, templates, price comparisons)

  2. Make it quote-worthy: Claude doesn't care about brand power. It cares about whether your sentence fits cleanly into the answer. So:

    1. Use short, punchy answers

    2. Make sections easily quotable (bullet points, short paragraphs)

    3. Start with the answer, then explain

  3. Structure like a machine would love it: Claude favors:

    1. Headings (H2s, H3s)

    2. FAQs

    3. Tables

    4. Numbered steps

    5. Clean formatting

    6. If it's hard to skim, it's hard to cite

  4. Distribute in public: LLMs can’t see gated PDFs or password-protected dashboards. Publish on crawlable, indexable, open sites:

    1. Medium

    2. LinkedIn

    3. Reddit

    4. Your blog (if optimized)

    5. Industry forums

Bonus: These platforms often become part of the LLM's training soup.


Bottom line? GEO isn't about ranking. It’s about relevance.


If your content isn’t:

  • Filling a knowledge gap

  • Structured for fast parsing

  • Clear and sourceable

…you won’t show up. Not in Claude, not in ChatGPT, not in Gemini.




Conclusion

The last two decades have been dominated by the question of how to rank on Google. Now, it is about getting mentioned by the AI tools.


GEO is young, the rules are evolving. You choose to see it as a threat or an opportunity.


Want help figuring out if you show up? Get in touch today.


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