AIGenerative SEO - Engine Optimization: The New Era of Search 2026

What Is Generative Engine Optimization?

Generative engine optimization involves tailoring content to be included in responses generated by AI-driven search engines like ChatGPT, Google, Perplexity, Claude, and others.

Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on search engine rankings, GEO aims to ensure your content is part of the answers provided by generative AI systems when users pose questions.

Here's an example to illustrate this.

When I inquired with Perplexity about the best VPN service provider, the chatbot gathered and synthesized information from various web sources to deliver a comprehensive response.

The main distinction is that your content isn't just vying for the top spot—it's competing to be incorporated into the answer itself.

Why Does GEO Matter?

AI-powered search is rapidly gaining popularity. 

ChatGPT reached 100 million users faster than any other app in history. Google's AI Overviews appear in billions of searches monthly. People are increasingly using AI assistants for tasks ranging from product recommendations to research assistance.

Much like effective salespeople, these AI assistants can influence purchasing decisions. If AI-generated responses mention your brand or product, you're immediately part of the consideration set. Without a mention, you might not even be noticed. 

Here are additional benefits of investing in GEO:

• You gain organic visibility without paying for advertisements

• You attract qualified traffic to your website

• Your brand receives continuous promotion

• Your brand's credibility increases within your industry

With all these advantages, you might assume GEO requires entirely new skills and strategies. But here's where it gets intriguing.

Generative Engine Optimization Strategies

The strategies that enhance your visibility in search rankings also help get you mentioned in AI-generated answers.

Traditional SEO focuses on creating high-quality content, ensuring its accessibility to search engines, and building backlinks.

What are the leading strategies for generative engine optimization to achieve AI visibility?

The top strategies for AI visibility include consistently publishing content related to your brand, making it easy to access and understand, and earning credible mentions online.

Consider this: AI assistants aim to provide users with helpful, accurate information, drawing from the same internet that hosts your SEO-driven content. The more your brand is associated with relevant topics, the more likely it is to be referenced in AI-generated answers.

This is promising for marketers: you don't need to abandon your SEO strategy to enhance your presence in AI engines. 

In fact, SEO and GEO complement each other. Separating them into distinct strategies might not be practical. 

As SEO expert Aleyda Solís notes, tools that merely show your brand's appearance in AI answers aren't sufficient on their own (as demonstrated by the closure of GEO startup Lorelight):

Instead, brands should focus on integrating AI-search insights into a comprehensive search strategy that includes SEO.

If you've been practicing effective SEO for years, you're already well on your way with GEO. The fundamentals remain largely unchanged.

How Do You Perform Generative Engine Optimization?

To execute generative engine optimization, consistently publish relevant content, ensure its accessibility to AI crawlers, and secure brand mentions from various sources. 

If you've been engaged in SEO, you don't need to start anew for GEO, as the fundamentals overlap significantly. 

Microsoft's official guidelines for generative search emphasize making catalogs machine-readable, structuring content to answer real questions, and establishing authority through credible sources and expertise signals. These principles also drive traditional SEO success.

Track your generative engine optimization efforts using tools like Semrush Enterprise AIO or Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit.

Semrush Enterprise AIO monitors your share of voice, brand mentions, and brand sentiment across AI search engines, helping you gauge your progress.

You can also track your AI rankings for specific prompts.

Additionally, see where your brand is mentioned online and whether the mentions are favorable.

Are there any tactics unique to GEO?

There may be emerging tactics specifically for AI systems, especially as we learn more about how they retrieve, interpret, and synthesize information. Research into GEO is still in its infancy.

Based on current insights, AI systems may behave differently in certain ways:

• Unlinked brand mentions may hold more significance. AI systems might give more weight to brand mentions even when they're not linked. This is notable because even casual mentions of your brand online could enhance your AI visibility.

• Content with quotes and statistics performs well in AI assistants. One study analyzed 10,000 real-world queries and found that pages with quotes and statistics had 30-40% higher visibility in AI responses compared to those without.

• Server-side rendering might be crucial for AI visibility. Currently, many AI crawlers struggle with executing JavaScript, so content relying heavily on client-side rendering might not be visible, thus not being included in AI-generated responses.

• Fresh content is likely favored by AI tools. AI tools aim to provide the most current information available.

• Wikipedia presence could potentially enhance your AI visibility. Since Wikipedia forms a significant portion of AI training data, having an accurate Wikipedia entry for your brand might increase the likelihood of being mentioned in AI responses. It's not guaranteed, but worth considering.

• UGC platforms appear to influence generative engine visibility. Platforms with user-generated content (UGC)—such as Reddit, YouTube, Facebook—seem to have high exposure in generative engines. Thus, brand presence on these platforms may become a key factor in GEO.

Much of what we "know" so far is based on educated guesses. We're still in the early stages of GEO, and there's much to learn.

A Mindset Shift for Marketers

To thrive in the AI landscape, adjust your mindset about SEO. Many established best practices remain relevant, but new research will undoubtedly shape our approach to GEO in the coming months.

For decades, marketers have optimized for clicks, rankings, and SERP features. However, generative engines differ—they provide direct answers. This could significantly alter how people discover and consume online content.

In this new era, visibility often means appearing within the answer itself. Therefore, you need to track how often AI pulls from your content as a source.

To monitor your AI visibility, try Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit. It helps you track your visibility in tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and others.

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