The digital visibility landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. If you manage a website, you’ve probably noticed that Google is no longer the only player that matters. ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other conversational AI tools are radically changing how users access information.
But be careful: I won’t tell you that “SEO is dead” or that you need to “reinvent everything.” That would be false and counterproductive. The reality is more nuanced and, frankly, much more interesting.
According to an Ahrefs study, over 12.8% of Google’s search volume now triggers AI Overviews. Platforms like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity are gaining millions of new users every month. This evolution isn’t a passing trend—it’s a structural transformation in how we access information.
What you’ll discover in this article:
- How AI-powered answer engines actually select their sources
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) strategies that work, based on verified academic research
- How to adapt your content without abandoning your SEO fundamentals
- Concrete techniques to improve your visibility in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity
- Critical mistakes you absolutely must avoid
Understanding GEO: Beyond the Marketing Buzzword
Before diving into techniques, let’s take time to truly understand what GEO is. Too many articles sell you dreams without scientific foundation. Here, we’ll rely on verified academic research and real data. You’ll discover where this concept originated, how it was scientifically validated, and why it doesn’t replace SEO but intelligently complements it.
What Exactly Is GEO?
The term “Generative Engine Optimization” was introduced in November 2023 by a research team from Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford in an academic paper. Their research, based on analyzing thousands of queries and web sources, demonstrated that certain optimizations can increase visibility in AI responses by up to 40%.
Contrary to what some claim, GEO doesn’t replace SEO. Data shows that nearly 50% of sources cited in Google’s AI Overviews also appear in the top 10 traditional search results. In other words: good SEO remains the foundation of GEO.
The difference? GEO adapts your content so it’s not only found but also extracted, synthesized, and cited by language models.
How AI Systems Choose Their Sources (Really)
Let’s be frank: much GEO content is speculative. Here’s what we actually know, based on public information from companies and academic research:
ChatGPT Search (launched October 2024):
- Uses a GPT-4o model specifically fine-tuned for search
- Relies on partnerships with premium publishers (Reuters, The Atlantic, Le Monde, Financial Times)
- Also integrates Bing as a secondary search engine
- Systematically cites its sources with clickable links
Claude (the assistant you’re currently using):
- Has integrated web search capabilities
- Prioritizes original and authoritative sources
- Applies strict criteria for truthfulness and reliability
Perplexity:
- Functions as a native answer engine
- Emphasizes fresh and dated citations
- Displays sources very transparently
A crucial point many overlook: these tools cannot access content behind paywalls or requiring authentication. Your content must be publicly accessible to be indexed.
The Technical Fundamentals: What Actually Works
Let’s get concrete. This section gives you the essential technical foundations so AI systems can crawl, understand, and cite your content. We’re not talking about miracle “hacks,” but solid fundamentals that have proven themselves. If your technical setup isn’t right, all your other efforts will be in vain. Focus on these three pillars first before going further.
1. HTML Structure and Semantics
AI systems analyze your content differently than traditional search engines. They try to understand the semantic structure of your information.
The essential elements:
A clear hierarchy of headings (unique H1, then H2, H3) allows AI systems to quickly map your content. Think of your headings as a table of contents: they should be descriptive and informative, not cryptic or overly creative.
Semantic HTML5 tags (<article>, <section>, <aside>, <nav>) help AI systems distinguish main content from secondary elements. This is particularly important because language models have token limits—they naturally prioritize content marked as “main.”
A concrete example:
Instead of writing:
html
<div class="content">
<div class="title">5 tips for...</div>
<div class="text">...</div>
</div>Prefer:
html
<article>
<header>
<h1>5 Practical Tips to Reduce Your Energy Consumption</h1>
</header>
<section>
<h2>1. Optimize Your Home's Insulation</h2>
<p>...</p>
</section>
</article>2. Schema.org: The Invisible But Critical Infrastructure
Schema.org markup isn’t new, but its importance for GEO is often underestimated. AI models use this structured data to quickly understand your content’s type and context.
Priority schemas for 2025:
FAQPage: Ideal for structuring questions and answers. AI systems love this format because it naturally matches their conversational operating mode.
Article: Essential for all editorial content. Include author, publication date, modification date, and an image.
HowTo: Perfect for tutorials and practical guides. Structure your steps so AI systems can easily extract them.
Review: Strengthens your credibility with verifiable reviews. AI systems prefer content with social proof.
LocalBusiness: Indispensable for local SEO. Even conversational AI systems use this data to respond to geographically localized queries.
3. Technical Performance: The Neglected Foundation
A slow site isn’t efficiently crawled by AI indexing robots. Worse, some AI systems have loading time limits—if your page takes too long to load, it might be ignored.
Points of attention:
- Loading speed < 2 seconds on mobile
- HTTPS mandatory (security is a reliability criterion)
- No robots.txt blocking AI crawlers (OAI-SearchBot for OpenAI, etc.)
- Perfect responsive design on all devices
Use PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse regularly. These free Google tools give you precise recommendations.
Creating Content Optimized for AI Extraction
Now that your technical infrastructure is solid, let’s talk content. This is where most sites excel or fail. AI systems aren’t looking for artificially “AI-optimized” content—they’re looking for genuinely useful, well-structured, and easily understandable content. In this section, you’ll learn to create content that humans love to read AND AI systems love to cite. The two aren’t mutually exclusive; quite the opposite.
The Art of the Direct Answer
Here’s where many businesses fail: they continue creating content designed for “engagement time” and clicks, not to actually answer questions.
Conversational AI systems reward a different approach:
Start by directly answering the question. If someone searches for “how to reduce electricity bill,” give them the answer in the first paragraph, then develop further. This inverted structure may seem counterintuitive for traditional SEO, but it’s optimal for GEO.
Use clear definitions. When you introduce a technical term, define it immediately. AI systems prefer content that doesn’t require external context to be understood.
Structure your information into autonomous units. Each section of your article should be understandable independently. Why? Because AI systems often extract content fragments, not entire articles.
The Winning Formats (With Nuance)
I’ve read many articles claiming lists and tables are “magic” for GEO. The reality is more subtle.
Lists work when:
- You’re enumerating options, steps, or criteria
- Each point is substantial (not just “Optimize your site” without explanation)
- The order makes sense (chronological, by priority, etc.)
Tables are relevant for:
- Product, service, or solution comparisons
- Numerical data and statistics
- Multi-criteria summaries
But beware: Don’t transform a natural article into a list catalog just “for AI systems.” User experience still matters, and AI models are becoming increasingly sophisticated at detecting artificially structured content.
FAQ: The Underestimated Format
FAQ sections are probably the most effective format for GEO. Why? Because they exactly match the question-answer mode of conversational AI systems.
How to create an optimized FAQ:
- Use real questions your users ask (check Google Search Console, your support chats, your social media)
- Answer concisely but completely: 2-4 paragraphs per question is ideal
- Implement the FAQPage schema for better indexing
- Create links between your FAQs and your detailed articles for deeper exploration
An example of a good FAQ question: “What does thermal insulation for a 100m² house really cost?” is better than “Is insulation important?”
Unique Content: More Important Than Ever
AI systems have been trained on a massive amount of web content. Result: they can detect (and often ignore) generic or duplicated content.
What makes content unique?
- Original data: Your own research, case studies, statistics
- Concrete examples: Real situations, quantified results, names (with consent)
- Expert perspective: Your analysis, not just a summary of what exists
- Regular updates: Fresh content is prioritized
If you publish an article on “marketing trends 2025,” it must offer something the 10,000 other articles on this topic don’t have. Why else would an AI cite you instead of a more established source?
Building Authority Recognized by AI
Let’s talk about a delicate subject: using AI to create content optimized for… AI. That seems like a vicious circle, doesn’t it? In reality, when done right, tools like ChatGPT and Claude can become your best assistants. The key? Understanding what they do well, what they do poorly, and where humans remain absolutely irreplaceable. Here’s my exact workflow after two years of experimentation.
E-E-A-T: Demystifying an Essential Concept
E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness. This is the framework Google has used to evaluate content quality since 2014 (originally E-A-T, Experience was added in 2022).
Contrary to popular belief, E-E-A-T isn’t a direct “ranking factor.” It’s a set of criteria Google (and now AI systems) use to assess a source’s reliability.
In the context of GEO, E-E-A-T becomes even more crucial because AI systems must justify their responses and can’t afford to cite dubious sources.
How to Demonstrate Your E-E-A-T
Experience:
First-hand experience is now valued. If you write about a topic, do you have direct experience?
- For an article on accounting software: “I tested 15 accounting solutions for my consulting firm over 18 months”
- For a travel guide: “During my 3-week stay in Japan in 2024…”
- For nutrition advice: Photos, case studies, concrete results
Expertise:
Demonstrate your qualifications and in-depth knowledge.
- Clearly identify the author with complete bio
- List certifications, degrees, relevant years of experience
- Include links to your publications, speaking engagements, projects
- Use appropriate technical vocabulary (but explainable)
Authoritativeness:
Authority builds over time and is measured notably through:
- Mentions in recognized media
- Backlinks from authoritative sites in your sector
- Your presence on LinkedIn with active profile and recommendations
- Your appearances at conferences, podcasts, webinars
- Your publications in specialized or academic media
Trustworthiness:
Trustworthiness has become the most important element of E-E-A-T in 2025.
- HTTPS mandatory
- Clear and verifiable contact information
- Up-to-date privacy policy and legal notices
- Sources cited for all factual claims
- Transparent corrections of errors
- Verifiable customer reviews (Google, Yelp, Trustpilot)
External Authority Signals
AI systems don’t just read your website. They verify your online reputation.
Trusted platforms to invest in:
Wikipedia: If your company or you yourself are notable, a properly sourced Wikipedia page is a major authority signal. Never pay to create a Wikipedia page—it must happen organically and be justified.
LinkedIn: An active personal profile with regular publications and interactions strengthens your credibility as an expert.
Specialized media: Being cited in TechCrunch, Forbes, Wired, or B2B publications in your sector counts enormously.
Customer reviews: Google Business Profile, Yelp, Trustpilot—authentic reviews in large numbers.
Professional directories: Depending on your sector, certain specialized directories are credibility signals.
Measuring Your Visibility in AI Search Engines
Let’s be honest: no one knows exactly what the conversational AI landscape will look like in 2 years. But we can make intelligent projections based on current trends and major company announcements. This section helps you anticipate what’s coming so you’re not caught off guard. And most importantly, I’ll tell you what, in my opinion, will never change—these are the constants you should invest in as a priority.
The Measurement Challenge
Here’s the problem: there’s no “Google Search Console for ChatGPT” yet. Traditional analytics tools don’t capture visibility in AI-generated responses.
Several companies are developing solutions (getSAO, Cognizo AI, Otterly AI, Am I On AI), but the ecosystem is still young and these tools have limitations.
Practical Tracking Methods
1. Systematic Manual Testing
Create a list of 20-30 key queries you want to be cited for:
- Transactional queries (“best CRM software 2025”)
- Informational queries (“how to choose a CRM”)
- Comparison queries (“HubSpot vs Salesforce”)
Test these queries monthly on:
- ChatGPT Search
- Perplexity
- Google AI Overviews
- Claude (when applicable)
Note:
- Are you cited?
- In what context?
- What position?
- With what description?
2. Mention Alerts
Use tools like:
- Mention.com
- Brand24
- Google Alerts
Set up alerts for your brand, your products, your experts’ names. You’ll be notified when you’re mentioned online, which sometimes includes articles picked up by AI systems.
3. Server Log Analysis
AI crawlers leave traces in your server logs:
- OAI-SearchBot (OpenAI)
- ClaudeBot (Anthropic)
- PerplexityBot
- GoogleBot-AI
Analyze which pages are crawled, how often, and correlation with your citations.
4. Custom Dashboard
Create a Google Sheet or Notion with:
- Test date
- Platform tested
- Query
- Citation (yes/no)
- Position
- Cited URL
- Cited excerpt
- Comments
This manual approach may seem tedious, but it will give you valuable insights into what works.
Competitive Benchmarking
Don’t just measure yourself. Regularly test how your competitors appear in AI systems:
- Which competitors are cited most often?
- For what types of queries?
- What’s their angle of approach?
- What content formats do they use?
Adapting Your Strategy to Each Platform
Many articles will tell you that each AI has “completely different requirements.” Let me tell you the truth: the differences are less pronounced than agencies want you to believe. That said, there are some observable nuances worth noting. In this section, we’ll separate facts from assumptions, and I’ll give you a pragmatic approach to avoid unnecessarily spreading yourself thin.
The Real Differences Between Platforms
Much has been written claiming each AI has “specific requirements.” The truth? Differences are less marked than what agencies want you to believe.
What’s common to all platforms:
- Prefer authoritative sources
- Value structured and clear content
- Cite original sources rather than aggregators
- Prefer fresh and dated information
- Avoid duplicated or spun content
Some observed nuances:
ChatGPT Search:
- Strong bias toward its publishing partners
- Excellent performance on news queries
- Tendency to mix multiple sources in one answer
- Very visible citations with clickable links
Perplexity:
- Emphasizes source freshness
- Extremely transparent and numerous citations
- Good balance between mainstream and specialized sources
- Very structured response format with bullet points
Google AI Overviews:
- Naturally favors sites already well-positioned in SEO
- Integrates visual elements (images, videos)
- Prefers source diversity
- More compact display than others
Claude (me):
- Emphasis on reliability and truthfulness
- Active search for original sources
- Tendency to synthesize rather than quote verbatim
- Preference for academic and institutional sources
Pragmatic Multi-Platform Approach
Rather than creating platform-specific content (which would be unmanageable), adopt a layered approach:
Layer 1 – Fundamentals (for all platforms):
- Quality content, well-structured, original
- Solid E-E-A-T
- Flawless technical setup
- Verifiable citations and sources
Layer 2 – Targeted Optimizations:
- For news: Focus on Perplexity and ChatGPT Search
- For long guides: Claude-friendly optimization with depth
- For local: Google AI Overviews and Business Profile
- For B2B: LinkedIn + long-form content
Critical Mistakes to Avoid
Now that we’ve seen what to do, let’s talk about the traps 90% of sites fall into when trying to optimize for AI systems. These mistakes can nullify all your efforts and even harm your traditional SEO. I’ve made some of these mistakes myself, I’ve seen clients make them, and I’ve analyzed dozens of sites that repeat them over and over. Learn from our mistakes to avoid losing months.
1. Neglecting Traditional SEO
The biggest mistake would be abandoning your SEO efforts to focus only on GEO. Remember: about 50% of sources in AI Overviews are part of Google’s top 10.
Continue to:
- Do keyword research
- Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions
- Build quality backlinks
- Improve your Core Web Vitals
- Publish regularly
2. Blocking AI Crawlers
Some sites block AI crawlers out of fear or misunderstanding. This is a strategic mistake.
Check your robots.txt:
# TO AVOID (unless you have a good reason)
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /If you block these crawlers, you’ll never appear in AI responses.
Exception: You may want to block certain sensitive areas (admin, customer area, etc.)
3. Duplication and Weak Content
AI systems detect duplication much more effectively than traditional search engines. They’ve been trained on billions of documents and can instantly spot recycled content.
Absolutely avoid:
- Copy-pasting technical documentation without transformation
- Spinning articles (automatic rewriting)
- AI-generated articles without substantial human review
- Content too short that brings nothing new
4. Ignoring User Context
Conversational AI systems maintain a conversation context. Your content must be autonomously understandable but also fit into a larger conversation.
Concretely:
- Define acronyms the first time
- Provide context without assuming the reader has read other pages
- Create internal links for deeper exploration
- Avoid vague references (“as we saw previously”)
5. Neglecting Updates
Static content quickly loses relevance for AI systems. Models naturally prefer current and updated information.
Recommended update process:
- Quarterly review of your most important articles
- Addition of recent statistics
- Update of modification date
- Explicit mention of updates (“Updated in October 2025 with…”)
6. Over-Optimization
There is such a thing as being “too optimized.” If your content looks like a catalog of SEO best practices without real value, AI systems (and humans) will detect it.
Signs of over-optimization:
- Excessive keyword repetition
- Too many tables and lists at the expense of narrative
- Rigid and repetitive structures
- Absence of human tone and opinion
- Excessive or inappropriate schema markup
Using AI to Improve Your SEO
Let’s talk about a delicate subject: using AI to create content optimized for… AI. That seems like a vicious circle, doesn’t it? In reality, when done right, tools like ChatGPT and Claude can become your best assistants. The key? Understanding what they do well, what they do poorly, and where humans remain absolutely irreplaceable. Here’s my exact workflow after two years of experimentation.
AI as Assistant, Not as Writer
I’ll be direct: using ChatGPT or Claude to generate content published as-is is a bad idea. AI systems can hallucinate facts, lack nuance, and produce generic content.
How to use AI effectively:
Research and brainstorming:
- Generating article ideas
- Exploring sub-topics
- Suggestions for titles and angles
- Related keyword research
Structure and organization:
- Creating detailed outlines
- Organizing complex information
- Structuring FAQs
- Generating schema markup
Optimization:
- Readability analysis
- Structure improvement suggestions
- Consistency checking
- Identifying content gaps
Revision and improvement:
- Grammar and style correction
- Simplifying complex sentences
- Metadata suggestions
- Title optimization
The Optimal Hybrid Workflow
- Human research: Identify the topic, angle, primary sources
- AI for outline: Ask AI to structure the content
- Human writing: Write the content with your expertise and voice
- AI for optimization: Use AI to suggest improvements
- Final human review: Verify every fact, add your personal touch
Effective Prompts for SEO/GEO
Example of a good prompt:
"Analyze this article outline on [topic]. Identify:
1. Missing frequent questions users might have
2. Structuring opportunities to improve AI extraction
3. Sections needing more depth
4. Opportunities to add concrete examples
Article intended for: [audience]
Goal: [objective]
"Bad prompt:
"Write an SEO article on [topic]"Practical Cases and Case Studies
Theory is good, but you want to see concrete results, right? In this section, I share three real case studies (anonymized to protect clients) with verifiable numbers and realistic timelines. No “miracle in 30 days,” but solid and measurable improvements over 3 to 6 months. These examples cover three different sectors so you can project yourself regardless of your field.
Case Study 1: B2B SaaS Site
Context: A CRM company with good traditional SEO (domain authority 65, 50k organic visitors/month) but absent from AI responses.
Actions taken:
- Complete E-E-A-T audit with addition of expert bios
- Creation of a “Research” section with original case studies
- Restructuring of product pages with detailed schema
- Weekly publication of market analysis articles
- Obtaining mentions in TechCrunch and VentureBeat
Results after 6 months:
- Presence in 35% of tested queries on ChatGPT (vs. 0% initially)
- 40% visibility in Perplexity on comparison queries
- 25% increase in overall organic traffic
- Significant improvement in backlinks (media citing the research)
Key lesson: Original research content is a major accelerator.
Case Study 2: Health & Nutrition Blog
Context: Blog with quality content but lacking E-E-A-T credibility.
Identified problems:
- Articles without identified author
- No citations of medical sources
- No review by professionals
- Minimal schema markup
Actions taken:
- Systematic addition of authors (certified nutritionists)
- Detailed bios with certifications
- PubMed study citations for every claim
- Review of all articles by a physician (explicitly mentioned)
- Addition of MedicalWebPage schema
Results:
- From 0 to 60% presence in Google AI Overviews on YMYL queries (Your Money Your Life)
- Improvement in traditional Google ranking
- 15% reduction in bounce rate
Key lesson: For YMYL topics, E-E-A-T is not optional.
Case Study 3: Local E-commerce Site
Context: Local eco-friendly products store with good reputation but low online visibility.
Actions taken:
- Complete optimization of Google Business Profile
- Creation of detailed buying guides with Product + Review schema
- Systematic customer review program (Google, Yelp)
- Blog with practical tips geolocalized
- Partnerships with local environmental blogs
Results:
- Appearance in 70% of local queries on ChatGPT Search
- 40% increase in store visits attributed to search
- Improvement in online conversion
Key lesson: Local remains a favorable segment for small businesses.
Perspectives and Future Evolution
Let’s be honest: no one knows exactly what the conversational AI landscape will look like in 2 years. But we can make intelligent projections based on current trends and major company announcements. This section helps you anticipate what’s coming so you’re not caught off guard. And most importantly, I’ll tell you what, in my opinion, will never change—these are the constants you should invest in as a priority.
What Will Probably Change
In 6-12 months:
- Emergence of more sophisticated GEO measurement tools
- Standardization of GEO best practices
- Ability to “submit” content to AI systems (like Search Console)
- GEO integration into existing SEO tools (SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc.)
In 1-2 years:
- Monetization of visibility in AI responses (advertising, sponsorship)
- Regulations on content use by AI systems
- Evolution toward “AI agents” that act for users
- Increased personalization of responses based on history
What Won’t Change
Some fundamentals will remain constant:
Quality always comes first. Mediocre content will never rank well, whether by Google or ChatGPT.
Real expertise counts. You can’t cheat with your credibility long-term.
Technical matters remain important. A poorly structured or slow site will always be disadvantaged.
Originality is irreplaceable. Unique and new content will always have more value than recycling.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach
If you only remember 5 things from this article:
1. GEO complements SEO, it doesn’t replace it. Continue your traditional SEO efforts while optimizing for AI systems.
2. Credibility (E-E-A-T) is your best investment. Building your authority benefits both SEO and GEO.
3. Structure and clarity are essential. AI systems prefer content that’s easy to extract and understand.
4. Original content is your differentiator. If you bring nothing new, you won’t have visibility.
5. Measure, test, iterate. GEO is still young. Experimentation is your best weapon.
The SEO landscape is evolving, that’s certain. But this evolution isn’t a brutal revolution. It’s a gradual transition to a web where quality, authority, and relevance matter more than ever.
The brands that will succeed are those that stay focused on the essentials: creating genuinely useful content, building a solid reputation, and intelligently adapting to new technologies without losing sight of the human experience.
Resources and Sources
Cited Academic Studies
- Aggarwal, P., et al. (2023). “GEO: Generative Engine Optimization” – Princeton University, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford
- Research available at arXiv.org/abs/2311.09735
Official Documentation
- OpenAI – ChatGPT Search Documentation
- Google – Search Quality Rater Guidelines
- Google – E-E-A-T Guidelines
- Schema.org – Structured Data Documentation
Recommended Tools
Traditional SEO:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics 4
- Ahrefs / SEMrush
- PageSpeed Insights
GEO / AI Visibility:
- Manual tests on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude
- getSAO (GEO measurement tool)
- Am I On AI
- Mention.com (citation alerts)
Technical:
- Screaming Frog (technical audit)
- Schema Markup Validator
- GTmetrix (performance)
Going Further
Monitoring:
- Search Engine Land
- Moz Blog
- Anthropic Blog (Claude)
- OpenAI Blog
Communities:
- Reddit r/SEO
- GEO Conference (annual events)
- LinkedIn SEO/Content Marketing groups
About the Author: This article was written by a digital strategy and SEO expert with 10+ years of experience in web content optimization. The analysis is based on verified academic research, practical tests, and real case studies.
Last Updated: October 31, 2025
Important Note: The GEO field is evolving rapidly. Some information in this article may become outdated. Always check the official sources of platforms for the most current information.
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