What is generative engine optimization (GEO) and how you can evolve your content strategy to master it

One of the best things about working in the content creation world is you’re never bored—there’s always a new trend, a new tool to test, and new ideas to pin down. That has never been more true than it is right now.

As content creators, we are constantly thinking about how we can strategically produce blogs, videos, infographics, and other assets that create more brand visibility on search engines and other channels. But with the introduction of generative engine optimization (GEO), our playbooks have been flipped on their heads.

If you’re wondering what generative AI means for you and your team, just know, you’re not alone. All content creators are hustling to uncover how to adapt their content strategy and workflows to master this new frontier.

And because at Frase we are absolutely obsessed with helping your brand be discovered everywhere (from generative AI platforms, to search engines and beyond), we’ve put together this comprehensive look at everything you need to know about GEO, complete with actionable ideas for how you can adapt your existing content process.

It goes without saying: AI-powered search is taking over. Even the simplest queries are now answered by generative results from platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. In fact, ChatGPT has over 180.5 million monthly active users, while Perplexity AI’s search volume has surged by 858% in the past year and it now has around 10 million active monthly users.

To stay competitive, content creators (like us) need to understand how to optimize for both search engines to generative AI platforms—and that starts with understanding the differences between SEO, AEO, and GEO. Here’s a quick acronym dictionary for you:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) focuses on optimizing content to rank well on traditional search engines like Google. By targeting the right keywords, structuring content strategically, and implementing strong metadata (titles, headers, descriptions), SEO drives organic traffic through search result visibility.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) takes it one step further. Rather than just ranking, AEO is about being the answer. By directly addressing common user questions—think “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why”—in clear, structured formats like bullet points or FAQs, your content is more likely to be quoted in search engine featured snippets or answer boxes.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the evolution of both to meet the requirements of generative AI. It ensures your content is not only searchable but also discoverable and referenced within AI-generated responses. GEO makes your content part of the conversation—literally—within tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Bing Copilot, and other AI interfaces and Google AI overviews that are becoming the front door to the internet.

To sum up this evolution, digital marketing used to be about search results and keyword dominance. But now, it’s about being AI-readable. Consumers increasingly turn to generative AI tools for answers instead of scrolling through ten blue links. This shift means your content must not only be well-optimized but also structured and authoritative enough to be referenced by generative engines.

Generative AI has already become a peoples’ daily lives, making GEO a must-have strategy—and that will only continue to intensify. But don’t just take it from us. Gartner predicts a significant drop in traditional search volume by 25% by 2026, with organic search traffic expected to decrease by over 50% as consumers embrace AI-powered search.

This isn’t a trend—it’s the future. Marketers must be agile, forward-thinking, and ready to create content that AI recognizes as trustworthy, helpful, and worth surfacing. Those who adapt early will enjoy stronger brand visibility and deeper user engagement.

A successful GEO strategy hinges on three key principles:

1. Authoritative content: Build trust by demonstrating deep knowledge and citing credible sources. A recent research study by Princeton found that GEO methods like the inclusion of citations, quotations from relevant sources, and statistics notably boosted source visibility by over 40% across various queries.
2. Clear structure: Use headers, subheads, and list formats to make your content easy to scan and digest.

Pro-tip: Frase can be especially helpful here! We help you to build outlines with clear headings and question blocks designed with your target keyword in mind in just minutes. Check it out below:

3. AI literacy: Understand how generative engines work so you can tailor your content accordingly.

Use AI tools (like ChatGPT or Claude) during your research phase to uncover recurring patterns in AI answers, common phrasing, and keyword clusters. This will help you reverse-engineer what LLMs prioritize and ensure your content is aligned.

Before diving into GEO, take stock of where you stand. A readiness audit should assess:

• Your current content structure and metadata
• Your ability to provide authoritative, original insights
• Your use of clear, query-based formatting
• Any technical limitations (e.g., CMS restrictions, outdated web infrastructure)

This helps identify opportunities to align your team, tools, and content creation processes with the demands of generative AI visibility.

To succeed with generative AI search, content must meet high standards of credibility and clarity. That means:

• Prioritizing the EEAT principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
• Citing first-party data, expert sources, or real-world experience
• Maintaining a natural, human tone—even when writing for machines

Avoid keyword stuffing as you want your content to sound natural and conversational. Focus instead on rich, meaningful language and well-structured information. This balance keeps content both reader-friendly and AI-recognizable.

Readability is critical. AI and human readers both prefer:

• Concise paragraphs
• Simple sentence structures
• Informative subheadings
• Strategic use of visuals (charts, screenshots, infographics)

Be sure to avoid:

• Jargon
• Over-crowded sentences
• Filler and fluff

Use tools like Hemingway, Grammarly, or even AI eye-tracking simulators to test how digestible your content is. And make updating a habit—fresh, relevant content is more likely to be indexed and surfaced by generative engines.

To truly optimize for GEO, you’ll need to rethink your content production process. Here’s how to start:

Use AI tools to research trending topics, keyword clusters, and common user questions. This can shape your editorial calendar around what audiences—and generative engines—are most likely to find useful.

Structure content like an answer engine would. Begin your outline with direct answers to likely search queries, followed by supporting details, examples, and visual elements. This helps AI search models extract key points quickly.

Plan every article with repurposing in mind. GEO-optimized content should also be broken into carousels, snippets, videos, or infographics—formats that generative engines and platforms like Gemini increasingly favor.

Establish internal brand voice and style guides, reusable templates, and content taxonomies that standardize formatting across your website and ensure content quality. Consistency helps both humans and machines recognize your content as reliable.

Accuracy and authority matter more than ever. Assign team members (or AI tools) to validate claims, ensure citations are up to date, and double-check EEAT compliance.

Enhance how your content is understood by both AI and traditional search engines by using structured data. Add schema for articles, FAQs, authorship, and reviews where relevant.

Use AI tools to track performance: which content is being surfaced in AI overviews, how users are interacting with generative results, and what patterns are emerging. Use those insights to continuously refine your content.

GEO helps ensure your brand’s voice is included in AI conversations—before users ever click a link.

By creating content that’s accessible and useful, you’ll hold attention longer and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Early GEO adopters are positioning themselves ahead of the curve in an AI-first digital future.

More AI visibility = more impressions, higher trust, and new sources of inbound traffic from platforms that traditional SEO can’t reach alone.

GEO is still an emerging tactic, and its rules are evolving fast. Be prepared for a dynamic environment:

• AI platforms may change how they attribute or surface content.
• Standards for authority and trust will continue to tighten.
• Integrating GEO with SEO and AEO requires ongoing refinement.

Still, GEO isn’t about replacing existing strategies (after all, traditional search engines are not going away). It’s about enhancing them for the next generation of search. Your content workflow will need to integrate new strategies with your existing ones, allowing you to own traditional search results with your old-faithful search engine best practices, be known as the brand with the answers your AEO tactics, and build your authority with AI search engines. This way, your brand will become a triple threat!

Generative Engine Optimization is more than a buzzword—it’s a new way of thinking about search visibility.

As AI search becomes the default interface for discovering information, your content must evolve to meet it there. By building high-quality, structured, and authoritative content that’s designed for both humans and machines, you’ll not only increase visibility—you’ll shape the future of your digital brand.