How To Do Generative Engine Optimization: Our 7 Step Strategy

Wondering how to do generative engine optimization effectively in 2025? You’re not alone. As AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity reshape how people find information, traditional SEO tactics are no longer enough.

The shift is clear: while Google still matters, millions of users now bypass traditional search results entirely, turning to AI for instant answers. This creates an urgent need for generative engine optimization.

This guide breaks down exactly how to make your content visible to these AI systems—without the fluff or complexity.

Let’s dive in.

What Are Generative Engines?

Generative engines are AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Grok that generate complete answers instead of just listing websites.

Unlike Google’s traditional blue links, these AI systems synthesize information from multiple sources to create conversational responses tailored to each query. Here’s an example:

Powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), these engines understand natural language and construct unique answers based on how questions are framed.

In fact, by 2026, the traditional search volume is expected to drop by 25%, with the market share mostly taken over by AI-based search engines and other virtual assistants. Users are migrating to these AI assistants that provide instant, conversation-style answers without requiring users to read through multiple websites.

This shift demands a new approach to visibility. Since AI-generated answers rarely display direct website links, businesses need generative engine optimization (GEO) to ensure their brands and content get mentioned as authoritative sources within these AI responses.

What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the strategic process of optimizing your content to be cited in AI-powered search responses. Unlike traditional SEO that focuses on ranking in search results pages, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) aims to get your content referenced when AI systems like ChatGPT or Perplexity answer user queries.

Since generative engines don’t display a simple list of links, the goal of GEO isn’t just about keywords or backlinks. It’s about making your content valuable, credible, and easily accessible to AI models. This involves structuring your content in a way that AI can understand and pull from, such as using clear, well-researched insights, concise explanations, and authoritative sources.

Entity-based optimization is critical for GEO success. AI systems identify entities (brands, people, concepts) and their relationships when generating answers. By establishing your brand as a trusted entity in your field, you increase citation frequency in AI responses.

The best GEO practices include implementing structured data, creating comprehensive FAQs, using clear headings, and providing unique, authoritative information that AI can confidently reference when answering related queries.

Core Principles of Generative Engine Optimization

Before we discuss the core principles of GEO, let’s clarify one thing: your content still needs to follow the usual SEO best practices. It should be optimized for target keywords, follow proper internal and external linking structures, and should generally be written to rank in traditional search engines.

That’s because most generative engines currently pick content from web pages that are top-ranking in traditional searches. Generative engine optimization isn’t an alternative to traditional SEO. Rather, it is a strategy that enhances the usual SEO results and increases the chance of your content ranking in AI-powered search engines.

Learn more about GEO vs SEO.

Remember: GEO complements traditional SEO rather than replacing it. Since generative engines primarily source content from top-ranking web pages, you need both strategies working together.

Here are the four core principles that make content attractive to AI-powered search engines:

1. Focus on User Intent

Generative engines prioritize answering the “why” behind searches, not just matching keywords. Structure your content around natural, intent-driven language that addresses informational, navigational, and transactional queries directly.

2. Clarity and Structure

AI favors well-organized content it can easily process:

• Clear headings and logical hierarchy
• Digestible sections with bullet points and lists
• Scannable format with key information highlighted

3. Authority and Credibility

Generative engines prefer trusted sources:

• Back claims with credible research and citations
• Update content regularly for accuracy
• Build a consistent brand presence across platforms
• Demonstrate deep expertise in your subject area

4. Conversational Tone

AI models are designed to provide natural-sounding responses, so they favor content that:

• Uses natural language patterns
• Avoids unnecessary jargon and complexity
• Addresses the reader directly
• Explains concepts clearly and concisely

With these core principles established, let’s examine how to implement a step-by-step GEO strategy.

A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Do GEO

Now that we’ve covered the core principles of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), let’s dive into a step-by-step strategy to ensure your content gets recognized and referenced by AI-driven search engines.

Step 1: Research and Analyze Your Audience

Before creating content, it’s crucial to understand what your audience is searching for and how AI-powered search engines interpret those queries. 

Unlike traditional SEO, where keyword research focuses on rankings, GEO requires a deeper understanding of how AI models generate responses and select sources. And most importantly, you need to know:

• Which AI engines does your audience use to search for queries
• How these AI models generate answers — whether they mention brands, sources, etc..
• What kind of content do you need to create to get mentioned by these generative engines

Start by exploring tools like Google Trends and AnswerThePublic to identify the questions your audience frequently asks. Instead of just looking for high-volume keywords, focus on conversational, long-tail queries that match natural language searches. 

For example, rather than targeting a broad keyword like “AI search optimization,” look at specific user-driven questions such as “How do I optimize my website for ChatGPT?” or “What factors influence AI search rankings?” 

Once you’ve identified key questions, you can check the responses generated by ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Google AI Overviews for those queries. Take note of which sources are being cited, what type of content is being referenced, and how the AI structures its answers. 

Are the responses pulling directly from blog posts, research papers, or forum discussions? Are certain websites consistently appearing in AI-generated answers? Understanding these patterns will help shape your content strategy to align with AI preferences.

Pro tip: Think beyond keywords when conducting research for generative engine optimization. AI search engines don’t just match words; they synthesize responses based on contextual understanding. That means your content should be designed to provide value, depth, and clarity — so that AI engines recognize it as a high-quality source worth referencing.

Step 2: Optimize for AI Readability

AI-driven search engines prioritize content that is well-structured, easily digestible, and contextually relevant. And that’s what people prefer as well. 

Remember: one of the biggest reasons why people switch to AI engines is that they provide conversational, easy-to-understand answers. You can format your content in a similar style by following these tips:

• Use clear formatting: AI engines prefer content that is broken down into logical segments. Ensure your content has well-defined headings, subheadings, and structured sections.
• Write concise paragraphs: Keep your paragraphs short and to the point. AI models favor easily digestible information over dense text blocks.
• Utilize bullet points and lists: Organizing key takeaways in bullet points helps AI engines identify and extract important information quickly.
• Prioritize natural language: Generative engines rely on semantic analysis rather than keyword matching. Instead of stuffing keywords, integrate natural language variations and synonyms of important terms. For example, if optimizing for “Generative Engine Optimization”, also incorporate related terms like “AI search ranking”, “generative search optimization”, or “AI content visibility”.

By implementing these strategies, you ensure that your content is not only AI-friendly but also valuable to the users. The more structured, precise, and informative your content, the greater the likelihood it will be referenced in AI-generated answers.

If you have huge content volumes or find it difficult to optimize individual blog posts or content pieces for GEO, you can use an SEO AI Agent like Chatsonic to automate the process.

Simply copy-paste your content into the AI agent chatbox and ask it to optimize the content for GEO. 

The AI agent analyzes the content and gives you specific recommendations for that particular blog post or content piece to ensure it gets featured in AI-generated answers. You can then either manually implement each of these edits or follow up with the AI agent and ask it to deliver the edited article.

Either way, you’ll get highly tailored suggestions that boost your content’s GEO.

The SEO AI agent is also capable of doing a lot more. It can conduct the initial research, write full-fledged articles and social media copies, and even analyze competitors. 

Step 3: Build Authority and Credibility

Generative engines don’t just prioritize content — they prioritize trusted content. If you want your content to be featured in AI-generated responses, you need to establish yourself as an authoritative source. 

AI models reference credible, high-quality information, which means your content should reflect expertise, accuracy, and trustworthiness.

• Cite reputable sources: Include links to well-known publications, research papers, and industry reports to reinforce credibility.
• Showcase expertise: Demonstrate subject matter expertise through in-depth analysis, case studies, and data-driven insights. The more comprehensive and well-researched your content, the higher its chances of being cited by AI engines.
• Update content regularly: Generative models prioritize up-to-date information. Frequently revisiting and updating your content ensures continued relevance and increases the likelihood of it being referenced.
• Earn high-quality backlinks: AI engines factor in domain authority. If other trusted sites link to your content, AI models are more likely to recognize it as a valuable source.

Additionally, AI models recognize and reference well-known entities. If your brand, website, or personal name is mentioned in reputable sources or widely recognized in your industry, your chances of being referenced in AI-generated responses increase significantly.

Step 4: Distribute Content Across Platforms

Generative engines don’t just pull from websites—they scan social platforms, forums, and online communities. Expanding your content’s reach beyond your own site increases its chances of being picked up by AI search engines.

Check this answer about the best AI search engine by Grok:

It mentions six X posts as sources. The search engines which are mentioned in these posts naturally get more visibility.

Posting on platforms like Reddit, Quora, and X (formerly Twitter) can significantly boost your visibility. AI engines often scrape these platforms for authoritative answers, so engaging in discussions within your niche is an effective strategy. 

Instead of just linking to your content, contribute meaningful insights to ongoing conversations. For example, if someone asks about GEO on Reddit, craft a thoughtful response summarizing key points from your guide, then naturally introduce a link to your full article.

The same applies to industry-specific forums and other social media platforms. AI models index valuable discussions from these spaces, making them prime locations to establish credibility. By actively participating and sharing your expertise, you increase the likelihood of your content being cited in AI-generated responses.

Pro Tip: Instead of only promoting your own content, engage with others’ posts by adding value. This builds trust within communities and makes AI engines more likely to recognize your contributions as relevant and credible sources.

Step 5: Implement Structured Data and Schema Markup

Since AI models prioritize structured content, using schema markup helps them understand and categorize your data more effectively.

Implementing FAQ schema allows AI-driven engines to extract structured Q&A formats, increasing the chances of your content being directly referenced in AI responses. Similarly, How-To schema is invaluable for step-by-step guides, making them more likely to appear in AI-generated results.

Beyond these, consider using Article schema for blog posts, Product schema for e-commerce, and Organization schema to reinforce brand authority. The more structured your content, the better AI models can interpret and prioritize it.

Pro Tip: Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to verify your schema implementation, fix errors, and ensure your markup is AI-friendly. Regularly update and refine structured data as AI search capabilities evolve.

Step 6: Optimize for Voice Search

AI-driven search engines are deeply integrated with voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. As more users rely on voice search, optimizing your content for conversational queries becomes crucial for GEO. Unlike traditional text-based searches, voice queries tend to be longer, more natural, and often phrased as complete questions.

To align with how people interact with voice assistants:

• Target natural language queries: Focus on how people talk rather than just keywords. Instead of optimizing for “GEO best practices”, structure content around phrases like “What are the best practices for optimizing content for AI search?”.
• Use question-based formatting: AI assistants pull answers from content structured as FAQs, Q&A formats, and direct answers. Including well-organized sections that address who, what, where, when, why, and how can improve your chances of being referenced.
• Leverage conversational tone: Voice search favors content that sounds natural when spoken aloud. Avoid overly technical jargon and keep explanations clear and engaging.
• Optimize for featured snippets: Since voice assistants often pull from Google’s featured snippets, structure your content to fit snippet-friendly formats like concise definitions, bullet-point lists, and step-by-step instructions.
• Improve page load speed and mobile experience: Many voice searches happen on mobile devices, so a fast-loading, mobile-optimized site increases the likelihood of your content being served as a response.

Pro Tip: Use Google’s “People Also Ask” and voice-to-text tools to discover how real users phrase their questions. Craft your content to mirror these natural speech patterns to enhance your visibility in voice search results.

Step 7: Monitor Performance and Adapt

GEO isn’t a one-and-done strategy—it requires continuous monitoring and optimization.

• Track AI citations: See if your content is being referenced in ChatGPT, Perplexity, or other AI engines.
• Analyze user engagement: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor time on page, bounce rates, and conversions.
• Refine your strategy: If certain content isn’t getting picked up, tweak formatting, add more authority signals, or improve clarity.

Pro Tip: Regularly experiment with different content formats (videos, infographics, in-depth guides) to see what resonates best with AI-driven search engines.

Common Generative Engines to Optimize For

Each generative engine has unique features and ranking preferences. Here are the major players to consider in your GEO strategy:

• ChatGPT (OpenAI) – Uses Bing-indexed web data and excels at generating conversational, detailed responses.
• Perplexity – Incorporates real-time web searches and often cites sources, making factual accuracy crucial.
• Google AI Overviews – Pulls from Google’s extensive index, favoring authoritative and well-structured content.
• Gemini (Google) – Focuses on factual synthesis, ensuring responses are both comprehensive and accurate.
• Microsoft Copilot – Integrates with Bing and Microsoft’s enterprise data, emphasizing structured and verified information.
• Grok (xAI) – Has access to real-time data from X (formerly Twitter) and also pulls information from the web.

Since each engine operates differently, you need to make sure you cater to all the requirements of generative engines. For instance, Google AI Overviews prioritize trusted domains, while Perplexity values real-time citations. Understanding these nuances helps maximize content visibility across various AI-driven search engines.

If you want to be particularly featured in AI overviews, read our detailed guide on how to rank in AI overviews.

Before diving into how to do generative engine optimization, let’s understand the core principles of GEO.

Final Thoughts: How To Do Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is tricky, in the sense, people are still trying to figure out how to optimize for AI-driven search engines. However, one thing’s clear: generative engines prefer content that provides value and is easy to understand. 

If your content already follows the usual SEO best practices, optimizing it for generative engines is easier. The best way to do it is to use an SEO AI agent like Chatsonic that can provide tailored GEO suggestions based on the content piece you want to optimize.

Simply ask Chatsonic to analyze your content and provide GEO suggestions — and you’ll get actionable insights that help your content get featured in AI-generated answers. 

Ready to optimize your content for GEO?

Pragati Gupta

Content Marketer

Pragati Gupta is a Content Marketer @Writesonic, specializing in AI, SEO, and strategic B2B writing. Leveraging the power of Generative AI, she produces high-impact content that drives superior ROI.