Google's new AI features are quietly taking over the most valuable moment in the search process: right when customers are ready to make a decision. Here's what no one is talking about: you can rank on page one and still lose. Why is that? Because if your brand isn't cited in the AI-generated results, you're invisible. You're not part of the conversation. Google is no longer just a list of links; it's a curated answer engine, and those answers are pulled from content that the algorithm trusts. This is no longer just about SEO. It's about training the AI to recognize your brand as a source. This is called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), And if you understand how to reverse-engineer it, you won't just own visibility - you'll build brand authority while your competitors panic about declining traffic.
Content
- Introduction to GEO
- Why GEO is crucial now
- AI Overviews: The first step towards AI dominance
- AI Mode: Full AI conversation replaces search results
- Reverse-engineering Google's AI
- From content to authority: How to get cited
- Frequently asked questions about GEO
Introduction to GEO
What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the discipline that focuses on optimizing a brand's digital presence to become a preferred source for generative AI models like those that power Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Unlike traditional SEO, where the goal is to rank high for specific keywords, GEO is about building semantic authority and credibility so that AI algorithms actively choose to cite and highlight your content in their generated answers. It's a strategic effort to position your brand as a fundamental part of the AI's knowledge base within your niche.
In this guide, you'll gain an in-depth understanding of how Google's AI features work, how to identify opportunities to get cited, and what concrete tactics you can implement to build brand authority in the era of AI search. You'll learn how to reverse-engineer Google AI, create multimedia content that gets cited, and position your brand as a credible source - all adapted for modern B2B marketing in 2025.
What is the difference between SEO and GEO?
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on ranking high in organic search results for specific keywords. The goal is to get users to click on your link and visit your website. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), on the other hand, focuses on being cited by AI models that generate answers directly on the search results page. Here, the goal is not necessarily a click, but brand exposure and authority at the moment the user makes their decision.
The difference can be illustrated like this: In traditional SEO, success is defined by rankings, traffic and click-through rates. In GEO, success is defined by citations, brand mentions and semantic presence in AI-generated answers. A company can rank number one for a keyword, but if the AI cites a competitor in its summary, the competitor has gained visibility at the crucial decision moment. This makes GEO a complementary discipline to SEO, not a replacement. The best results are achieved by mastering both.
Why GEO is crucial now
How has search behavior changed?
Digital search behavior has undergone a fundamental transformation. Driven by tools like ChatGPT, users have gone from typing in simple keywords to asking complex, full questions. In fact, the share of question-based searches has exploded from 38 % to 87 % in just eight months. At the same time, the daily number of Google searches has grown from 8.5 billion to 13.7 billion - that's over 5 trillion searches per year. More searches, and more complex searches, mean more opportunities for exposure if you understand the new rules of the game.
This increase is not because more people are online, but because the same users are searching more often. Why is this happening? Because Google's AI answers are getting better and better. Users have learned that they can ask more nuanced questions and get precise, contextual answers without having to click through multiple pages. This creates a paradox for marketers: While everyone is panicking about declining click-through rates, there are actually more opportunities for brand exposure than ever before - if your brand is part of the AI answers.
What happens if you are not visible in AI responses?
If your brand isn't part of the AI answers, you don't really exist in those crucial decision moments. Studies show that 90 % of consumers first hear about a company through an organic Google result. But only 5 % of these buy at that moment. The remaining 95 % jump into your email list, your ad funnels, your social content or return weeks later through word-of-mouth. This makes modern SEO - and now GEO - a brand discovery channel rather than just a conversion channel.
If the AI mentions your brand in its summary, you're suddenly top of mind without getting a single click. It's like a billboard on the highway or a sponsor logo on a Formula 1 car: people see you, recognize you, remember you, and when the timing is right, they buy. More Google searches means more AI Overviews and AI Mode results. More AI results mean more brand mentions. More brand mentions means trust that spreads everywhere. That's why getting cited is now the fastest way to build long-term brand equity while everyone else is still obsessed with last-click attribution.
AI Overviews: The first step towards AI dominance
Where and when are AI Overviews shown?
Many marketers fear that AI Overviews will take over all searches, but the data paints a more nuanced picture. An analysis of Google's daily search volume shows that AI Overviews’ presence varies significantly depending on search intent. By dividing searches into four categories - informational, commercial, navigational and transactional - we can see exactly where AI Overviews has the most impact:
| Search type | Share of total search volume | Share with AI Overviews | Example of an example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | ~50 % | 45,9 % | “how does GEO work” |
| Commercial | 14,8 % | 17,8 % | “best CRM for agencies” |
| Navigational | 34,6 % | 1,5 % | “facebook login” |
| Transactional | 0,8 % | 6,1 % | “buy size 42 running shoes” |
This data shows that AI Overviews primarily appear where intent is highest: when users are researching, comparing or close to making a purchase decision. Informational searches make up half of all search volume, and almost half of these show AI Overviews. Commercial searches - where users are actively evaluating solutions - have an even higher incidence of AI Overviews (17.8 %) compared to their share of search volume (14.8 %). Transactional searches are rare (only 0.8 % of volume), but AI Overviews show up in 6.1 % of these - almost eight times more often than you would expect.
What does this mean for your marketing strategy?
Missing from these AI-generated summaries isn't just a loss of traffic; it's a loss of opportunity to shape the customer buying journey. Navigational searches - where users already know where they want to go - rarely show AI Overviews (only 1.5 %) because there is no need for the AI to step in. But in those moments when the customer is researching, comparing or ready to buy, AI Overviews are there. If your brand isn't cited in these summaries, you've lost the most valuable moment in the entire sales process: the moment when the customer forms their opinion and makes their decision.
AI Mode: Full AI conversation replaces search results
If AI Overviews is the appetizer, AI Mode is the main course. This feature replaces the traditional search results list with a full AI-powered conversation. It answers complex, multi-part questions instantly by drawing on sources that aren't always visible or linked to. AI Mode is trained to act more like a research assistant than a search engine. It simulates the behavior of a professional web surfer who knows how to dig, compare and synthesize information before delivering a fully researched recommendation.
What is the Query Fan-Out technique?
In traditional SEO, you had visibility and control. You could see what people searched for, what keywords you ranked for and what pages were shown. In AI Mode, you ask one question, but behind the scenes, Google performs 10, 20 or even 30 hidden investigations using a technique called Query Fan-Out. Each of these investigations is like a separate Google search that the AI runs silently to construct its answer. Your initial question is the stem, and Google branches out into dozens of different paths to gather the best information before compressing it all back into one coherent, authoritative answer.
Example from practice: A user asks AI Mode: “When is the best time this week to schedule an outdoor engagement shoot at the Boston Public Garden?” To the user, it looks like one search. To the AI, it's dozens of micro-searches merged together:
- Weather forecast for Boston this week
- Best light for outdoor photography
- Visiting hours in Boston Public Garden
- Golden hour calculator for photography
- Tips for outdoor engagement photos in Boston
- Sunset times in Boston, June 2025
In the old Google, you would have had to run all these searches manually. It's like a detective piecing together information step by step. AI Mode collapses all this effort into a single answer. That's what Query Fan-Out really means: Your initial question triggers a cascade of hidden investigations that the AI uses to build a complete, researched answer.
What is the challenge for marketers in AI Mode?
The biggest challenge for marketers is that you don't get the chance to see any of these branches. You don't know exactly which queries it drove. You don't see which pages it pulled from. You can't track rankings like you used to. Unless your content shows up in these hidden surveys and is credible enough to be cited, you won't be included in the response at all. This is why it's no longer about ranking, but about semantic positioningTrain the AI to recognize your brand as a go-to source for the entire thought process behind a question, not just one keyword.
If you get ahead of this before the rest of your market wakes up, you don't just win clicks - you win mindshare. You become the source the AI trusts. You become the brand customers remember. And when they're ready to buy, your name is already in their minds.
Reverse-engineering Google's AI
To be cited by Google's AI, you need to understand who it already trusts. The process is to reverse-engineer the sources the AI is currently pulling from. Here's a step-by-step method to uncover your opportunities and build a data-driven GEO strategy.
Step 1: Identify your AI-powered competitors
Start by finding out which domains are already doing well in your niche. If you don't know them, simply Google a keyword central to your industry, such as “best project management tool”, and take one of the top hits. Enter this domain into an SEO tool like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs or SEMrush. Here you'll see key metrics like estimated search traffic, top SEO pages, backlinks and social shares pointing to these pages.
Then scroll down to see their most visited pages. Click “show all” next to the visitor column. This will show you exactly which pages are driving the most traffic to each domain. These pages are the ones Google already considers to be trustworthy, valuable and engaging - and that's exactly the kind of content that gets pulled into AI Overviews. If a page ranks highly and gets referenced, it's because Google trusts it. To earn that trust, you need to study the content that has earned it.
Step 2: Analyze the most valuable pages
Now you need to take it a step further and find out exactly where your brand is missing. Go to the left menu in Ubersuggest and click on “Keyword Research” and then “Similar Websites”. Now enter your own domain. Ubersuggest will scan your site and pull up a list of competing websites. But the real goldmine here is Keyword Gap-functions.
Step 3: Uncover your keyword gap“
What is a Keyword Gap? It's a list of keywords that your competitors get traffic from but you don't. These keywords are pre-validated opportunities. They already drive traffic, they work in your industry, and there is a strong likelihood that they already appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Instead of guessing what to write about, you get a data-driven list of topics that the algorithm already favors.
Start by looking at your high-value topics - the ones the algorithm already favors. Now simply build better, deeper and more multimedia-rich content around each of these terms. That's how you leapfrog the competition in the AI layer: not by publishing more, but by being more strategic.
From content to authority: How to get cited
Now that you know where the opportunities lie and how to find the right keywords, it's time to focus on the part everyone overlooks: creating content that actually gets cited by Google's AI.
Why text alone is not enough
Most people think it's about writing more blog posts. But Google's AI no longer just scans text. It pulls from multi-format, multi-layered content. A look at current search results reveals a pattern: videos rank, images rank, and even branded graphics and explainer charts show up in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Why is this? Because humans process visual content faster and Google's AI is built to serve what people prefer.
How to create citable content
To get cited, it's not enough to just write an article. You need to enrich the content experience. Here are four tactics that transform ordinary content into citable content:
- Add a video summarizing the key points - Video appeals to users who prefer to watch rather than read. A 2-3 minute video explaining the core concept significantly increases the chance of your content being cited.
- Include a diagram that simplifies the concept - Complex ideas become easier to understand with an easy-to-understand diagram or model. Diagrams are often pulled directly into AI Overviews as visual answers.
- Use an infographic that makes data easy to scan - Data presented visually is easier to share and quote. An infographic summarizing your key metrics often becomes the most shared part of your content.
- Combine with your Keyword Gap - Take the keyword opportunities you found earlier and build this rich, multimedia content around each of those topics. That's your plan.
Example from practice: A Danish SaaS company launched a LinkedIn campaign with the headline “Most CRM systems are used incorrectly - here's why”. Combined with an eye-catching infographic on the five most common mistakes, they achieved a click-through rate of 4.2 % - well above the industry average of 0.5 %. The campaign generated 125 clicks and 45 downloads of their guide in just one week. Most importantly, the content was cited in Google's AI Overview for searches like “CRM errors” and “how to use CRM correctly”.
This is how you move from being just another blog post to becoming the trusted source the AI chooses to answer the question. It transforms your content into authority, and authority into customer demand.
Frequently asked questions about GEO
What is GEO and how is it different from SEO?
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the discipline that focuses on optimizing to be cited by AI models like Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. Unlike SEO, where the goal is to rank high and get clicks, GEO is about getting mentioned and cited in AI-generated answers. SEO is still important for driving traffic, but GEO is crucial for building brand authority and visibility in the moments when customers are making decisions.
How can I measure success in GEO?
Success in GEO is measured differently than in traditional SEO. Instead of focusing on rankings and click-through rates, measure citations (how often your brand is mentioned in AI answers), brand mentions in AI Overviews, semantic presence (how many related topics you are cited for) and brand recall (how well users remember your brand after seeing it in AI answers). You can also track indirect metrics like increase in branded searches, direct traffic and brand awareness surveys.
Should I stop SEO and focus only on GEO?
The answer is no. GEO is a complementary discipline to SEO, not a replacement. The best results are achieved by mastering both. SEO still drives traffic to your website and is crucial for conversion. GEO ensures your brand is visible in the moments when customers form their opinions. Think of it as two sides of the same coin: SEO makes people click, GEO makes people remember and trust your brand.
How long does it take to see results from GEO?
Like SEO, GEO is a long-term strategy. It can take 3-6 months before you start seeing citations in AI Overviews, depending on your niche, competition level and content quality. But the benefit is that once you're established as a credible source, it becomes harder for competitors to displace you. AI models learn over time which sources are most trustworthy and once your brand is part of that knowledge base, you stay there.
What types of content work best for GEO?
Content that works best for GEO is in-depth, multimedia-rich and authoritative. This includes guides and how-to articles, case studies with concrete data, original research and analysis, videos explaining complex concepts, infographics and data visualizations, and structured data (schema markup). The more comprehensive and credible your content is, the more likely the AI will choose to cite it.
Today, when your customers search for solutions, they don't just get a list of links. They get concrete answers directly from AI assistants like ChatGPT. The question is no longer whether your business is on page 1 of Google - it's whether the AI even mentions you.
Welcome to the era of Generative Search Optimization (GEO).
The numbers speak for themselves
The evolution is already in full swing. AI-powered search engines like Perplexity are leading the way with impressive growth - from 2.7% market share in January 2024 to 5.8% in November. With over 67 million monthly visits and 15 million active users, the platform demonstrates that consumers are ready for a new way to search.
Although Google still dominates with its 3 billion users, the trend is clear: AI-powered search is rapidly gaining ground. And this is just the beginning. For businesses, this means it's time to act - before the competition does.
From SEO to GEO
It's important to understand: GEO doesn't replace traditional SEO - it complements it. In fact, AI-powered search engines often weight highly visible and well-ranked sources in their answers. Your existing SEO efforts therefore become an important foundation for your GEO strategy.
How SEO and GEO work together
| Aspect | Traditional SEO | Generative Search (GEO) | Synergy effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Rankings in search results | Direct mention in AI answers | High SEO ranking increases the chance of AI mentions |
| Content | Keyword optimized | In-depth, fact-based | Well-structured content performs well in both places |
| Authority | Backlinks | Mentions and quotes | Strong domain authority strengthens both |
| Technical setup | Core Web Vitals, mobile friendliness | Schema markup, structured data | Solid technical base benefits both SEO and GEO |
| Measurement | Rankings, clicks, conversions | AI reviews, citation rate | Overall impact on leads and sales |
What is GEO - and why is it essential for your business?
GEO is the next generation of search optimization. While traditional SEO is all about optimizing for Google's algorithms, GEO focuses on making your business visible in AI-powered search results and chatbots.
Imagine this: A potential customer asks "Which company is best for digital marketing in Copenhagen?" Instead of a long list of links, they get a precise answer from an AI assistant. Your job is to make sure your company is highlighted as the obvious solution.
5 keys to mastering GEO in practice
1. Build your digital authority
AI systems prioritize credible sources more than ever. Here's how to strengthen your position:
- Publish in-depth professional content that demonstrates your expertise
- Be active and visible in relevant industry forums
- Collect and highlight positive customer reviews
- Create valuable engagement on social media
2. Create content that performs in the AI era
AIs analyze and evaluate content differently than humans:
- Structure your content with crystal clear hierarchy
- Use precise headlines that match the search intent
- Support claims with concrete data and documentation
- Formulate sharp conclusions that are easy to quote
3. Document your expertise systematically
Make it irresistible for AI to highlight your business:
- Share detailed cases with measurable results
- Publish expert analysis of current trends
- Build bridges to other authorities in your industry
- Keep your content updated with the latest data
4. Optimize your technical infrastructure
The technical foundation must be top-notch:
- Implement comprehensive schema markup
- Maximize site speed on all devices
- Create logical navigation and information flow
- Maintain consistent quality across pages
5. Data-driven optimization
Monitor and continuously adapt your GEO efforts:
- Follow how AI systems talk about your business
- Analyze which parts of your content are cited
- Identify and fill gaps in your coverage
- Adjust strategy based on real performance
Two tracks - one destination
The best strategy is to focus on both SEO and GEO. Your traditional SEO efforts ensure your visibility in Google and other search engines, while your GEO strategy prepares you for the future search landscape.
Prioritize your efforts correctly
To succeed in the new reality, you need to:
- Maintain your traditional SEO efforts as the foundation
- Gradually implement GEO optimization into your content strategy
- Measure and optimize across both channels
- Ensure your content is optimized for both humans and AI
How your content performs in both worlds
SEO-optimized content:
- Focus on specific keywords and phrases
- Structured by search intent
- Optimized for featured snippets
- Technically well-optimized
GEO-optimized content:
- In-depth professional content
- Clear, quotable conclusions
- Verifiable facts and sources
- Structured data markup
The golden combination:
- User-friendly and valuable content
- Clear structure and hierarchy
- Fact-based with citations
- Technically optimized for all platforms
The future is already here
AI-powered search is no longer science fiction - it's today's reality. The companies that master GEO now will secure a crucial competitive advantage in the years to come. The question is not if, but when your industry will be disrupted by AI-powered search.
Mastering both disciplines will maximize your digital visibility and ensure your business is found - wherever and however your potential customers search for information.
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Start your GEO journey with InboundCPH
Every day we help ambitious companies conquer the AI-powered search world. Our proven process ensures that you:
- Map your current position in the AI landscape
- Identify your biggest GEO opportunities
- Get a tailored action plan
- Achieve measurable results both now and in the long term
InboundCPH is Denmark's leading digital marketing experts. We have helped hundreds of ambitious companies increase their online visibility through innovative strategies and proven results. Our dedicated team constantly stays on top of the latest trends and technologies to ensure our clients get the best results in a rapidly evolving digital world.
