The Essentials of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for Creators and Brands

How to use storytelling (and technical wizardry) to get chatbots talking about your work

Illustration by the author via Ideogram

For decades, winning a spot in the “10 blue links” at the top of Google could make or break a business.

Not anymore.

Today, consumers are increasingly turning to chatbots and Google’s own AI Overviews for information, rather than relying on traditional search.

That’s caused profound changes to the very fabric of the internet. Publishers that relied on search traffic have been gutted, and big chunks of the SEO industry have been wiped out.

But the shift to information-by-AI has also unlocked the potential for equally profound (and lucrative) opportunities for companies that adapt to the internet’s new reality.

Specifically, companies that can get their brands into chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude — and who can convince those chatbots to tell consumers nice things about their products and services — can reap massive benefits.

Doing so requires a process called Generative Engine Optimization, or GEO. Here’s what you need to know to do GEO well — and why it’s essential to start right now.