Getting started with Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO): 7 tips

Generative AI is changing the way we search and interact with information. More and more people are using ChatGPT, Claude and other AI services to try and find information they need. Meanwhile Google itself is infusing AI into its experience and providing answers to natural language questions. Recently on the 3chillies blog we looked at how AI is impacting search behaviour and concluded that:

• AI generated summaries and answers are reducing traditional search behaviour via search engines
• People are now searching in different places beyond the search engine.

This was leading to new practices such as Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). In this follow-up post we look at seven practical tips for getting started on GEO and AEO.

Bear in mind that this is an area where it is possible to go down the rabbit hole. Generative AI is evolving very quickly and so potentially are GEO and AEO practices. There is a lot of advice that can be found online that can help and it is absolutely worth doing some (selective) reading to keep on top of what is happening.

1. Research trending questions

Successful SEO is partly about anticipating keywords. To a certain extent, both GEO and AEO are all about anticipating and the answering the key questions that your target audience are asking. Ultimately, you need to have an idea of the specific questions that they are likely to be tapping into Google or coming up with interactions with ChatGPT. In terms of GEO, this is also going to be about the kind of more detailed follow-up questions that might come up in a conversational thread with the AI.

A strong place to start researching questions are your own customer-facing staff. They should be at the coal face in terms of listening to customer questions and related issues. There are also external places where you can research potential trending questions including:

• Discussion forums and social media.
• Google’s “People who ask” feature that comes up with a series of useful complementary questions after you enter a search term.
• You can also ask one of the LLMs about the questions that are being asked.

2. Clarity is king and lead with the question

Using simple, straightforward, and clear language has also been good for both findability and readability. AI engines also favour content which is clear and understandable. Avoid being overly corporate or technical if you can – using natural language and a more accessible, conversational style will help.

It’s also important to get to the point quickly at the start of your content, and also within sections of it. You can do this by placing a relatively concise answer (often cited as no more than 60 words) to a key question at the top of each section of a page and then adding supporting details and explanation. This approach is not only good for readability but also helps the LLMs and search algorithms extract answers from your content which are more likely to stand out. Generally, avoid waffle and unnecessarily long introductions, but you probably knew what already!

3. Structure your content to support GEO and AEO

If clarity is king, then when it comes to GEO and AEO, structure is supreme. Structuring your content is good for readability anyway, but it can help AI and search algorithms to more easily analyse and interpret your content.

Consider the structure of your content at different levels as in:

• Collections of pages
• The page itself
• Different sections of each page.

For example, a collection of pages might be structured around a main topic with potentially a longer main page, and then a series of shorter sub-topic pages, each exploring a different question or area.

A page itself might be structured around headings and sub-headings, so do get your H2s and H3s in order. And within a page there will be opportunities for more structured sections, for example with bullets, numbered steps, lists, FAQs, and relevant tables. Within all these, don’t miss opportunities to lead with concise answers to relevant questions.

4. Use mark-up language

Structuring your content is great, but you can also need to use the appropriate mark-up schema in order ensure your structured content is understood by search algorithms and make life easier for LLMs. For example, use schema markup such as

• HowTo to indicate step-by-step “how to” instructions
• FAQpage for frequently asked questions

to make it more likely for snippets of your content feature to feature in answers.

More specifically for GEO, it can be helpful if you use schema such as LocalBusiness, Organisation and Services on your structured content respectively to indicate pages relating to locations, “about” pages and information on products or services. These again help LLMs to butter understand and identity your content.

One essential pro-tip in using schema is to ensure it is done correctly, as it can negatively impact GEO and AEO if not.

5. Keep your content authoritative and up to date

Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience – Expertise – Authoritativeness – Trustworthiness) framework helps to establish the trustworthy of content and is actually used by its human reviewers. It can be useful in considering creating content that is trusted and does better in terms of SEO.

Similarly, LLMs prefer to reference trustworthy, authoritative content so establishing this is important for AEO and GEO. Quoting expert and definitive sources in your content can help

establish this authority. Consider adding appropriate expert quotes, credible statistics, and references to reputable studies, adding why these are credible to underpin trustworthiness. Include author bios too. This is something that law firms and professional service firms already tend to do well within their content.

Make sure anything that is cited is up to date and regularly refresh your sources, as generative AI will prioritise sources that are fresh and current over items that might be perceived as being out of date. Do add a “last updated” note on your page to show that your content has been updated too and is not being left to go stale.

6. Get cited as an expert beyond your website

Another way to establish authority and trust around your brand and content is to seek mentions beyond your website, for example in industry websites publications or through influencers within your sector. Getting cited or quoted as a trusted and definitive source is particularly good for GEO and AEO. This goes beyond the SEO staple of just establishing backlinks – it is much more about being recognised as an expert source within references and seeing this reflected across different places.

7. Start experimenting now

GEO and AEO are areas where there are will be rapid evolution and where practices are likely to change. The corresponding changes in user search behaviour are real and happening now, so it is definitely worth dipping your toe into the water and starting to experiment sooner rather than later.

Consider experimenting with different content formats, see how your brand gets cited or mentioned in Google Answers or via ChatGPT, and keep on reading up on the topic. Its an exciting and intriguing time to be involved in digital marketing – and being able to successfully manoeuvre in the new AI-powered world is critical.

Getting your head around AEO and GEO

Getting your head around AEO and GEO sounds potentially challenging, but actually there’s some overlap with the kind of discipline and mindset that goes into improving SEO. It’s also worth remembering that most of the changes you might make for EAO or GEO will also improve the readability of content for your visitors and increase the authority of your brand. If you’d like to discuss how to optimise your website for the new world of AI, then get in touch!