We want to introduce to new online development, but before we do, try this 30-second test.
On a separate screen open ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI assistant and ask: "Can you recommend three [your industry] businesses in [your area]?"
Did your business appear?
If not, you've just discovered why Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) matters.
What Is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimisation is the practice of optimising your digital presence so AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity recognise and recommend your business. While traditional SEO gets you ranked on Google's results pages, GEO gets you personally recommended by AI in conversational responses.
Why It Matters Now
People's search behaviour has fundamentally changed. Instead of googling a query, scrolling through results, comparing multiple websites, and then deciding, users now ask AI a question, receive curated recommendations, and act immediately. Over 60% of users regularly use AI chatbots for information, and they trust AI recommendations at levels comparable to peer recommendations. AI-powered search is growing exponentially every month.
The Critical Difference
Traditional SEO ranks you on a list that users must filter through themselves. It focuses on keywords and backlinks, optimising primarily for Google's algorithm. GEO, however, gets you directly recommended by AI systems. It focuses on building genuine authority and trustworthiness across multiple AI platforms, not just one search engine.
Why Your Current Content Doesn't Work
AI engines aren't impressed by keyword-stuffed content, generic service pages, or a single-platform presence. What they value is demonstrated expertise across multiple credible platforms, original insights that provide unique value, and clear, structured information that's easy to parse and understand. They look for consistent presence with unified messaging, real examples and case studies that prove your expertise, and thought leadership that genuinely advances industry conversations.
Building Your GEO Strategy
Start by testing your current visibility. Ask various AI systems about businesses in your industry and location, then document which competitors appear and analyse why they're being recommended.
Build multi-platform authority by establishing a strategic presence on LinkedIn for professional thought leadership, Medium or similar platforms for long-form insights, industry-specific publications, and relevant social media channels where your expertise can be documented and discovered.
Create AI-friendly content with clear headings and logical structure. Make definitive statements that demonstrate your expertise, develop original methodologies or frameworks, and share case studies with measurable outcomes. AI systems need to be able to easily extract and understand your unique value proposition.
Maintain absolute consistency with your business information. Your name, address, and phone number must be identical across every platform you're present on. AI systems use consistency as a trust signal when determining which businesses to recommend.
Demonstrate real expertise by sharing specific techniques you use, discussing actual client outcomes (anonymised where necessary), and contributing original thinking to your industry rather than simply repeating what others have said.
The Urgency
We're still in the early stages of the AI search revolution. Businesses establishing their authority now will dominate AI recommendations for years to come. But this window is closing as more businesses recognise the importance of GEO and competition for AI mindshare intensifies.
The Reality
The shift to GEO represents a fundamental evolution in how businesses demonstrate authority online. It's not replacing traditional SEO but augmenting it. Your website still matters, Google rankings still matter, but they're no longer sufficient on their own. Success in the AI age requires businesses to understand how AI systems discover and evaluate authority, create content strategies that span multiple platforms, and maintain consistent, citation-worthy presence across the digital landscape.
Take Action
Start with that 30-second test we opened with. Ask AI assistants about businesses in your industry and study the results carefully. Understand why certain businesses are recommended whilst others aren't mentioned at all.
Then begin building the multi-platform authority that makes you impossible for AI systems to ignore. Because in a world where your customers ask AI for recommendations, being invisible to those systems isn't just a missed opportunity - it's an existential threat to your business.
The question isn't whether to adapt to this change. It's whether you'll adapt before your competitors do.
If you would like Write Wai to help you get to grips with AI or your social media and blogs, get in touch today via our contacts page.
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