Discoverability is important for all businesses and industries, and the rise of conversational AI tools and large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, are changing the way people discover information and brands.
Using traditional SEO is no longer enough to get found. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is the practice of improving your business’ ability to 'rank'* or be found in generative engines by appealing to their specific criteria requirements.
*Websites don't actually 'rank' in the traditional sense of the word in generative engines. The aim for any brand instead, is to 'be found', 'show up' and 'appear in'. Not only that, but show up with accurate, up-to-date content that answers a person's search query.
The good news is that many of the tactics that work for SEO are also beneficial for generative engines – but gen AI tools have their own weightings and requirements to consider, too.
Some strategies that are particularly helpful for GEO include:
Dynamic content rendering – Use server-side rendering or pre-rendering to ensure gen AI tools can see your content to begin with.
Well organised, structured content – Using enhanced structured data, content headings and lists, transcriptions, metadata and alt text that are helpful for machine readability and natural language processing.
Defining the entities of your business – Who are you? What do you offer? Who are your customers? Who are you affiliated with? What is your area of expertise? Answering these questions helps LLMs determine when to reference you in AI-generated responses.
Content hubs – Demonstrate your expertise and topical authority by grouping pages according to central themes.
Conversational language – Write content the way people speak – and how they are now searching in generative engines. Use natural language, FAQs, how-to’s, and more.
Research reports and case studies – AI tools love unique information and real-world examples. Look for ways to anonymise your data and share learnings with LLMs.
Our GEO services
Our clients have the option to include a generative engine optimisation strategy as part of our Explore and Build phases, or post-launch as part of our Grow services retainers for ongoing optimisation. GEO audits and strategies can also be combined with our SEO services – after all, many people still trust and click on traditional organic results in Google and Bing, so it can be cost effective to combine GEO and SEO audits and strategies.
Generative AI result and citation analysis
Benchmark gen AI results and responses for the topics you want to appear for. Analyse the quality of results, citations used, competitors mentioned and the associated sentiment. We’ll make sure the information is accurate, identifying how and where it could be improved and understanding which content the AI tools favour.
GEO audit
Assess how friendly your website and content are to generative engines, reviewing everything from code crawlability to content structuring and quality to the reputation of your business’ entity off site.
GEO strategy
Define an approach for removing roadblocks to crawlability and parsability, creating content that appeals to LLMs and the people using them, measuring success in this zero-click world, and workflows for monitoring impact, and ongoing optimisation.
Stakeholder engagement
'Success' in AI-driven search doesn’t always mean clicks, which is the metric we often use to measure success in organic search. Get support with educating and engaging senior stakeholders to understand the need for GEO and develop their sense of ownership in the evolution of your SEO strategy.
Our expertise
Key people and musings from our blog on generative engine optimisation (GEO).
Shayna Burns
SEO Principal
Shayna oversees Luminary’s SEO and generative engine optimisation (GEO) services from audit and strategy through to execution and training.
6 min read
Generative AI: How to prepare for the next evolution in organic search
What is generative AI, how does it impact discoverability in search, and what should you be doing now to prepare for the change?
7 min read
Six ways generative AI is reshaping our search experience
Adoption of AI-powered search is picking up steam, and it’s changing where and how users are searching. Marketers have an opportunity to take a fresh look at their content, web development and measurement priorities to better align with generative AI’s unique criteria using generative engine optimisation (GEO) tactics.
Jessica Goode
SEO & Content Specialist
Jess is a content and SEO weapon that masters creativity and strategy in equal measure.
7 min read
Evolving your SEO strategy for Google’s upcoming AI search experience
Search, as we know it, is in a state of flux. In Australia, we wait with curiosity for Google to roll out its new AI-generated search results module, AI Overviews, known as AIO.
And the proof?
A snapshot of the clients we support with generative engine optimisation (GEO) and SEO.
Cancer Council Australia
Cancer Council is the nation’s leading cancer charity, and the only Australian charity working across every aspect of every cancer.
IFM Investors
IFM Investors appointed Luminary to deliver a new corporate website to deliver on the needs of its growing international audience.
Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue needed to transition away from a legacy CMS which was preventing it from supporting the mental health of the community in the best possible way.
Melbourne Business School
Home to leading executive education programs, Melbourne Business School needed a website that would match the calibre of its courses.
Handy resources
Check out the handy resources below for downloadable guides, checklists and templates to help you achieve your digital goals.
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