Does ChatGPT chat about your brand? Is Perplexity perplexed about who you are? Are you being overlooked by Google AI Overview?
Businesses can’t afford to dismiss such questions in 2025. Half of consumers today are already using AI-powered search to find answers online, with most letting it guide their buying decisions, according to a recent McKinsey US survey.
Where once businesses had to master search engine optimisation (SEO), now they need to grasp generative engine optimisation (GEO) – making sure their brands appear in answers generated by AI systems.
To increase your chances of being read and recited by the robots, here are seven content-focused GEO fixes you can apply right now.
1. Answer core and current questions
Keyword stuffing, that mainstay of traditional SEO, performs poorly in today’s GEO landscape, according to a recent study by the University Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and Princeton University. Instead, AI readers favour content that is genuinely useful.
Ensure your copy explicitly answers the ‘what, why, when, where, who and how’ of your products or services. Make it crisp and unambiguous, keeping explanations direct and avoiding unnecessary qualifiers. Keep any facts and figures up to date and show your copy is still current by updating your ‘published’ or ‘last modified’ date if you make any changes.
2. Use trust signals
Won any awards recently? Got any accreditations from recognised bodies? Share content about these to show AI models your brand is credible and trusted by the organisations that matter.
If you’re quoting statistics or making statements that hinge on evidence, cite your sources so that AI readers can judge their accuracy. Ideally, these will be studies, datasets or methodologies from trusted authorities such as governments, universities and well-known industry experts.
The study quoted above found that including citations, quotations from relevant sources, and statistics can significantly boost source GEO visibility.
3. Sharpen your value proposition
Define your ‘why us?’ differentiators in a concise, memorable way. This makes it easier for AI to lift the copy wholesale and recite it to consumers in the way you want, without dilution or distortion.
Likewise, make sure your services are explained clearly, in simple terms and natural language that AI can easily extract and restate in an answer.
4. Publish genuine thought leadership
Original research, unique insight and clear opinions are becoming rarer in the AI-assisted age. Yet it’s exactly this kind of thought leadership that AI engines are more likely to trust, and humans are actively seeking out. Cement yourself as an authority by sharing unique content that pushes boundaries and takes conversations forward – something that AI can’t do alone.
5. Leverage case studies
Case studies are especially powerful for GEO because they offer substance without drifting into promotional territory. By giving real-world examples of how your business has solved a problem, you can make abstract claims more relatable and therefore more credible.
Whereas human readers may be emotionally drawn into the story, GEO readers tend to be more pragmatic and analytical. So, be clear about what happened, who benefited and how. Explain the impact and if possible, set this in the wider context so that both human and AI readers can grasp the bigger picture. Backing up your case study with relevant data points will position it as informative rather than promotional.
6. Create FAQ-style content
FAQs and Q&A-style copy mirror the way users phrase their online queries. By structuring your content this way, you cut straight to the core issues and make it easier for AI to map your content to user intent.
Q&As are especially helpful when the subject matter is technical or multi-layered. Clear, direct answers reduce the risk of misinterpretation and allow GEO audiences to scan for the exact clarification they need. If you want to use them, make sure your questions mirror real stakeholder concerns and the answers stay tightly linked to verifiable facts.
7. Structure your content for scanning
Humans are pressed for time. AI models need clarity. You can appeal to both by structuring your content into bite sized blocks of text. Group your ideas into themes or questions, each with its own subheading. Keep paragraphs short and use bullet points so that readers can easily scan your content.
Keep it real
As much as it’s important to impress the new AI kids on the block, remember that humans are your ultimate target and can be powerful ambassadors in their own right.
Connect with them through sticky, memorable content on multiple channels that brings them back for more. Engage with their conversations on social media. Delight and intrigue them through PR campaigns. Sponsor or organise events where they can see the real people behind the brand and find ways to bring your digital personality into the physical world.
GEO is a fast-moving field of expertise where even the experts disagree on best practice and market leaders are struggling to keep up. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. By bringing clarity, authority and helpfulness to your content, you can make Google Gemini think twice about ignoring you and make sure Claude forever lauds your name.
Want help making your content GEO-ready? Stratton Craig helps brands craft authoritative, AI-friendly communications that surface in generative search. Get in touch here.
