SEO, GEO, what now?

How can your website be liked by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and co?

When it comes to SEO and artificial intelligence, there are countless tips on how AI can take over repetitive tasks, optimize the technical SEO of a website or help with content creation. Nice, but not the topic here. We'd rather take a look at how you can not only work with AI, but also be found and used by AI.

Search behavior has changed

Gen Z is often said to have a short attention span. TikTok sends its regards. But let's be honest: the desire for quick answers affects us all. Change the clock? ChatGPT knows immediately. Trump tariffs? Ask the AI. Leftovers in the fridge? ChatGPT will find you a recipe faster than any food blog.

In short, AI chatbots have long been the new search engines - and they are changing the way we find information. Google has understood this too. With AI Overviews, Gemini provides an automatically generated summary directly above the search results. Practical for users, but less attractive for websites: Studies show that the CTR on classic results drops by up to 40% as soon as an AI Overview is displayed. Visibility no longer means "number 1 on Google", but rather Being part of the AI response.Important: Gemini does not think up the information. The AI accesses Google's search index in a fraction of a second, pulls the best bits and pieces and puts them together. Websites that are cited there end up in the spotlight while all others remain invisible.

In a nutshell:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The aim was to climb up the Google rankings through on-page and off-page optimization.

• GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): The aim is to be mentioned or cited in AI-generated answers.

The direct comparison between classic SEO and AI SEO shows the differences very clearly:

From SEO to GEO

So far so clear - but how do you manage to be included by an AI in the AI Overview or in an answer? The truth: there is no magic formula (yet). GEO is not a hack, but a process. But one thing is true: the clearer, well-founded and better structured your content is, the more likely it is that an AI will recognize it as citable, because AIs want expert voices. If your content reflects this, chances are good that it will be selected.

SEO is dead, long live SEO

How many times has SEO been declared dead? Despite all the swansongs: classic search engine optimization remains important - even for visibility in AI-based search systems. Technical foundation, loading times, crawling, structure: all of this is mandatory. But the cards are being reshuffled. Google Core Updates, leaks of ranking factors, publications in the course of legal proceedings - SEO has always been in flux. Developments in the Google cosmos have constantly shaped the discourse and required adjustments. Now AI is coming into play and shaking up the rules once again.

And it's not just Google that is determining the playing field. ChatGPT (OpenAI), Perplexity, Claude (Anthropic), Microsoft Copilot: they are all building their own search ecosystems. What they have in common:

• They actively search the web.

• They break down search queries into subqueries ("query fan out").

• They build answers from content that is clear, concise and citable.

In other words, if you want to be visible not only in Google, but also in these ecosystems, you need to build content that can be easily extracted and integrated.

Brand mentions are the new backlinks

It used to be simple: backlinks provided a boost in the ranking. Today, things are different: LLMs understand connections semantically, based on linguistic patterns, and therefore focus less on the number of links and more on the frequency of brand mentions. This changes the rules of the game: Digital reputation > link building. If your brand is present in articles, studies, discussions or social media, the AI recognizes you as a relevant source - even without a direct link.

The influence of AI on SEO - everything different?

Yes and no. Classic SEO remains the basic work:

• Technology: clean structure, fast loading times, correct data.

• Content: Clear, understandable, well prepared.

• Brand: Recognizable and trustworthy.

But: That's no longer enough. Digital authority is needed to be present in AI responses. In other words: a brand that is visible across channels, builds a reputation and is present in conversations.

Branding for the win

This is exactly where branding comes in. Google and co. prefer sites that not only have search engine traffic, but also take place outside of it - in forums, social media, chatbots, news articles. This is no longer a backlink game, but a question of brand perception.

• What sets you apart from others?

• What do you stand for?

• How do you tell your story?

If you manage to build a popular and recognized brand in your field, then you're already halfway there. It would probably go beyond the scope of this article to go into the topic of brand building in full, so here's a quick run-through: Think about what sets your brand or company apart from others and tell your story. Give your brand a personality through storytelling and deep insights that are communicated in a consistent brand tonality. Do you want to make progress with GEO and increase your visibility in AI responses? Then get in touch with us.