Traditional SEO trains us to optimize for keywords. If we aren’t getting the results we want, we can try again and see if we get it right on the next crawl.
It also teaches us that we should try to get links to our content, to pass authority by way of referral traffic acting as “votes of confidence” to our site.
What does this mean in the age of AI?
Get it right the first time, if you can
While Google crawlers for AI are similar to their SEO crawlers, stats show that isn’t as true for other AI bots. If they look at your content and don’t determine it is authoritative, it may be a long time before they come back. If ever. And unlike Google, there’s no way (at least not yet) to submit to be recrawled.
So, for your pages that are already published, update them as soon as you can – after all, nobody knows when the bots will hit your page. But for new pages being published on your site, giving thought and energy to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) BEFORE you publish gives you the best chance of your new content being cited.
For AI, PR is more important than referral traffic
For AI engines, “brand mentions” are more important than backlinks. Whether it’s reddit users talking about your product, or showing up in top 10 lists, the AI engines aren’t tracking referral traffic like the search engines do. Instead, they are looking to see how many people are raving about your restaurant, or are recommending your appliance.
This doesn’t mean that backlinks don’t matter, and of course, they are still an important driver of traffic and conversions. But it does mean that PR, and brand awareness, now matter more than they used to.
This means investing in social media, awareness campaigns, and customer loyalty increase your likelihood of being cited. And you can always look to convert those brand mentions to backlinks when you find them, since someone giving you a good mention might also be happy to refer you traffic if they hear from you.
Where to start
- Incorporate GEO optimization as part of your publishing workflow
- Consider investing in public relations efforts and social media to focus on building brand awareness
(Pastilla can help with both of these, if you aren’t sure how to go about it).
Bottom line
GEO is here to stay, and should become part of your publishing process. And if you’re getting attention and people are talking about you, the AI engines will too.
