Developing a Productive Engine: A Practical Guide

AI-generated answers are now part of how people search.

When a potential customer asks Google a question, they can see the AI-generated answer before being presented with a list of websites. And they may even choose to use an AI platform like ChatGPT to get answers.

The truth is that AI search is changing the way brands get exposure. To stay competitive, you need the development of a productivity engine to come up with AI-generated answers.

In this guide, we explain what search engine optimization is, how it relates to SEO, and how to achieve it strategically.

What is Generative Engine Optimization?

Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your presence and content to appear in results generated by AI-powered search engines such as ChatGPT, Google, Perplexity, Claude, and others.

Instead of focusing only on traditional search engine rankings (ie, traditional SEO), GEO is about making sure you are part of the answers that AI systems generate when users ask questions.

For example, when I asked Perplexity what the best VPN service was, it pulled information from multiple sources across the web and combined it into a comprehensive answer. The response included a comprehensive recommendation with key details, a table comparing several options, and suggested follow-up questions.

The main difference between traditional SEO and GEO is that you’re not competing for the top position of search results in GEO—you’re competing to be part of the answer itself.

SEO competes with GEO

SEO focuses on helping you appear on regular search engine search engine pages (SERPs), while GEO focuses on helping you appear within AI-generated responses.

And a lot of the SEO work you’re already doing is equally important to emerge from AI-generated answers.

That said, here’s a breakdown of some of the ways SEO and GEO differ.

Why is GEO Important?

GEO is important because AI-powered search is shaping what people see—and what they buy.

ChatGPT hit 100 million users faster than any app in history. Google’s AI Overviews now reach billions of users each month. What this means is that people are now turning to AI for product recommendations, research, and comparisons.

AI systems are able to act as sales representatives to influence purchasing decisions. If AI-generated answers mention your brand or product, it becomes part of the consideration set. If they don’t, you may not be noticed at all.

Here are some direct benefits of investing in GEO:

• You can get organic exposure without paying for ads
• You can attract qualified traffic
• Your brand can be featured in the results 24/7
• Your brand is trusted in your industry

Productivity Engine Optimization Techniques

The strategies that get you visible in search rankings overlap significantly with those that get you mentioned in AI responses.

Traditional SEO is about creating high-quality content, making it accessible to search engines, and building backlinks.

The top strategies for optimizing a generating engine for AI visibility are to publish content regularly on topics that are closely related to your product, make your content easily accessible and understandable, and gain mentions across the web.

Basically, AI assistants want to provide useful, accurate information to users in the same way that search engines do. And they pull that information from the same Internet that your SEO-focused content lives on. If your product is associated with topics you care about, the more likely it is to be referred to an AI-generated response (usually).

For marketers, the message is that you don’t need to abandon your SEO strategy to build your presence in AI engines. SEO and GEO work together. And dividing them into two different strategies may not make sense.

As SEO exporter Aleyda Solís points out, tools that simply show you where your product appears in AI responses are not enough on their own (as seen with the shutdown of GEO startup Lorelight):

Instead, brands should focus on how to integrate AI search data into a comprehensive search strategy that includes SEO. So, if you’ve been doing strong SEO for years, you’re already in a big place there with GEO.

How Do You Do Generative Engine Optimization?

In order to perform a productive engine optimization, publish relevant content consistently, make your content accessible to AI searchers, and gain product mentions from other sources.

Microsoft’s official guidelines for productive search emphasize this: make your catalogs machine-readable, organize content to answer real questions, and establish authority with trusted sources and expert signals. These are the same principles that drive the success of traditional SEO.

We’ll likely see more assistive tactics emerge from AI systems in the future, especially as we better understand how they acquire, interpret, and synthesize information.

Based on what we’ve learned so far, there are a few specific ways you can configure AI systems:

• Brands that are not linked seem to carry more weight. AI systems may give a brand’s expression more weight even if it’s not connected. This is kind of a big deal because just talking about your product across the web can increase your AI visibility.
• Content with points and statistics tend to perform well for AI assistants. One study analyzed 10,000 real-world questions and found that pages containing quotes and statistics had 30%-40% higher visibility in AI responses compared to content without them.
• Server-side rendering may be important for AI visibility. AI search engines seem to have trouble using JavaScript, so your content may not be visible if it relies heavily on client-side rendering. Meaning it may not be retrieved, processed, or included in AI-generated responses.
• New content is often popularized by AI tools. AI tools seek to provide the most current information possible.
• A Wikipedia presence may increase your AI visibility. Since Wikipedia seems to make up the bulk of AI training data, having an accurate Wikipedia entry for your product can increase the chances of it being mentioned in AI answers.
• UGC forums seem to have an impact on the visibility of a generating engine. Platforms that allow user-generated content (UGC)—Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, etc.—seem to have higher exposure to generating engines. So product presence in these platforms can be important.

How to Measure Your GEO Performance

You can track your productivity engine efforts by using tools like Semrush Enterprise AIO or Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit.

Semrush Enterprise AIO tracks your voice shares, brand mentions, and brand sentiment across all AI search engines. So you know when you’re making progress.

You can also track your AI levels for specific instructions in Semrush Enterprise AIO. And see where your brand is being mentioned and if it’s being mentioned well.

For smaller teams, Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit helps you monitor how your product is visible on AI platforms, how often it’s mentioned, and how often your content is cited. You can also see how your performance differs across AI platforms.

Mindset Shift for Marketers

For decades, marketers have optimized for clicks, rankings, and SERP features. Now, visibility also means being cited, summarized, and praised within AI-generated responses.

But that doesn’t mean the need for strong SEO has disappeared. Many traditional SEO best practices are still relevant.

Now, to appear usually means to appear within the response itself. So you need to start tracking how often AI mentions you and pulls your content as a resource in addition to your regular SEO tracking.

To monitor your SEO performance and AI visibility, try Semrush One.

Frequently Asked Questions About GEO

Is GEO replacing SEO?

No, GEO does not replace SEO—it complements it.

Traditional SEO aims to improve your visibility in organic search results. GEO aims to improve your visibility in AI-generated responses. Most brands need both for a comprehensive search visibility strategy.

Are There Any Risks To Manufacturing Engine Manufacturing?

The biggest danger of GEO is preparing AI at the expense of human learners.

Content full of quotes, figures, or heavy formatting with no real value will not perform well in the long run. AI visibility can also change as platforms change.

The safest way for GEO is to focus on publishing accurate, useful content and engage in brand building tactics.

Is Generative Engine Optimization the Future of Digital Marketing?

GEO is already part of the digital marketing conversation, but it does not replace other marketing efforts. Native SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, paid ads, etc., are still important.