At a time when website traffic and marketing qualified leads (MQLs) are universally declining, the role of search engine optimisation (SEO) in driving traffic is under scrutiny.
[Deep dive: you can read our article on AI and zero-click searches and the frustration this poses for businesses today to learn more.]
The evolution of SEO is GEO, or generative engine optimisation. It’s the future (and present?) of search and ‘findability’ online as people start to research brands beyond their website pages.
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DEFINITION: WHAT IS GEO?
Generative Search Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of optimising content to appear in AI-generated responses from tools like ChatGPT, Google SGE (Search Generative Experience), Perplexity and other large language models. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), GEO aims to ensure your content is discoverable, credible, and referenced by generative AI when users ask questions. It involves clear, authoritative writing, structured data, and a strong brand presence across trusted sources.
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This podcast features a discussion led by our strategic director, Alison Leishman, with our in-house SEO expert, Nicole Horne, and Michelle Venter, co-founder of our SEO partner agency, uncovering the details and evolution of GEO. We dig into trends, strategies to help you beyond SEO, the values of GEO, and even “one small thing most businesses don’t know.”
Podcast highlights and key quotes
- 06:15: History of SEO, from snippets to GEO. We unpack the importance of a layered approach, foundational SEO (‘housekeeping’), and adding context beyond your website.
- 08:20: PR is more important than ever. You need to illustrate your authority with authentic content beyond your website. Google My Business, social media and other external, credible sources are essential to illustrate brand sentiment.
- 12:00: Build your authority. The great debate: should you keep your ‘link juice’ and link only to yourself, or should you link out to reputable sources?
- 14:00: Take up space online!
- 18:20: “You need to be authentic in your storytelling.”
- 22:00: Consistency is key: Your website, social media and other channels all need to have the same name, brand voice and tone to tell Google that these are all the same thing.
- 23:40: “One small thing most businesses don’t know”: Keyword cannibalisation is a huge threat.
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DEFINITION: KEYWORD CANNIBALISATION
Keyword cannibalisation occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword or search intent, causing them to compete against each other in search engine results. This can confuse search engines about which page to rank, dilute your authority, reduce click-through rates, and ultimately harm your organic visibility. It’s often unintentional—resulting from similar or overlapping content—and is best resolved by consolidating pages, adjusting keyword targeting, or stating canonical links to clarify which page should take precedence.
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- 25:00: HubSpot is a great unifying platform. Nicole recommends the Topics tools to create authority. Michelle reminds us that: even a great tool like HubSpot needs a human expert to implement correctly.
- 27.40: Conversion should be your main goal, rather than traffic. Blogs with CTAs, for example, are very impactful.
- 30:00: GEO pulls in PR, marketing and more. A content strategy is key to your success. You need to be authoritative, authentic, and you need an opinion. Beige, forgettable and generic are a fast track to losing traffic.
- 36:00: “The values of SEO and GEO are: evolving, authentic, consistent and intent-driven.” Michelle adds Google’s EEAT guidelines to this list.
- 38:40: Actionable tip: identify a gap, and create content for that gap.
- 41:20: Trends of 2025/ 2026:
- Research is done off-site, on third party sites, and people come to your website to convert (“death or redefining the role of the MQL”)
- Content is more important than ever
- SEO ‘housekeeping’ is crucial
- 46:40: ChatGPT is sneaking UTMs into copied content
- 55:10: Trust and GEO go hand in hand.
GEO best practice
- Be Niche: Focus on one clear topic or question per post.
- Target a Specific Keyword: Choose a well-defined keyword or phrase AI users might search.
- Front-Load Value: Key info should appear in the first paragraph—don’t bury the lead.
- Format for Clarity: Use headings, bullet points, short paragraphs, and proper HTML structure.
- Highlight Blocks Help: Summary boxes or TL;DR sections make it easy for AI to extract content.
- Schema Markup: Use structured data (like FAQ, How-To) to guide AI understanding.
- Conversational: Write like you speak—natural, clear, and helpful.
Gone are the days...
This is a refrain you’ll hear throughout the podcast. You can no longer rely on the following to get you found:
- SEO and GEO is not a set it and forget it practice: You need to be analysing for gaps constantly and continually work on your SEO. If you don’t, you can bet your competitor will!
- SEO and GEO is not about “10 blue links and keyword stuffing”: Google is way smarter than these old tactics. Repeated use of a keyword means nothing if the dwell time, time on page or bounce rate indicate a bad user experience or unhelpful results.
- Website review pages need a new approach: Just listing reviews on your website is not enough. These are easily falsified, and using a third-party source like Google My Business is better.
- Generic copy will not gain you SEO or GEO traction: AI allows for the creation of ‘scraped’ content. Add a unique take to stand out - generic copy becomes online white noise and won’t get featured.
If you enjoyed this podcast, there are more! Hit the subscribe button to get the episodes in your inbox as we publish them. We have two more exciting episodes coming up on AI in business, and AI and creativity.
Listen Now!
Catch the full episode of the Spitfire Inbound Take Flight Podcast titled "What is GEO? The New SEO That’s Redefining Online Visibility" wherever you listen to podcasts!
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