There have been significant changes to search algorithms due to the implementation of AI. Businesses that want to stay relevant have to adapt their content strategies to ensure their content remains included in AI-generated answers. In this article, we discuss the pressing need for GEO and the factors that an AI search engine considers when deciding what to include in its answers.
What is GEO?
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is a set of practices that help a brand’s content be mentioned and cited by AI-powered search engines like Google, Yandex, Bing and ChatGPT. Search engine optimization (SEO) was best for traditional search algorithms that focused mainly on matching keywords and backlinking, but traditional SEO tactics are no longer sufficient on their own.
At Growth Hackers, we helped a B2B SaaS company restructure its content strategy for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), this shift increased AI-driven brand mentions across LLM platforms and started to drive MQLs and SQLs within 6 weeks.
Because search engines now function so differently, businesses must adopt GEO practices to improve their site’s AI visibility. Your brand’s content should be easily understood by human readers, but it should also be easy for bots and large language models (LLMs) to crawl, render, and summarize.
13 AI Visibility Factors
Listed below are some of the most important factors that improve AI visibility:
- Intent
- Freshness
- Authority
- Keywords
- Internal Links
- Citation
- Backlinks
- Structure
- Schema
- Indexability
- Technical SEO
- Core Web Vitals
- Mobile Optimization
1. Intent
AI search engines are designed to interpret the intent behind a user’s query instead of focusing solely on matching keywords. Large language models are trained to fully understand the meaning behind the user’s search query. They then try to interpret the exact context of the query and connect it to related topics to generate the most comprehensive answer.
Some AI search engines, like Google’s AI Mode, use a query fan-out method that identifies all the topics and subtopics that comprise the user’s initial query. The LLMs then search multiple queries simultaneously using a traditional search index and synthesize the results into a single answer.
2. Freshness
AI search engines also tend to include content that is freshly created or has at least been recently updated. Webpages are significantly more likely to be indexed by bots and LLMs if they were published or updated within the last 3 months. Quality content is great, but fresh quality content is better.
You can ensure content freshness by staying abreast of emerging industry trends, maintaining a regular publishing schedule, and updating content as needed. Add a “last updated” tag to the top of each article to tell both human and machine readers how recent each webpage is.
At Growth Hackers, we supported a tech company that had strong evergreen content but poor AI visibility, and after introducing a structured update cadence and freshness tagging system, they saw a massive increase in content being cited by AI search engines. At Growth Hackers, we practice what we preach. So, we update our own content on a regular basis (Usually once a year to ensure that it’s up-to-date).
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3. Authority
AI-powered search engines prefer to cite and synthesize information from authoritative sources. They crawl your content for signals that your site is credible and trustworthy as a source. Author credentials, thorough About pages, and clear attribution all signal authority.
Content that demonstrates subject-matter expertise is one of the best ways to improve brand authority. Aligning your content with the Google E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) will improve how AI search engines evaluate trust. High-quality backlinks are also a proxy for authority.
For a fintech startup, Growth Hackers treated authority like a professional reputation score, where every credential, citation, and backlink acted as a vote of confidence, improving perceived trustworthiness.
4. Keywords
Keywords have been fundamental since the earliest search algorithms, but the implementation of AI has slightly changed how they decide what content to include in answers. Keyword placement was once enough to get your content ranking high on search engine result pages (SERPs), but it’s now a secondary signal for AI visibility.
Keyword placement is still important because it helps your content get indexed as a source used by AI search engines when they generate their answers. Intent and comprehensive context are newly paramount, but organically including both basic and long-tail keywords should be part of any brand’s content strategy.
Before working with Growth Hackers, an eCommerce store in the fashion industry focused only on exact-match keywords without context, but after we implemented an intent-first keyword strategy aligned with GEO principles, they achieved a huge improvement in AI-driven content discoverability.
5. Internal Links
Although internal linking once directly influenced search algorithms, it now has an indirect influence by making webpages more crawlable for bots. Internal links act as a map that helps bots understand your site as a whole, with interrelated content across various topics and subtopics.
A well-structured site with clear landing pages and connected supporting pages can be used by AI search engines to provide a deeper, more contextual answer to a user’s query. Making your site easier for machine learning to understand increases the likelihood of mentions and citations.
At Growth Hackers, we helped a manufacturing company restructure its internal linking architecture for both GEO and SEO, and this optimization improved crawl depth and AI content citation rates. If you’re reading this article, you probably noticed that we also included internal links. As you can see, we believe in what we’re selling.
6. Citation
AI search engines are also more likely to include content from the webpage in their generated answers if the webpage cites its sources. These modern systems are looking for accurate, specific content that uses information and data from reputable sources, rather than vague content stuffed with the right keywords.
Using citations, especially those from high-quality sources, also signals to AI models that your site is more trustworthy and authoritative. When your own brand is cited in AI-generated answers, you will also become a more trusted brand with users.
7. Backlinks
Having sites link back to your site has always been a part of SEO, but it is now more about brand authority. Getting backlinks, much like keyword placement, would help content rank higher in SERPs, and it now functions similarly, but during the part where LLMs create a traditional index based on what their bots have brought them.
Getting backlinks from highly respected brands in your industry helps establish brand authority. These kinds of backlinks tell the AI search engines that your content is high-quality enough to get referenced by reputable sources. At Growth Hackers, we supported a healthcare organization that struggled with weak domain authority, and after building a targeted backlink strategy with respected industry sources, they experienced a boost in AI-generated content citations in less than 3 months.
8. Structure
AI search engines also tend to include well-structured content in their answers. What these machines like to see in structure is multi-faceted, starting with a clean layout on each webpage made up of clear headings, subheadings, bulleted lists, FAQs, and other basic structural elements. Each piece of content should also be constructed so that definitions and other important information are frontloaded.
The more easily that an AI model can extract your content’s information and stick it directly into an answer to a user’s query, the better. As a result, webpages should have their content written so that each piece of information or data can be extracted without much surrounding context.
9. Schema
A schema is a kind of code that adds specific labels to help machines understand the content and context of each webpage. For example, FAQPage marks an FAQ section, and a QAPage label references a question-and-answer format. Bots can easily parse these labels and report back to the LLMs how each site and unique page is built.
Schema markup essentially structures your data so that machine learning models can understand the context of each webpage. This contextualization then allows AI search engines to quickly convert the information on your site into direct answers to user queries.
10. Indexability
Getting indexed by traditional search algorithms is no longer sufficient on its own, but those old systems are still very similar to how bots and LLMs index sites and decide which sources are most citation-worthy.
Title tags, headers, and meta descriptions help a page rank in search results by making a site easier to crawl. Bots used by AI search engines are also less likely to crawl a site with slow loading speeds, broken links, duplicate content, or other technical issues that make it difficult to reach, render, and store each webpage.
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11. Technical SEO
Technical SEO is now about optimizing your site’s infrastructure so that AI search engines are more likely to use your content in their generated answers. Much like with indexability and schema, technical SEO is about establishing the right conditions for AI models to quickly traverse your content and draw from it.
To improve your site’s technical SEO, start by fixing any loading errors, cleaning up code, and removing content clutter. Also, make sure AI bot permissions are enabled and that all data formats are readable by the LLM. Some of these more advanced concepts can also be handled by AI marketing agencies that specialize in technical SEO.
12. Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are three Google-specific metrics used to measure real-world user experience. The first aspect is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures how quickly the main content of a webpage loads. The second aspect is Interaction to Next Paint (INP), which correlates to how quickly a webpage responds to user input. The third aspect is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), i.e., how visually stable a webpage is as it loads.
Webpages that score well in LCP, INP, and CLS are much more likely to rank highly in Google SERPs. Other major AI-powered search engines like Bing and Yandex use very similar metrics to measure page experience. While working on your site’s technical SEO, pay special attention to these three core elements for each webpage.
13. Mobile Optimization
AI search engines are also more likely to include content in their answers if it comes from mobile-optimized webpages. Many search engines and models, including Google, use bots that primarily crawl and index the mobile versions of websites.
To optimize your site for mobile devices, start with fundamental principles, such as avoiding small fonts and using graphics that do not interfere with loading or scrolling. Webpages that work on all kinds of devices are not only more accessible by bots but also another sign of brand authority.
Core Insights About Showing Up on LLMs and AI Search Engines’ Answers
Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving, and businesses must quickly optimize their content to keep it appearing in search results for user queries. The best GEO tactics for improving AI visibility center on creating high-quality content with well-structured data while increasing overall brand authority. Major AI search engines like Google and Yandex are looking for expert content from trustworthy sources, and a shift to modern GEO tactics will help ensure a brand stays relevant.
Growth Hackers is an award-winning content strategy agency helping businesses from all over the world grow. There is no fluff with Growth Hackers. We help entrepreneurs and business owners adapt to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), increase their productivity, generate qualified leads, optimize their conversion rate, gather and analyze data analytics, acquire and retain users and increase sales.
We go further than brand awareness and exposure. We make sure that the strategies we implement move the needle so your business grow, strive and succeed. If you too want your business to reach new heights, contact Growth Hackers today so we can discuss about your brand and create a custom growth plan for you. You’re just one click away to skyrocket your business.
