A Data-Driven Guide to Optimizing for Machine Learning (SEO to GEO)

If you've noticed a dip in your traditional website traffic despite your best SEO efforts, you're not alone. The way people find information is changing, and it's time to adapt. 

For years, the goal was to rank on the first page of search engines, but with the rise of powerful large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven search, a new era has begun. We're shifting from SEO to GEO—Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

This shift means that metrics like "website clicks" are no longer the single definitive guide to your online visibility. People are getting their answers directly from AI overviews and chatbots without ever clicking through to a website. The truth is, the number of people searching for your business hasn't changed; they're just not always looking on page one of Google anymore.

This is a crucial distinction. It means that visibility is the new traffic. And to remain visible, you need to be everywhere—on all platforms.

This article will break down what generative engine optimization is, why it's so important, and how you can start preparing your content for a future where machine learning reigns supreme. We'll explore how AI finds and cites information and what Moonello's unique expertise and tools can do to help you thrive in this new age

Understanding the Shift From SEO to GEO

For decades, SEO was about optimizing content for a set of rules and algorithms designed to serve up a list of links. In the early days of SEO, the focus was on keywords, backlinks, and on-page technical factors. As Google became more advanced, SEO expanded to factor in context, intent, and semantic relevance. 

But AI takes SEO a step further. First, it doesn't think in terms of keyword density. AI  understands context, relationships, and concepts. It's a completely different kind of search engine optimization.

We've been talking about the importance of semantic relevance for a while, but with AI-powered search, it’s now the most critical factor. Instead of only looking for a simple keyword match, these systems use natural language processing (NLP) to understand the true meaning and intent behind a search query.

Which brings us to generative engine optimization (GEO)...

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the emerging practice of optimizing content for visibility and performance within AI-driven search engines and generative models, like ChatGPT and Google's AI overviews. 

While still in its early stages, GEO represents a significant evolution in digital strategy, aiming to help businesses thrive in the age of generative engines (GEs). It focuses on maximizing content's reach and visibility within these new platforms, which often present results differently than traditional search engines.

GEO vs. SEO: What's the Difference?

Is GEO replacing SEO? This is a question many are asking. The answer is no, not entirely. It's an evolution, not a replacement.

Key Differences from SEO

While GEO shares some similarities with traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO), key differences exist. GEO focuses on content optimized for AI understanding and generation. This includes considering how AI models process and synthesize information, potentially prioritizing clarity, accuracy, and comprehensive content. Currently, research on effective GEO strategies is limited, making it a rapidly evolving field. 

GEO isn't replacing SEO entirely; rather, it’s a complementary approach, focusing on a different set of algorithms and user interaction patterns.

How AI Finds and Cites Information

To succeed with generative engine optimization, you need to understand how these advanced search engines work. They don't just "read" your text. They break it down into entities—people, places, things, and concepts—and use vectors to understand the relationships between them. This process helps them build a rich, contextual understanding of your content.

This is the very essence of semantic relevance. For example, a traditional search algorithm might see the words "apple" and "pie" on a page and associate them with a recipe. A generative model, however, understands the entity "apple" (the fruit) and the entity "pie" (the dessert) and knows the common relationship between them. It can then synthesize that information to answer a question like, "How do you bake a delicious apple pie?"

The goal is to ensure content is so well-structured and semantically rich that an AI can easily and confidently cite it as a source of truth.

How to Optimize for Generative Search

Currently, there's no single definitive guide to GEO. However, early strategies suggest good SEO principles remain the same. 

The shift from traditional SEO to GEO isn't about throwing out everything you know. It’s about building upon the core principles of great content, but with a new mindset. Instead of just trying to rank for a keyword, you're aiming to be the most helpful, comprehensive source of information that an AI can use to answer a user's question.

What Is High-Quality, Comprehensive Content?

In the age of GEO, high-quality content goes beyond just being well-written and free of typos. It means creating a definitive resource that covers a topic from multiple angles, anticipating follow-up questions, and providing verifiable, accurate information.

• Be the One-Stop Shop

  • Think of your content as a complete guide, not just an article. 

  • If a user asks "how do I bake a cake?", don't just provide a recipe. Include tips on ingredient substitutions, common baking mistakes and how to fix them, and even what types of frosting work best. 

  • This kind of comprehensive content makes you the most likely source for an AI to pull from because it provides a complete answer.

• Anticipate the User Journey

  • Users often start with a broad question and then get more specific. Your content should reflect this. 

  • For example, a user might first ask "what's the best workout for building muscle?" and then follow up with "how many reps should I do?" or "what protein powder is best?". 

  • By structuring your content to answer these related questions within a single piece, you're making it easier for an AI to understand the full context of a user's intent.

• Show, Don’t Just Tell

  • Use a variety of formats to explain complex topics. This includes images, infographics, videos, and clear headings. 

  • An AI can parse and understand the structure of your content, making it more likely to use different parts of your page to answer various aspects of a user’s query.

Understanding the Nuances of User Queries

This is perhaps the biggest shift in thinking. When a person types a query into a search bar, they're often using shorthand or keywords. But when they interact with a generative AI, they're having a conversation. The AI understands the context of the conversation, the intent behind the question, and the user's prior questions.

• Context is Everything

  • A user might ask, "how tall is the Eiffel Tower?" but they might actually be planning a trip and need to know if it's too high for them to climb. 

  • An AI could infer this from prior questions like "What are some attractions in Paris?" or "Are there any elevators in the Eiffel Tower?". 

  • Your content needs to answer the stated question, but also provide information that anticipates the user's underlying needs. For example, in addition to the height, mention that there are elevators and stairs available, or discuss the different viewing platforms.

• The Power of Follow-Up Questions

  • Generative AIs are designed to handle multi-step conversations. 

  • For example, a user might ask, "What are the best laptops for graphic design?" An AI might pull a list from your article. The user could then follow up with "Which one has the longest battery life?" or "Which is the cheapest?". 

  • Your content needs to be structured in a way that provides clear, discrete answers to these potential follow-up questions, making it easy for the AI to extract the relevant details.

• Clarity Over Clicks

  • Traditional SEO often focuses on creating intriguing headlines that entice a click.

  • With GEO, the goal is to provide a clear, direct answer within the content itself. The AI is looking for accuracy and clarity, not clickbait. 

  • Your content should be the definitive, trustworthy source of truth for the user's query.

Optimizing for GEO means shifting your focus from keywords to concepts and an emphasis on user intent. It's about thinking like a helpful assistant that anticipates a user's needs and provides the most complete, accurate, and easy-to-understand information possible. The ultimate goal is to become the trusted source that AI models will rely on to provide a helpful and comprehensive response.

Content Formatting for Better Citability

When it comes to creating content that AI will love, formatting is your friend. Here are some high-level tips to help you get started:

1. Use clear headings and subheadings. This helps AI models understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.

2. Employ bullet points and numbered lists. These formats make it easy for AI to extract key information and summarize it concisely.

3. Define key terms and concepts. By clearly defining entities and concepts, you reduce ambiguity and increase the chances of your content being cited accurately.

Moonello’s Approach to Omnichannel Visibility

With AI overviews reducing clicks and the rise of other platforms, it's more important than ever to have a presence everywhere your audience is. Our take is that visibility is the new traffic and that's why we believe omnichannel marketing is the most effective approach.

An omnichannel marketing approach is a holistic strategy that ensures your brand is visible and consistent across all channels. Whether your audience interacts with you via social media, email, in-store, direct mail, a billboard, a radio ad, a TV or Hulu ad, your messaging is seamless, it doesn’t waver or change. 

Our omnichannel digital marketing services ensure your brand is seen and heard, whether a potential customer is browsing a traditional search result or getting an answer from an AI-driven chatbot.

A Data-Driven Approach to GEO with Moonello

While others are still focusing on outdated methods, we’re using the same techniques as the search engines themselves. Our proprietary tool, SERPrecon, uses advanced methods like vectors, machine learning, and natural language processing to understand context and meaning—just like AI. This allows us to offer generative engine optimization strategies that are truly ahead of the curve.

Here's how SERPrecon helps you dominate the new landscape. 

• AI Overview Optimizer: This tool scrapes Google results for a query, uses those results to generate an AI Overview, then uses BERT to extract keywords and phrases from the AI Overview and presents them alongside related queries and people also ask questions to help you optimize for an AI citation.

• Semantic Relevance & Entities: We move beyond keywords to understand the concepts your audience is searching for.

• Competitor Analysis: Our tool lets you see what your competitors are doing, not just on a lexical level but on a deep semantic level.

• AI Advice & Content Outlines: We feed all of our data into an AI to create the perfect content outline for dominating search results, and helping you understand the data.

• Optimize & Measure Before Publishing: Our gap analysis helps you find exactly what content is missing, and our check relevance tool measures how your scores change before you even hit publish.

• Understand Query Fan-out: We've reverse-engineered how AI finds citations to help you optimize for AI overviews.

What Our Tools Can Do For You

We know that to succeed in this new era of generative engine optimization, you need the right tools and strategies. This is why we created SERPrecon. Other tools only use lexical models, which look at surface-level data like keyword density. We use semantic metrics to truly understand context and meaning.

Our content optimization process helps businesses thrive by:

• Extracting Competitor Keywords: Use a BERT-based natural language processing algorithm and entities to uncover key topics to improve your SEO copy.

• Getting Instant Feedback: Edit your copy and see how lexical and semantic relevance scores change.

• Measuring SEO & AI Share of Voice: Track your Share of Voice in AI and Organic search over time.

• Understanding How Users Search: We help you move beyond keywords and look at entities, related searches, and questions people ask to know exactly what topics to include.

Final Thoughts 

The digital landscape is changing, and traditional SEO is no longer enough. The future is about generative engine optimization, creating credible, well-structured content that AI can easily cite. With our data-driven approach and proprietary tools, Moonello can help you navigate this shift and ensure your business remains visible in the age of machine learning.

Ready to adapt and thrive?

• Visit our website to learn more about our omnichannel digital marketing and custom software development services.

• Contact us today or apply for a visibility audit to schedule a consultation and see how we can help you with your generative engine optimization strategy. We will help you audit brand visibility on llms to create a strategy that is unique to you.

Don’t let the competition outpace you in the new age of AI-driven search engines. Let's build a future where your brand is visible everywhere.