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Welcome to the Friday edition of our newsletter. We spend Friday’s going deeper into tools and trends related to generative AI (and Tuesdays sharing news updates). This week we’re talking about how to get your business included in AI chat responses.

Make your business show up in AI chat responses

For decades, the goal of digital marketing has been to rank in the "10 blue links" on the first page of Google. But that is changing. Users are increasingly turning to AI Chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews to get direct, conversational answers rather than a list of websites.

This transition has led to a new discipline: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). While traditional SEO is about getting "on the stage" to be seen, GEO is about becoming the "script" from which the AI speaker reads.

Why GEO matters for your businesses

Gartner predicts search engine volume will decline by 25% by next year as users shift to AI chatbots. Some industries have already seen non-brand keyword traffic drop by up to 60% following the launch of AI overviews.

GEO offers an opportunity to level the playing field. Lower-ranked websites often benefit more from GEO than established giants because AI models prioritize content quality and credibility signals over traditional "backlink" authority. By optimizing for AI, you can boost your brand’s visibility in these synthesized responses by up to 40%.

Before you continue reading below, take a minute to ask an AI chat tool something were you or your business should be the answer to see if you show up already.

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Four strategies to get started with GEO

1. Boost your "credibility signals"

Generative engines are designed to avoid "hallucinations" and prioritize grounded information. To make your content more "citation-worthy," researchers recommend three high-performing modifications:

Statistics Addition: Replace qualitative descriptions with hard numbers and quantitative data. Concrete numbers and specific facts are easier for AI to extract than vague generalizations.

Quotation Addition: Incorporate credible quotes from experts in your field.

Cite Sources: Explicitly cite your own references. Adding simple in-line citations can significantly increase the likelihood that an AI will use and credit your content.

2. Adopt an "answer-first" structure

AI models use Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to "chunk" and reassemble information. To help them, you must make your content extractable. Currently, text remains the primary medium for GEO, but graphics are increasingly integrated through multimodal AI.

Answer Blocks: Start major sections with a clear 30–80 word summary that directly answers a specific question.

Self-Contained Paragraphs: Write each paragraph so it makes sense on its own, without relying on phrases like "as mentioned above".

Clear Headings: Use descriptive headings (e.g., "How to Choose a CRM") in a logical order to help AI identify which sections answer specific user intents.

Multimedia Support: Graphics and videos are becoming highly cited when supported by detailed captions, alt text and video transcripts.

3. Build authority beyond your website

AI doesn't just read your blog; it scans the entire digital ecosystem to see if you are a "trusted" entity.

The Power of Third-Party Platforms: Reddit, LinkedIn Pulse, and YouTube are among the most cited sources for major LLMs. Posting expertise on LinkedIn Pulse or participating in niche Reddit communities can drive more AI mentions than your homepage alone.

Consistency is Key: Ensure your brand's name, category, and offerings are identical across Google Business Profiles, review sites, and social media. If AI finds conflicting info, it may skip you.

4. Don't ignore the SEO foundation

A critical finding known as the "Discovery Gap" reveals that for new brands, GEO strategies work best as a part of a traditional SEO strategy.

If an AI engine doesn't already know your brand exists through traditional signals like referring domains and online reviews, content optimization won't help you much. Build your local SEO and backlink foundation first. Then, GEO will amplify your presence.

How to measure success

Traditional metrics like "clicks" only tell half the story now. In the GEO era, you should track:

• Brand Mentions: How often does the AI name your business in its text?

• AI Citations: How often does the AI provide a direct link to your site as a formal authority?

• Share of Voice: How many times do you appear compared to your top three rivals for a specific category prompt?

Bing Webmaster Tools has a new AI Performance Report that can help you track these areas. Other options include Semrush and Generative Pulse.

By focusing on unique, valuable content and clear, machine-readable structures, you ensure that when your customers ask AI for help, your business is the one providing the answer.