Small But Mighty
Search behaviour is shifting. Instead of clicking through pages of results, users are now getting answers instantly through AI features like Google’s AI Overviews. These tools summarise information from multiple sources and deliver it directly on the search page. As a result, the way businesses approach Search Engine Optimisation needs to change. To stay visible in this environment, businesses must integrate generative engine optimisation, or GEO, into their digital strategy. This involves creating content that can be easily interpreted and reused by AI systems. For those working with an SEO agency in Melbourne or developing content in-house, understanding how GEO works is critical.
What Is Generative Engine Optimisation?
Generative engine optimisation refers to the process of formatting and writing content so that AI-powered search tools can identify and extract useful information from it. Unlike traditional search, which lists pages based on rankings, generative search features create summaries by pulling insights from multiple sources.
Google’s AI Overviews are a good example. Instead of showing only a list of links, the platform now generates a short answer based on web content, including blogs, that it considers trustworthy and relevant. The objective with GEO is to ensure your content is among the sources that these tools recognise and use in their summaries.
How GEO Differs from Traditional SEO
Traditional SEO involves placing keywords in strategic locations, earning backlinks, improving page load speed, and ensuring metadata is accurate. These factors still influence organic rankings, but AI-generated content follows a different logic.
AI systems evaluate language, structure, and context. They are built to understand concepts, not just match keywords. For example, repeating a phrase like “digital strategy” several times on a page will not help if the page lacks meaningful context. AI tools are trained to favour clear, informative, and well-organised content that aligns with the intent of the search.
The Role of Semantic SEO
Semantic SEO plays a key role in GEO. It focuses on meaning and relationships between topics, rather than keyword density. This involves covering the broader context of a subject and introducing related concepts that help AI tools build a more complete understanding of your content.
For example, a business offering project management software might not only describe the tool’s features. It would also include information on how the software benefits different user groups, how it integrates with other tools, and what specific problems it solves. This helps the content rank for a wider variety of queries and makes it more likely to be included in AI-generated summaries.
Using structured data, internal links, and clear topic hierarchies further strengthens semantic relevance. These practices give search engines more clues about what your content is about, improving both traditional rankings and AI visibility.
How to Optimise for AI Overviews
If you want your content to appear in AI summaries, consider the following steps in your copywriting formula.
1. Match User Intent Clearly
Start by identifying what the user wants. Whether the query is instructional, comparative, or informational, provide the answer early and clearly in your content.
2. Provide Contextual Depth
Go beyond surface-level descriptions. Explain what your product or service does, who it is for, and where it fits within the industry. This helps AI systems connect your content with a broader set of related searches.
3. Use Clear Formatting
Headings, subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs make content easier for both users and AI to process. This structure helps AI extract key points quickly and accurately.
4. Focus on Specific Topics
Choose a narrow topic and explore it in detail. In-depth coverage of one subject is more likely to be recognised as authoritative than a shallow overview of several.
5. Build Trust and Credibility
Support your content with references, customer reviews, author bios, and expert contributions. AI tools look for these indicators to determine whether a source is credible.
Get Ahead with Generative Engine Optimisation for AI Search – Work with an SEO Agency in Melbourne
AI-powered search tools are designed to deliver answers faster and more efficiently. Instead of encouraging users to click through to websites, they now aim to satisfy queries immediately. While this limits traditional traffic, it opens up new opportunities for visibility.
Being cited or summarised in an AI result helps build authority. It also gives users a first impression of your business as a trusted source. To reach this level, your content must be structured with both semantic SEO and GEO principles in mind.
Businesses working with an SEO agency in Melbourne or managing their own Search Engine Optimisation efforts should now consider both how a page ranks and how it is interpreted by AI. Incorporating these methods into your SEO digital strategy gives your site a better chance of standing out in search results that are driven by natural language processing.