How to Build Brand Authority Through GEO: 6 Top Tips

AI is changing how people find information online. Instead of clicking through ten blue links, users now get direct answers from ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, Perplexity, and similar tools.

The rise of large-language models (LLM) and their ability to contextualize and interpret prompts before serving responses in a conversational tone is rapidly reshaping digital marketing.

If AI platforms don't cite your brand, you're invisible to a growing chunk of your audience. ChatGPT alone has 800 million weekly users. Google's AI Overviews now appear in over 47% of searches. And most of these searches end without anyone clicking a single link.

This shift demands a new approach called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). No, this isn't the "SEO is dead" or "SEO vs GEO" debate. You need GEO to make sure AI engines recognize your brand as an authority worth citing.

What Is GEO and Why Does It Matter?

GEO is the practice of optimizing your content so AI-powered answer engines can find, understand, and cite it. Traditional SEO gets you ranked in search results. GEO gets you quoted in AI-generated answers.

The difference is that when someone asks ChatGPT or Google AI a question, these systems don't link to websites. They synthesize information from multiple sources and present a unified answer. Your goal is to become one of those sources.

Most AI citations come from PR-driven content, not vendor marketing. Articles in industry publications, expert commentary, podcast appearances, and community discussions carry far more weight than promotional blog posts.

Although this reinventing of the wheel can be jarring for marketers, it can be a good thing for qualitative content. GEO appears to favor thought leadership and content that seeks to educate and inform as a priority.

Crucially, GEO also has the potential to cite video transcripts in a way that rewards multimedia content in a brand new way.

Related article: What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

GEO vs GSO vs AEO vs AI SEO

You might see different terms floating around that refer to different forms of artificial intelligence search engine optimization. While they’re all linked to similar approaches to searching online, there are some key differences that you should keep in mind. These include:

GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Optimizing content for AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Deepseek, and Perplexity. GEO is the most common form of AI search online today.
GSO (Generative Search Optimization): This term is similar to GEO, focusing on generative AI search tools. However, GSO can more heavily focus on approaches to optimize content to be referenced by AI engines.
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Optimizing for any platform that provides direct answers (includes voice assistants). Common AEO practices include producing content with the intention of directly addressing audience FAQs.
AI SEO (AI Search Engine Optimization): This is an umbrella term covering optimization for all AI-enhanced search, including Google's AI Overviews.

Many of these terms overlap with one another, which can make modern SEO practices a little more complex than they need to be. As a result, most marketers refer to GEO as a catch-all term when optimizing content.

6 Ways to Build Brand Authority Through GEO

These GEO tips work together to establish your brand as a trusted source that AI systems want to cite and audiences are keen to click through to:

1. Structure Content for AI Comprehension

AI engines break your content into chunks and evaluate each section independently. This means every section needs to stand on its own two feet.

Use question-based headings that match how people actually search. The average AI query is 4.29 words versus 3.48 for traditional search. People ask more complex, conversational questions.

Start each section with a direct answer in 1-2 sentences. Then expand with supporting details. Research shows content over 3,000 words gets three times more traffic because AI needs depth to confidently cite sources.

If you’re unsure of the sort of common questions that your target audience is asking, intelligent marketing platforms like Ahrefs can assist you with keyword research. These tools can help you to better understand the common industry queries that are run through search engines daily and the traffic they generate.

2. Add Citations, Quotations, and Statistics

Researchers from Princeton University and IIT Delhi analyzed 10,000 queries across multiple domains and found:

Content incorporating citations and quotations achieved up to 40% more visibility in AI-generated responses.
Adding relevant statistics improved visibility by around 30%.
Perhaps most surprisingly (or not!), traditional keyword stuffing—a mainstay of conventional SEO—actually decreased performance by approximately 8%.

The Princeton Study: What Actually Works in GEO

Reference reputable studies, link to authoritative sources, and include specific numbers. AI systems trust content that shows its work.

Once again, this should be regarded as a positive move by marketers because it ensures that qualitative work is rewarded, while lazy SEO approaches are less likely to be cited by search engines.

3. Implement Comprehensive Schema Markup

Schema markup helps AI understand your content. Use FAQ, How-To, Article, and Organization schemas.

One Search Engine Land experiment found that a well-implemented schema was the only factor that got a page into AI Overviews over competitors.

In the same test, a page with bad schema implementation ranked for 10 keywords and hit position 8, but never appeared in a single AI overview.

Yes, schema markups can be a technical process for many SEO professionals, but it’s clearly worth the effort when competing with countless rivals for that all-important GEO citation.

4. Build Presence Beyond Your Website

You have probably noticed that a lot of the citations on ChatGPT are actually Wikipedia links. It’s ChatGPT's top source at 7.8% of citations.

Reddit also dominates across platforms—it's the most-cited source for both Google AI and Perplexity. Community platforms and review sites consistently appear in top citation lists across all AI systems.

You need to exist where AI systems look. Get your company on Wikipedia (following their guidelines). Participate authentically in Reddit discussions. Secure mentions in industry publications through PR efforts.

Going to the effort of actively participating in relevant discussions surrounding your industry can make a world of difference in building your online presence in the age of generative AI. Additionally, it can really help in building a dedicated community for your brand.

You may also find that your networking opportunities expand as you participate more actively online.

5. Demonstrate Expertise Through E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google uses these criteria, and AI systems follow similar patterns.

Show detailed author credentials. Publish original research. Update content regularly—AI models heavily favor fresh content.

According to research on AI citation patterns from Muck Rack, ChatGPT cited journalism published within the past year 56% of the time.

To action this, position yourself as an industry thought leader. Share your experience and expertise, and don’t be afraid to participate in guest posting to drive greater levels of audience engagement.

There is a clear preference in GEO for recent content. This means that you shouldn’t only include timestamps on your articles, but you should also look to trending topics surrounding your industry and consistently share your insights on key polemics.

6. Focus on Unlinked Brand Mentions

Traditional SEO relies a lot on backlinks. GEO focuses more on brand mentions alongside link-building strategies.

When people discuss your brand in forums, news articles, or social media, AI systems learn about your expertise through co-citation patterns. This teaches them where you fit in your industry.

Because GEO citations can include multimedia content, you have more potential to get yourself noticed through podcast appearances or as an interviewee on YouTube channels. Providing expert commentaries to journalists can also help to supercharge those all-important brand mentions.

The Path Forward: Building Brand Authority with GEO

Google still processes 373 times more searches than ChatGPT (5 trillion versus 13.7 billion search-like queries annually). But Semrush predicts LLM traffic will overtake traditional search by late 2028.

While this may seem like a scary prospect, GEO’s preference for qualitative and data-driven citations means that it’s more likely that measured, thoughtful, and fact-based content will thrive as reference points for search engines. This ensures that you’re more likely to be rewarded for your hard work.

To be a successful marketer in the age of artificial intelligence, you need both SEO and GEO. Most of Google AI Overview citations actually come from the top 10 organic results. Strong traditional SEO creates the foundation. GEO tactics amplify that visibility.