GEO: How to get recommended by AI (without becoming generic)

AI didn’t just change how people search. It changed what they find. 

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE), ChatGPT, and every smart assistant now generate answers and not just link to them. That means your content isn’t just fighting for rankings, it’s fighting to be the source of AI’s findings. 

Old-school SEO rules won’t get you recommended. And what's worse... they’ll make you invisible. If your content sounds like everyone else’s, AI ignores it. Here’s how to flip that around with Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO). 

Wait… what is GEO marketing? 

We get this question a lot. 

What is GEO marketing? It’s not just about where you show up. It’s about how you show up in AI-driven experiences. GEO marketing connects your brand’s expertise to contextually relevant AI summaries, voice search, and generative search results. 

In plain terms? It means your content actually gets surfaced, not buried. 

SEO has evolved. GEO is here. Are you ready? 

Traditional search engine optimisation strategies focused on ranking for keywords. That game is changing and fast. Now, AI SEO is taking over. Search engines aren’t just showing links anymore, they’re answering questions, summarising and curating. 

And that’s where GEO comes in.  

It’s how you make sure your brand is the one being pulled into AI responses, not left in the content graveyard. 

The difference between SEO vs GEO? SEO makes you rank.  GEO gets you recommended. 

Why AI recommends the same content (and how to avoid it) 

AI tools aren’t adventurous. They’re trained to avoid risk, which means they pull in “safe,” neutral and consensus content. That’s why most AI-generated answers sound like they were written by a boardroom committee. 

The issue?  

Most brands write for the algorithm, and the algorithm prefers predictable, but predictable doesn’t get cited and bland doesn’t get visibility. As for generic content? It gets ghosted by AI SEO tools and search engines alike. 

The 4 GEO moves that help you rank without losing your edge 

Here’s how to get seen by AI, and sound like a brand worth listening to. 

1. Own the niche (and speak with POV) 

AI rewards authority, but only if it’s clear, confident, and specific. The more dialled-in your niche, the better your chances of being recommended. 

Example: Don’t say “Our company helps improve digital marketing outcomes.” Say, “We reduced bounce rate by 48% using page-speed compression and intent-driven copy.” 

What is GEO if not the ability to deliver clear answers to real problems? 

What should you do? Claim your turf, define your language and have a point of view. That’s how you go from indexed to cited. 

2. Stop optimising. Start answering. 

GEO is all about solving questions fast and not stuffing in keywords. Generative engines like ChatGPT and Gemini don’t care about perfect metadata because they care about clarity. If your content makes life easier for the user, it makes it into the answer box. 

What should you do? Structure your content around actual search queries. Use H2s to signal intent. Make every paragraph a direct answer. 

Pro tip: This also boosts your chances in traditional search engine optimisation services like Featured Snippets and People Also Ask boxes. 

3. Be cited, not just crawled 

You can have one hundred blog posts, but if none are being linked to, quoted, or referenced, AI won’t surface them. Being indexed isn’t the same as being trusted. 

GEO leans on what other sites say about you. It looks for authority signals, backlinks, mentions and references. 

What should you do? Turn your case studies into quotable assets. Create original insights. Get other people to say, “That’s the source.” 

This is one of the most overlooked search engine optimisation strategies in the AI era. 

4. Stay human in a robotic feed 

AI can fake human. But it can’t be human. That’s your edge. Your tone. Your voice. Your weird, sharp, specific way of showing up. 

In a feed full of robotic content, real human storytelling will always cut through. 

What should you do? Use your voice. Use real language. Tell real stories. 

That’s how you become distinct. And that’s how you win at GEO. 

Real talk: GEO without the fluff 

Let’s make this simple. 

Generative Engine Optimisation is the difference between being found and being forgotten. Between showing up in search and showing up in AI. 

Here’s what to focus on in 2026: 

• Authority over abundance 

• POV over polish 

• Clarity over cleverness 

And here’s what to ignore: 

• Blog spam 

• SEO tricks from 2012 

• Keyword-stuffing dressed as “insights” 

Is your content GEO-ready? (Run this 3-question audit) 

Time for a gut-check. Run this on your last blog post or landing page: 

1. Does this piece answer a user’s question, fast, clear, and with value? 

2. Does it sound like us, or like everyone else in our industry? 

3. Would we cite this ourselves in a pitch or strategy doc? 

If it’s a no on any of these, it’s not GEO-ready. Yet. 

Final thought: Don’t sound like the machine. Human authenticity is in. 

GEO is all about “how do we become the answer?” And at DC Lab, we help you do exactly that.  We don’t do fluff, we do real. If your content isn’t showing up in AI engines, that’s not a traffic problem. It’s a POV problem. 

Let’s fix that. 

Run your GEO audit today. See where your content's leaking visibility.