The search optimization landscape is always changing. In the past, doing things like keyword stuffing could yield decent results. Then E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) came to mean much more than just putting food into one’s mouth, and then it became E-E-A-T (Bxperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), because experience was also as important as expertise. But AI has also entered the picture, and it is going to be here for at least the short-term, if not longer.
That’s why it’s important to keep things like Google AI, ChatGPT, and Perplexity in mind, since you’ll be writing for them in order to get them to have other people see your work. This is just one way the future of search engine optimization will play out. Read on to learn more.
The Core Shift
Previously, people wanted to write to rank highly (ideally #1) on a SERP (Search Engine Retrieval Page). Now we’re looking at GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). How does this work?
- GEO works best if the users are typing in multi-step conversational questions that are highly specific. This works much better than them typing in fragmented keywords. That way, the AI can pull from the best sources thanks to the specificity.
- That means you want to write in a way that the AI trusts. This is the “T” part of E-E-A-T that is still very important. If it doesn’t see your writing as authoritative, then it’s not going to give you traffic from the users who are searching.
Gaining That Trust
You don’t necessarily have to try to think like a robot, but you need to focus on doing the following steps to help you get the traffic you want. This means considering algorithms for both typed queries and voice searches.
- You want to use natural conversational language, since you’re writing for humans (and NLP). That means you want to have your content answer a specific question in a direct and concise way. Don’t give away the whole thing at the beginning, but give enough to keep them on your page or to make them want to look at your other content.
- You should focus on E-E-A-T. Both Google and other AI models prioritize this, so sites that fulfill Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness will get more traffic. Include pure data, primary sources, and have industry experts either review the content or even write it themselves.
- Aim for the Feature Snippet. Write something that the AI will see as a definitive answer and thus make you the primary source. Make those answers brief (40-60 words) and use bullet points or numbered lists.
Although using AI to help you do the above things can make things easier, that doesn’t mean you can stop doing your own research (although Perplexity is like having a research assistant that never sleeps, and OpenAI has real-time web search built in). See what the metrics are and adjust your content accordingly. Always look to see what is working and what needs to change.
The world of search optimization will constantly evolve. What seems like a huge evolutionary leap now might seem positively quaint in the not-so-distant future. For now, Google AI, ChatGPT, and Perplexity are the new standards.
Synopsis
The search engine optimization landscape has changed again. It’s no longer about ranking on SERP, it’s about GEO. That means that people should write their content for humans (and NL). They should target long-tail questions and even have an FAQ to answer those questions. They should focus on E-E-A-T, and also optimize for feature snippets. Brand authority is also big. Google AI, Perplexity, and ChatGPT Search should all be constantly monitored. Google AI is integrated into standard search, Perplexity is like having a research assistant that never sleeps, and ChatGPT Search can use real-time web search capabilities. The landscape may change again, but this is the best for the present time.
Guest Post by: Brandon Leibowitz at SEO Optimizers
